Newsletter

What I’m leaving behind in 2024 (and what I’m bringing into 2025)

THE WARM UP

Before diving head first into 2025 next week, I’d like to pause and reflect.

What did 2024 teach me? What worked and what didn’t work?

Granted, I still don’t think we should rely on a new year to motivate us to reflect on life and adapt as needed, but I digress…

Reflection is an incredibly useful skill to have because it allows us to pivot and make necessary changes in order to grow.

Here’s a short list of what I’m leaving behind, and what I’m taking with me into the new year.

Perfectionism: I’ve suffered from this my entire life, and still do. It’s probably the biggest factor holding me back from creating more and achieving more in life. I’ve always played victim to instances where I wouldn’t start doing something until “the perfect time” or I wouldn’t finish something unless I knew all the facts first. This ultimately leads to… well, nothing. So this is one thing I’m making sure to leave behind in 2024.
Comparing Myself to Others: we all know the cliche saying, “Comparison is the thief of joy,” and it’s completely true. In the age of social media, it’s incredibly easy to get sucked into the void of the algorithm and see so many people “doing better than me”. But in reality, we’re doing alright. There are so many good things to be grateful for in this life and it’s important to remember that we’re all on our own journeys.
Dwelling on the Negative: Despite what I post online, my mindset isn’t perfect (no one truly is). I’m often ruminating on the bad things that happen to me, no matter how big or small. This ultimately leads to a negative mindset that overflows onto other aspects of life that shouldn’t be affected. This habit is most assuredly being left behind in 2024.

Consistency over Perfection: As James Clear mentions in his famous book, Atomic Habits, small, consistent actions add up over time. Instead of trying to get all the information before starting, I’m just going to start. Plain and simple. It’s better to take action and learn along the way. You can better traction that way because there’s no way you can figure out all the possible outcomes before even starting something.
Spending Less Time on Social Media: Social media has become the bane of my existence. I truly love creating content, however, my consumption of other people’s content has officially drained me mentally. My mind will be a whole lot clearer and smarter by reading more books instead of aimlessly scrolling on social media.
Embracing Challenges: I preach it all the time and now it’s time for me to practice what I preach. Discomfort and adversity is a sign of growth. We need it in order to learn and progress on our journey. I’m not only going to embrace it, but I’m going to welcome it because I know that this means I’m on the right path.

In the end, my message to myself and you is that the new year isn’t about perfection. Rather, it’s about intention.

Be disciplined and consistent with smaller habits and we’ll reach our goals in due time.

I encourage you to reflect and write out some of your own bad habits and write out how you’re going to improve in the near future.

And of course, don’t rely on the turn of a new year to motivate you to make life changes.

Time is only a construct.

Be well and Keep Pluggin.

-C.