priscilla du preez nF8xhLMmg0c unsplashForget about “new year, new you!” The truth is that you really do not need to create a “new you“ this year. You don’t need a “Happy New Year”, good luck, or a resolution to focus on your health and live your best life!

You have been through two years of a crazy pandemic coupled with the ups and downs that we all face, everything exacerbated by what the world has been going through, and you are here for the new year. Believe it or not, you are not just here, you are likely thriving even if you do not feel like it. 2022 is the year of your “best you.”

This is the year that you stop worrying about other people’s expectations, pressure you feel to conform and do things that you are supposed to do, and you live life as your best self. You do not need to be on a beach somewhere to live that best life, you simply need to take stock of what is important to you as we start another year and do some planning to find your path to realize what is important and how to best live it daily.

Resolutions to start a new year are often quickly discarded. Everyone knows this but many people still make them. You know, like that excitement over going to the gym at the beginning of the year that never lasts, the diet that is going to change it all, or the new relationship that will happen and be the key to happiness. Those things are noble pursuits but what if you start 2022 being your best you — not setting artificial goals about weight loss, cooking healthier meals, fitting into a smaller pair of pants, or conforming to what you think you are supposed to do you think you are supposed to do in your marriage, relationship, being a good enough parent, any number of things people beat themselves up over. You will find your way to the goals by changing your process.

Consider a new kind of reset. Think about 2022 being the year that you are true to yourself. To be true to yourself you need to think about what that means. What are your personal core values? Make a list of a few of them, write them down, and make decisions based on whether the people you are with, the actions you are taking, and the things you prioritize fit into what your values truly are.

Once you hold yourself accountable to a certain set of core values (or if you want to call them principles) you must evaluate whether the people and things in your life fit. If they don’t, those are probably pain points for you where you need to make a change. If they do, that is probably where are you should spend more time. Try it – it works.

Once you know what your most important values are, it is much easier to be true to yourself and to do and be what makes you happiest. Spend time with people who support your values, who support you — the people that you care about. Focus on quality rather than quantity for relationships, purchases, everything you do, and you might find yourself stretched less thin and a lot more satisfied in 2022. This can be the year of your best you. When you live every day doing things that support your best self, you set yourself up to reach those goals that many people set and never follow through on.

The most important words are the ones that you say to yourself. Start out 2022 making sure those words are positive, align with what matters most to you, and fit with your values. Make the words you say to yourself be more about what will move you forward and get you to where you want to be rather than dwelling on what might have happened last year, what you could have done differently, or what other people expect of you. I know that this is easier said than done but practicing training your inner monologue will have more power in setting you up for a great year and then listening to anyone else’s words ever can.

Here is to a great 2022! Reach out and let me know what your core values are. I would love to hear or help you find them.