Welcome to 2023! We made it another year. Time to crack open that new planner, write down those goals, and GET TO WORK! New year, new me, amirite?! 

But, did you know that most people give up on their New Year’s resolutions by the third Friday in January?! Now, I know what you’re thinking—“this is the most uninspiring toast I have ever heard!”—but hear me out. 

It’s true that the new year can feel like a new beginning and a chance to start fresh. It can also feel like you have to burn your life to the ground and start over from ground zero. There’s the weight to be lost, the debt to pay off, the promotion to nab, the house to remodel. If you haven’t resolved to “better” every area of your life, are you even doing it right?! These resolutions are to begin precisely on the first day of January, not a day later, despite the fact that we are collectively coming down from the feelings of a month of holidays, it is now firmly Winter, and there is more darkness than light. See the problem?

Why does it have to be all or nothing? Why are we required to bring in the type of rip-roaring energy necessary to start one resolution (never mind all of them) on January 1st? 

I don’t know about you, but January calls me to start over in a different way. I feel the pull to slow down after the chaos of the holidays, reflect on the past year, and get my home and life back to equilibrium. 

So how about we let the new year in gently? Crack the door just slightly to let in the breeze of a fresh start, instead of ripping it wide open with hurricane force wind gusts. Remind ourselves that it is Winter, a time for hibernation and reflection. It is said that the ancient Babylonians started the new year’s resolution 4,000 years ago with a celebration in March when the crops were planted. Perhaps our new year’s resolutions are best started at a time when our seeds are too ready to be planted, which may or may not coincide with a particular date on the calendar. 

So here is your reminder that a new year is just that…a new year. It’s not just one day or one month. You have twelve whole months to craft those goals, start those resolutions, bring in new habits or change nothing at all. If your seeds aren’t ready to be planted on January 1, no big deal, neither are mine. So my wish for you is that you hold onto to the new year loosely. Celebrate the reflection, the slow goals and the small changes that guide you into the direction you want to be going.

So raise your glass to the new year and the reminder that we have 365 days to get there. Cheers!

This post is part of a blog hop with Exhale—an online community of women pursuing creativity alongside motherhood, led by the writing team behind Coffee + Crumbs. Click here to view the next post in the series “Cheers!”.