New Year, New Me? Maybe Not...

New Year, New Me?

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Maybe not...

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It is only natural that the start of a new calendar year can feel like a good time to reassess what is important to you and focus your attention on what you would like to achieve in the coming 365 days. While there is nothing wrong with this practice in theory, it is the extremes it can sometimes be taken to, which can cause more problems than they solve. 

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If you read our blogs regularly you will already know that we are big fans of self-reflection, learning and goal setting at ZeroLight. However, this process is not limited to 1st January - this is an ongoing learning experiment where you challenge yourself and get to know yourself along the way. There is something very seductive about this idea that you can plan all these drastic changes, by the end of January you will have lost half your body weight, established habits that will last a lifetime, sworn off alcohol for the rest of time, managed to read a new book every week and cultivated more meaningful relationships with your friends and family. Yes, all of those things may be important to you in the long run but what are the chances of you actually achieving them all, all at the same time and within a strict timeframe? You run the risk of setting yourself up to fail and thereby damaging your mental health. 

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Therefore, this year, why not take a different approach. If you do feel that urge to plan coming across you then use that positive energy to think about how you will achieve longer term goals across the course of the year. What do you want to achieve and what small steps can you take today to get you closer to that goal? 

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Ditch the all of nothing mentality and remember that there were a lot of things to love about you in 2024, that hasn’t changed just because the year has.

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