I am a recovering perfectionist, productivity chaser, and people pleaser, coaching women to disrupt old thought patterns, let go of behaviors that keep them stuck, and make their joy an everyday priority.
Happy New...You? 🎉
Guten Tag, Reader,
Happy New Year’s Eve, especially to all the new people here who found me through the Holiday Slow Down. Welcome to these Joy Letters.
This is number 75, and it may come as no surprise that my celebration will be a long, slow walk in the cold and a warm sit by the fire, reflecting on how I may serve my readers even better. Please help me out by participating in a quick survey. More about that at the bottom of today’s letter.
How are you spending the last day of 2023?
Are you looking ahead?
Planning? Dreaming? Scheming?
Dreading?
Resolutioning?
resolution
[ rez-uh-loo-shuhn ]
noun
- a formal expression of opinion or intention made, usually after voting, by a formal organization, a legislature, a club, or other group.: Compare concurrent resolution, joint resolution.
- the act of resolving or determining upon an action, course of action, method, procedure, etc.
- a resolve; a decision or determination
Did the committee in your head vote for you to act differently next year?
Be different? Better, thinner, richer, stronger, healthier? Was it a unanimous vote? Or is there resistance already? A sense of overwhelm, perhaps? A doubt that the determination is strong enough?
Here is another interesting piece of knowledge about the word RESOLUTION:
Ahhhhh. My body just relaxed. Looseness. Release. Those words feel freeing when everything above felt a bit restricting. Forceful. Rigid.
According to my Chinese Medicine practitioners, the winter season is the worst time to begin anything new. Instead, it is a time to come inside. Preserve energy. Tend to our Qi. Rest. Reflect.
I invite you to let yourself off the self-improvement hook for a while.
What if the old you is just right? Not perfect, thank god.
- What if you are exactly where and how you are supposed to be? What if you spent some time marveling and celebrating the work you already did to be here?
- What if you allowed yourself to dream about 2024 with openness and curiosity rather than fitting yourself into the corset of your committee’s resolution?
- What if the happy new you is the same old you, only with a new level of self-appreciation and a heightened sense of agency and authority over your choices?
If that sounds delicious but highly unachievable, why not start the new year with support? I would love to teach you how to bring out your calm, confident, and joyful side by this time next year.
My prices haven’t changed, so get a five- or ten-session package now. Or start with a free Meet-the-Coach call to clarify where and how to begin.
2023 Joy Letter Survey
You could participate in the survey to help me clarify how to serve you better in 2024. It shouldn’t take much more than 5-10 minutes. I put a lot of effort into these every other week, and your input makes it easier for me to focus on the subjects that matter to you.
Among all participants, I am giving away FIVE free “Year Ahead Tarot Readings.” The winners will email me their conundrums; I will draw a tarot card spread and offer an interpretation - also via email. If you are tarot-curious, this is an excellent opportunity for low-stakes exposure to the insight and guidance the cards can provide.
Follow me this way to the survey. It will be open until January 17,
I will see you back here in 2024 for issue 76.
Always on your side, truly,
p.s. This time of the year is fantastic for 1:1 coaching. Reflect on what went well in 2023 and start 2024 with less overwhelm and more confidence. Book a meet-the-coach call, and we'll chat about the details.
If you got something from today's letter, why not buy me a coffee? In real life, or you can leave me a tip here.
Welcome to my Joy Letters
I am a recovering perfectionist, productivity chaser, and people pleaser, coaching women to disrupt old thought patterns, let go of behaviors that keep them stuck, and make their joy an everyday priority.
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My mom accompanied me to Helena on one of my biggest adventures: becoming a US citizen in 2015. Guten Tag, Reader, I knew the words were going to come out of my mother’s mouth eventually. Not in every conversation, but certainly in every conversation about any of my adventures: Going to the island of Corse on a motorcycle with my boyfriend when I was 17 Studying abroad for a year Traveling to any place outside of Western Europe Eating sushi Hiking the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim Rafting the...