Hello there and a happiest beginning of 2023 to you.
In one of my classes, just before Christmas, I was talking about the things we do repeatedly, and I laughed as I said, “And how’s that working for ya?”
(I have said that in jest to myself for years - I think it originally started with one of the only Dr. Phil episodes I ever watched, something like a hundred years ago.)
How’s that working for you?
After the call, I couldn’t get the question out of my mind, and I decided that as it was on my mind, I would let it run wild. I would ask it as often as I could and let myself see what would happen then…
Christmas Eve as I was grumpily annoyed about something that I really couldn’t change: how’s that working for you?
Christmas lunch as I picked up something to drink that I was only drinking out of habit: how’s that working for you?
Christmas Evening as I was hurt over something that is never going to change: how’s that working for you?
Boxing Day as I started working despite promising myself a few days away: how’s that working for you?
Each time, the answer came: it’s not.
It’s not.
Maybe it used to and that’s why I am doing it, but it or me or something has changed because the answer keeps coming: This is not working for me.
That brought me to one of my favourite questions ever: That’s interesting. What WOULD work if this doesn’t or isn’t working?
When we look at the word resolution, there are two parts to it: Re and Solution.
When you look at that as a theme for a New Year, it makes way way WAY more sense than: come up with a bunch of things you want to change about yourself.
I’ve not chosen a word or resolutions for this year. Instead I have decided to focus on re-solutions for the first few months. Instead of leaping in with a list of ways that I want to change, I’m going to look at the ways that I already am and try to really see where I am doing things out of habit instead of out of choice. I’m going to re-solve challenges and see if there might be a way that actually works better for me.
I’m going to play with re-solving and delight in finding re-solutions.
It makes me smile to think about it, so it must be a good choice.
How’s that working for me? Well let’s find out, shall we?
I love a good wonder, don’t you?
Happy New Year.
With so much love,
What a great question! How often do we actually ask ourselves that? Is the thing we keep banging our head against actually working? I know I've forced myself to do things out of habit, out of expectations, out of societal norms and so on. Thank you for this pondering.
I love a good reframe and this one is especially magical (appropriately) 😁
Thank you for sharing your playful approach to the new year, I’ll definitely be incorporating this into mine! Happy New Year lovely 🥳