Why “New Year. New You.” Doesn’t Work

Every December, we're surrounded by not-so-subtle messages that we're supposed to become someone else in the year ahead.

New year, new you! 🙄

As if when the calendar flips, you'll suddenly become a brand new version of yourself.

If that were true, I'd wake up on Thursday as someone who doesn't love ending a long day with a delicious hazy IPA, keeps a spotless house, and sends birthday cards on time.

Not likely to happen simply because it's January 1st.

Same for you.

You'll wake up Thursday morning as you. With the same preferences, patterns, strengths, and lessons you've been gathering all year.

And that's really good news.

You don't need a new you. You don't need to be fixed. You don't need to start from scratch to have a meaningful year ahead.

And honestly, it's hard to work with a "new you" when you have no idea how she actually operates.

Trying to ignore who you already are and what you've learned about yourself and how you move through the world is often what makes January feel so dang hard. It's like pretending none of the experience you gained this year counts just because the date changed.

The truth is, you are the secret sauce to the change you want to create next year. Not a magical reinvented version of you. The real you. The you who is a year wiser.

Instead of "New Year, New You," try this.

Bring who you already are with you as you aim for change. Get curious about what worked this year. What didn't. What drained you. What felt surprisingly good. What you want more of. What you're ready to let go of.

New year. Same you. With more data.

You're not starting over. You're starting wiser.

The you who shows up on January 1st has learned things in 2025. You know more now about what actually matters to you and what doesn't.

That version of you is more than enough to move forward.

Cheers to you. The version of you that already is, and the version you're becoming.

Missy