Starting the New Year Well: A Secret I’ve Been Using for Years
As I write this, there are five days left in 2024. Just five little days before we get to start a whole new year. And even though the turning of years is something we humans completely made up (and therefore some consider it arbitrary), I can’t help but get excited every time we get to leave behind one year for the next.
If you’re anything like me, you’ve had your 2025 calendars, planners, and journals ready and waiting for a while now. You already have a few new goals, dreams, and habits written down that you want to become part of your daily life next year — and a few old ones you’re ready to leave behind.
You might have even been guilty of wishing away some of this week’s Christmas shenanigans so you could get on with diving into your 2025 prep. And now you find yourself in an in-between time you don’t quite know what to do with.
We want to be intentional with our next 365 days.
We want everything the new year has for us.
We want to start the year off really well.
We want heaps of good momentum.
We aren’t quite sure what to do today though.
We know it’s valuable too.
We don’t want to waste it.
We want to make it count.
How do I know? Because this happens to me every year. It’s been happening for as long as I can remember. And every year, I use the same secret to get to the other side of the in-between — a secret I want to share with you this morning, just in case you’re here looking for encouragement to get you through too.
Here’s the secret ⤵
Don’t wait. Start now.
Start reading your new daily reader right now.
Put that 2025 calendar up on the fridge today.
Write in your new planner this afternoon.
Fill in Day 1 of your new goal tracker.
Start your new habit & leave the old one.
Take step 1 toward your new dream.
Go ahead, I’m serious. It’s completely allowed.
No one’s going to stop you.
If you look hard enough, your new planner probably has boxes for this week somewhere. (If not, you can make them.) And it’s okay to start reading the January 1, 2, and 3 prompts in your new daily reader now. Count these days as extra practice. You can start over on the 1st or give yourself a few days head-start in case you have to skip a day or two next month.
Here are the new 2025 daily readers I started this week ⤵
The Creative Act by Rick Rubin is a book that’s been recommended by more than a few artists in my life repeatedly over the past couple of years. I’ve been hesitant to buy it because it’s for deep thinking and was written for artistic types — two areas I’ve been gradually leaning into over the past few years but haven’t quite been ready to dive into completely. Until now. I’m loving it and so glad I took the plunge.
The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie is a dated daily meditation book I’m reading on audio as a companion to Melody Beattie’s groundbreaking nonfiction book Codependent No More.
I started Codependent No More last winter at the recommendation of a wise, kind friend who saw me struggling with sending my oldest son to college. It’s a life-changing book, but it’s heavy. I haven’t finished it yet. I’m trying to gather enough courage to pick it back up again, and I haven’t written about it here yet because my feelings about it are still complicated. (I also despise the term “codependency” and think it should be replaced with a MUCH better term to honor those of us who care too deeply sometimes, so I’m trying to come up with one.)
I’m loving the daily pace of The Language of Letting Go though and I recommend it for anyone who cares so deeply for others that they lose themselves a little sometimes. More on the other one later.
& Just in case you missed last week’s message. . .
A short list of links to help you thrive in this season ⤵
➳ End your year on a high note with this year-end reflection.
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➳ Gain a fresh perspective with these wise words + this song.
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➳ Find help for making a change with this question + these quotes + this book.
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➳ Take a first step with the vision boarding practice that changed everything for me this year.
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➳ If you’re feeling lost try James Clear’s re-envisioning practice.
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➳ Embark on an unbecoming process before setting new goals.
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➳ Beat overwhelm with this book-flavored wellness hack.
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➳ Receive encouragement about dark nights of the soul.
➳ Get out of a rut with these quotes for in-between times.
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➳ Keep going by visiting the blog archives. Dive into as many articles as you want, and use the little “Older” button at the bottom of each page to find more and more and more. (You’ll find over 250 encouraging articles there about everything from good books, ways to have an adventurous life, and thriving in all sorts of situations to building long-lasting inner strength and family togetherness.) I hope you love them!
Wherever you are this morning, whatever’s going on in your world and bubbling up inside of you for this new year, I’d love to encourage you by saying one more thing⤵
Go for it.
Don’t shrink back.
Don’t play it safe.
Dive in deep.
Trust that it will turn out just the way it’s meant to.
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Here’s to us thriving all the way to the new year & beyond,
Celeste
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