Direction, not destination: A kinder way to look at the New Year
Cathy is Treat’s in-house life coach. She helps people get unstuck and find a more manageable way forward. She also supports people through the challenges and adjustments that come with long-term health changes. Her work focuses on uncovering the patterns and pressures that are holding you back, helping you focus on building a life that feels more hopeful and satisfying. She offers a free 30-minute online or telephone introductory session to new clients.
In this month’s blog post, Cathy shares her experience of new year’s resolutions along with some reflective prompts to help you make 2026 more meaningful.
We’re all familiar with the usual January rush to "reset,". Many of us will have made resolutions and felt a sense of pressure to start the year at a sprint. Many of us also know what often happens next. Life, in all its messy, unpredictable glory starts to get in the way.
It happens to me and it probably happens to you too. When we’ve had a heavy week at work, a health flare-up or we feel exhaustion on a dark winter morning, those optimistic New Year plans often start to feel like another stick to beat ourselves with by the time February arrives. There are lots of reasons why this happens but sometimes, our best intentions falter because of the reasons behind why we’ve chosen our goals and the way we’ve set them up.
If your new year’s resolutions are starting to slip, it’s a great opportunity to review and reshape them. You’re allowed to change your mind or adjust your goals as the year unfolds. The "magic" of the New Year is simply the permission we give ourselves to start, but you can choose to start, or restart, on any day of the year.
To reshape wayward resolutions, here’s what to do:
Think about direction, rather than destination. Switch your focus from a rigid end goal (like getting a better job or losing weight) and instead, turn your attention to what matters to you about that goal. To do this, ask yourself:
What do I want more of in my life?
What’s important to me? How do I want to be in the world?
(e.g., work on personal growth, improve your health, have more connection with others, be more creative?).
What am I willing to let go of to make space for that?
What small, manageable steps could I take to bring myself closer to what I want in life?
(e.g., if the dream new job isn’t forthcoming quite yet, what else could I be doing that will help me feel that I’m developing myself? If the gym’s not working out for me, how else can I honour my intention to improve my health?)
Am I generally moving toward the things that matter to me, even if when I’ve had a "bad" week?
If not, how can I change that? What do I need to do more of, or less of?
The answers to these questions can help you choose actions for 2026 that help you feel more motivated with outcomes that truly matter to you. This is the key to lasting growth and change.
Finding your way forward
If you’re feeling stuck and would like some support in navigating your own direction for 2026, I’d love to help.
To make this your year of meaningful change, contact Cathy for a free 30-minute introductory session. We can talk through where you are and see how coaching might support you.
Contact [email protected] or for more information visit Cathy's website.
