Eat More Fish & Other New Year's Resolutions
A take on goal setting for the New Year
New Year's Resolutions. You either hate them or you love them. When I was at uni, a good friend and I started a tradition. We’d pick an evening in early January (or sometimes March) to cook a nice meal together, grab a bunch of post-its and write down our goals for that year. Although we sent each other mid-year reminders, there were many goals that needed to be “re-evaluated” for the next year. I’ll share some of the gems below:
2013 and again in 2015: Work out three times every two weeks (preferably 2x cardio instead of 2x yoga)
2014: Eat more fish: Fish fingers don’t count
2016: Run the 10k under the hour
2018: Don’t put the bar so high for others, be patient
The above also shows the difficulty I see with New Year's resolutions. You write down all these lofty goals, usually unrelated to each other, without focus, and after a month you’ve long forgotten about them. I treasure the tradition that my friend and I had at uni and I have to say that I did run the 10k in exactly an hour in 2017. However, these News Year's resolutions were never really effective. I’m still trying to eat more fish to date.
An Annual Theme
My approach changed in 2022. As part of a Women Leading program that I participated in, we were encouraged to choose a theme for the upcoming year. I had just started in a management role and I wanted to break free from being that junior girl in the room. That’s how 2022 became my year of Achieving with Confidence. I gave this new tradition my own twist. Throughout the year, when I would read or hear something that would remind me of this theme, I’d write them down in what I call my Big Book. It’s filled with quotes from speeches, TED talks and TikToks, book tips and many, many podcasts. My biggest challenge with podcasts has always been figuring out how to “bookmark” those moments when someone says something truly impactful. So far, the best solution I’ve managed is taking a screenshot of my phone to capture the timing, but then I have to go back and listen again later. If anyone has tips for making this process easier, I’d love to hear them.
Focusing on an annual theme worked! As the year 2022 progressed, I built on my confidence and people started addressing me differently. Prioritising one big theme made me feel more accountable and I would actually act upon it on a regular basis. What also helped is telling people about it. Finding accountability buddies is a game-changer when it comes to implementing new habits.
The following year, I wanted to shift from daily operations to focus more on strategic work. Therefore I made 2023 my year of Strategic Leadership. I was committed to it, but I wouldn’t say I fully succeeded. Making headway in the corporate world isn’t always easy.
That’s why 2024 became my year of Shifting Careers. I realised that if I wanted to get ahead and do bigger things, I needed to leave the place that I was in. When I set this goal at the start of 2024, I meant that I wanted to find a new job in a different sector. I didn’t mean: quit my job without something new lined up, go travel for 3 months, start exploring a business acquisition and founding my own company Brava as a women’s public speaking coach. Not in my wildest dreams!
What this proved to me is that we are all capable of so much more than we think. Fear is our biggest enemy. Fear still hits me, weekly but I’m slowly finding ways to bring myself to peace again when that happens. What has helped is finding likeminded people, who are going through the same uncertainties, feeling that you’re not alone. If you need someone to connect to, feel free to reach out! I’m by no means a guru, but it’s always easier together than alone.
Not only did setting an annual theme force me to focus. It also taught me to communicate better what I’m working on. Next time people ask you: “What do you do?” you have the option to talk about your daily job. But how good is it if you have a story that shows more of who you are and what you really want to achieve in life. I feel that’s way more exciting for people to learn about you.
My 2025 approach
As the year comes to a close, I’m sure I’m not the only one already thinking ahead about the goals for 2025. This year, I’m expanding my annual theme ritual with the Annual Life Review designed by May Samali of Human Leadership Lab. This comprehensive 24-page document prompts you to reflect on your wins and lessons and encourages you to set intentions for the coming year. I’m very excited to work through this over the holidays and see what insights it brings!
What is your approach for 2025? Let me know in the comments.
The Misogi Challenge
A few months ago I came across a clip where Jesse Itzler talks about the concept of the Misogi Challenge. Originally, misogi is a traditional Japanese purification ritual with deep roots in Shinto, Japan’s indigenous spirituality. It's focused on cleansing the body, mind, and spirit by enduring cold water or other natural elements. Jesse’s interpretation is a bit different, but I found it very interesting: “The notion of a misogi is that you do one year-defining thing every year. At the beginning of the year, you’ll put one big thing on the calendar that scares you, that you never thought you could do, and go out and do it.”
Looking back, it’s easy to pinpoint significant milestones for each year. 2019 for example, was the year that I moved to Australia. 2024 was the year that I started my own business. However, it’s a bit scarier to commit to that one big thing in advance. It’s really setting some expectations for yourself. I’ve decided I want to add The Misogi Challenge to my Annual Life Review for 2025— now I only have to choose what the challenge is going to be…
Thank you!
Before signing off for 2024, I wanted to take a little moment to thank you for being my OG subscribers. Putting yourself out there and writing every week is not easy. It’s really the feedback that I receive from you that encourages me to keep going. Someone who comes to me and says that they have started a note on their phone with their own Story Bank. Someone who is considering a Loom video for their next job application. Someone even called me an author on LinkedIn! I hadn’t considered myself an author until that moment. It may seem small, but it truly means the world to me.
After a very difficult first half of the year, I can only say that 2024 turned out so much better than I would ever imagined. And that is also thanks to you. So from the bottom of my heart - THANK YOU! I hope you’ll continue to be on this journey with me in 2025.
Happy Holidays!
What’s next
In 2025 there will be more Public Speaking content coming up, such as how to craft a memorable wedding speech and how to use gestures well. I’m also thinking about sharing some more insights into how I turned my corporate career around into a career that gives me more freedom and a more fulfilling life. Stay tuned!