3 Mantras to Simplify New Year’s Goal-Setting
There’s a special magic to the start of a brand new year. With a clean slate before us, we’re suddenly filled with all kinds of insights and inspiration about the life we really want to live.
But despite our best intentions, we can sometimes get overzealous with New Year’s resolutions, and suddenly our clean slate is crowded with more goals, habits, and commitments than can reasonably be managed.
So before January arrives, I want to remind you that it’s possible to set goals and build new habits without putting yourself through stress and overwhelm. And you can enter the new year with a clear mind, feeling calm, present, and in control.
But first, you have to make the choice to simplify: to focus on less, but better.
Simplifying makes it possible to move sustainably towards the best version of your life.
As you think about your goals for 2023, I thought I would share three short mantras that help me stay focused on what matters. If you start feeling like you’re being pulled in too many directions, come back to these small but powerful reminders.
Tip: Make a quick note for yourself with these mantras, then stick your note where you will see it often, such as your bathroom mirror, or snap a photo and set it as your phone’s lock screen.
1. ‘Start where you are’
So often, we know the result we want, but we say we don’t have what it takes to achieve it. Procrastination loves when we think we lack the time, knowledge, or mental capacity. But don’t let it get in your way – not when you’re capable of taking steps right here, right now, using what you already have on hand.
Procrastination also tends to be a clever disguise for perfectionism. ‘Why start if I won’t be able to do it perfectly or get the results I want right away?’
And at its core, perfectionism is often a mask for a fear we need to face, perhaps of failure, criticism, or rejection. But we don’t need to let fear steer the ship.
Instead, we can trade in the false hope of someday getting everything “perfect” in exchange for the real, tangible rewards of taking steps forward now, however imperfectly.
2. ‘Keep it simple’
When a goal feels big and audacious, there’s a tendency to overcomplicate it. Try using these questions as a filter to get down to the simplest version of the habit or goal you want to achieve.
Why is this important to me?
What feeling am I striving for?
Which of my values is driving this goal?
Then, make the goal even more actionable by asking…
What would this look like if it were easy?
What is the smallest possible version of this goal?
What am I already doing that is moving me in the right direction? How can I easily build on that?
The simpler, the better. If your new commitment appears a little too easy, don’t worry – you’re right on track. As prolific artist Vincent Van Gogh put it…
“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.”
3. ‘One thing at a time’
I used to pride myself on my multitasking ‘skills’, but I later realised that I function so much better when I allow myself to focus on one task at a time.
The same idea applies to building a new habit. Rather than expecting yourself to master a long list of new habits on January 1, introduce one change at a pace that works for you, whether that’s every day or every week. You'll quickly see the compound effect of making these foundational shifts in a sustainable way.
Join The 7-Day Reset
If you’re eager to put these ideas into practise, come join me in The 7-Day Reset — a series of quick wins to kickstart your simplifying journey and help you start the New Year on a good note.
Click here to join The 7-Day Reset and set yourself up for your best year yet.