Here we are in the first month of the new year. It can feel exciting if you are happy to say goodbye to 2025, and it can feel daunting… and it can even feel both at the same time.
Before the holidays began, I read an article by Maria Shriver that included an exercise which resonated with me, and I thought it might for many of you 60 & Me-ers as well!
I’ve written before about the importance of taking care of ourselves first. I’ve also written about how so many of us are too busy with the “shoulds” of life, prioritizing others’ needs above our own and how we don’t take the time to look into our deep down for the answers to our questions.
As Shriver put it, we forget to check in with our own hearts, or maybe we’re just afraid to express our true desires. She wrote, “But here’s the truth: if you don’t know what you truly want, then it’s hard to know where you are going. It’s hard to know what steps to take to get anywhere.”
Shriver’s Exercise
The exercise she shared is to write a list in the first person: What do I really want? She gave a few prompts that I think are helpful and perhaps instead of New Year’s resolutions, we try and incorporate our desires into this format as another option. The idea behind this process is to set the intention and provide a roadmap to get closer to making it happen.
So here are a few questions to ask yourself and then answer them with a pen and paper:
- What do I really want for my health right now?
- What do I really want for my relationships?
- What do I really want to learn or explore?
- What do I really want to let go of?
- What do I really want to feel more of every day?
Don’t Overthink It
She says to not overthink it; just start writing. It can be anything from the desire to travel, taking better care of your health, wanting to learn to trust yourself more, getting more fresh air, drinking more water, learning to listen better, or having more love in your life.
I hope you will give this a try!
Speaking of love, I wrote another spoken word poem; and it’s about love, called “Let Love Fall In.” I guess one thing I really want in this new year is more love in our lives, and this is how I expressed it. In case you’d like to see it, you can find it on YouTube at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iODVpbHp0A8&t=1s
In closing, I want to share a quote with you that is attributed to Zig Zigler, which I think lends itself well to this, the beginning of a new year.
The 3 C’s of Life Choices, Chances, Changes
You must make the choice to take a chance if you want anything in life to change.
Some people think of the new year as just another day in another month. Some use it as a way to begin again with a clean slate.
The fact is, we can start with a clean slate any day of the week, and, frankly, any time of day if we wish.
So, whatever calendar moment or time of day or year works for you to help you take a step toward change (if you want something to change), make the choice to take the chance!
Any moment can be your clean slate. If you are unsatisfied with where you are, who you’re with, what you’re doing, your health, your friends, your situation…
Do. Not. Settle.
I’ve made some choices and taken chances in life… (and continue to) for which others (may) have thought me bonkers. Maybe they were right, maybe they weren’t, but it doesn’t matter what other people think!
I encourage you to do the exercise I shared from Maria Shriver and see what it reveals to you. Then you decide if you are ready to make the choice to take the chance to create the change you wish for. I’d love to hear from you to see what you discover and what, if anything, you decide to do!
It’s your life. It’s 2026. What will it look like? You get to choose.
Let’s Have a Conversation:
What do you want for your life in 2026? What’s something you’ve dreamed to do and finally have the chance to pursue?
