Escape the “Quitter’s Day” Trap: Crafting Your Best Year Starts Now

I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions. 🫢 If you haven’t made the change or been motivated to work towards your goal yet, the year ending in a different number is not a factor that will propel you toward the life you desire.

I’m sure you’ve noticed that in the first couple weeks of January, your gym is packed like a gas station before a hurricane. Then, by week three, it’s returned to normal. Research backs this up as well citing a phenomenon called “Quitter’s Day,” the third week of January when most people return to business as usual and abandon their resolutions.

Because you are reading this newsletter, I know you are not a business-as-usual kind of person. I know you desire a life of joy and experience, not mediocrity. So how can we use this significant changing of the year to inspire growth and ensure we create our best new year ever?

What I like to do is choose one word for the year that becomes my intention. This word reminds me of how I want to feel and what I want to create more of in my life. It guides my decisions, much like a personal core value.

Here are a few different words I’ve chosen over the years:

😏 Ease
💪 Bold
💃 Play
🌳 Growth

I chose “ease” following the year I was building my business on the side while still working full-time at my demanding corporate job and being mom to two young energetic boys who needed a lot from me. While that taxing phase of my life was necessary for me to be where I am today, I knew I couldn’t sustain the push. With “ease” as my guiding light, I learned to only do the essential and focus on what actually moved the needle towards my goals vs. doing all the things because someone else told me I should.

The year I chose “bold” required me to step up and allow myself to be seen authentically in my writing and my work. I tried different products and services in my business. Some worked out, many didn’t, but I gained a lot of business wisdom from these experiments. I asked for what I wanted even as my lips quivered. I also cursed myself several times that year: Many times, I was scared of taking action on something, but I knew I had to follow my “bold” intention, so I moved through the fear into a new kind of courage and confidence in myself.

What is it that you want to create for your 2024?

The word you pick should excite you and make your stomach a little queasy. (That’s our friend fear speaking to you. Allow fear to be your North Star toward the greatest most radiant version of yourself. Sensing fear means it is something you care deeply about and will likely require growth—which is good!)

As for my word in 2024, stay tuned, because at the time of this writing, I haven’t landed on the right one for me yet. I invite you to come along for the ride, reading this newsletter each week and witnessing what we co-create together.

To your greatest most radiant self,
💜 Your Coach,
Sara

P.S. Last week I asked you to apply this ONE question to your biggest goals. Perhaps the answer to this question will give you a hint of the best word for you to choose for 2024.