I don't believe in declaring New Years Resolutions.

Happy New Year!

I don’t know about you, but I always wake up on New Year’s Day with this sense of obligation to devise, declare, and do. I also feel, somehow, that I have to publicly declare, via savvy social media reels with catchy trending audio, my previous year’s wrap up, deep insights of what I learned, and my word for the year to come, a word that will act as my north star in all decisions I make for the next 365 days. 

I have done none of this. 

The truth is, I rarely feel ready to do that as we turn the calendar year. December is filled to the brim with flashy parties, school concerts and sparkly plans that take me away from my center, and the week between Christmas and New Years is not enough time to go deep into my thoughts, as usually I’m just trying to catch up on sleep (I was asleep hours before the ball dropped last night).

My take is this: We have an internal clock and an energetic flow that is all our own. For me, the month of January is the quiet month. In deep winter, things slow down and I can feel. I can take my time as the world tucks away from the cold, creating light with candles and leftover Christmas sparkles where I need it. I love to get quiet. And I like taking my time. 

When we fold into our natural energetic cycle instead of bending to the whim of the collective norm, it feels better. The innate sense of our body’s timing is a comfort, and when we feel pulled to reflect, that is the perfect time to do it.

So if you don’t want to declare your resolutions today, or even contemplate them at all, that is perfectly normal. Every day is the dawn of a new year when you think about it, and you will know when it’s time to shift something in your life. I also believe that inspiration has the power to change our course at any time, and it is much more satisfying to heed that call than to stay in some stale confined space we create on January 1 out of obligation.

Take me, for example. A year ago today I would have never imagined that I would be working so closely with perimenopausal and menopausal women. But the inspiration came on strong, and now I’ve gone in so deep that I am determined to be one of the most educated, prominent advocates out there. It energizes and excites me in a way I haven’t experienced in a long time. It is a privilege I take to heart and an honor to create a safe space for us all. It feels exciting to serve women in this way. It feels right.

So if you are on your phone or at your screen right now, feeling like you should be declaring something, maybe pull out that crisp new journal of yours and start by declaring to yourself that there are no rules for change. The best route is the one dictated from the gravity of your heart, and the heart knows no calendar.

However, if you do feel like doing some reflecting and planning in the next days or weeks, you can head to erikashannon.com and grab my free Grounded and Glowing guide. It’s a guided journal exercise full of prompts to help you figure out when you’ve felt your best in the recent past, and how to keep yourself grounded for the next six months.

Sending you many blessings for 2024 and always!

Erika