If you’re not feeling the pressure to "start your year off strong” or to get a jumpstart on your goals but you're not feeling it – this episode is for you.

The rest of the world that tells us we need to hit the ground running on January 1. What if January is actually a time to pause, rest, and root down before we grow?

If you're ready to stop living a life that feels draining, book your Life + Energy Audit.

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Welcome to the Unfolding Podcast.

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This is a space where we explore what it

really looks like to trust yourself, to

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say no without guilt, and to live your

life like it actually belongs to you.

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I am Erica Voell and in my work as

a decision mentor and inner trust

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guide, I help women in midlife trust

their inner guidance, understand

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their unique strengths, and stop

saying yes to what drains them.

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I help them dismantle conditioning,

regulate their nervous system

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and reclaim their authority so

that their no feels powerful and

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their yes feels unmistakably true.

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On this show, we have honest conversations

about self-trust, boundaries, energy and

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identity, especially for women in midlife

who are done living by the shoulds.

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And second guessing themselves.

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You'll hear stories, insights,

and tools rooted in human

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design, coaching, and real life.

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Not to tell you what to do, but to

help you hear yourself so you can stop

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overthinking and start making decisions

that feel clear, grounded, and true.

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Happy New Year.

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This is a very January episode.

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It's also an episode if you're

embarking on something new, but you're

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not quite feeling that momentum.

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In January, there is so much

pressure to create goals and

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to be the new year, new you.

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Everywhere we look, it's this.

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Get a jumpstart on your year.

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Take fast action now so

you don't get left behind.

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Gyms are packed.

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All you have to do is drive

by one and you'll see it.

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Because this is the year finally, that

people are going to get into shape.

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Yes.

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And we know by February that more than

80% of those resolutions that people

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have set will have been abandoned.

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Because those resolutions are unrealistic.

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They're disconnected from their values.

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They are based on shoulds

and they really lack a plan.

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They lack accountability

and a deeper meaning.

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We're so conditioned to believe that we

should start January with this big bang,

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even though it is the dead of winter.

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If you look outside in

the Northern Hemisphere.

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Nothing is growing.

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Everything looks dormant.

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Nature is resting, which is what our

ancestors did until we had modern

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conveniences of heat and artificial light.

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During this time of wintering,

the trees and the seeds that were

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planted in the fall are settling

in and they're waiting until the

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stirring starts in a couple of months.

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They are doing deep work inside

that we can't see on the outside.

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The idea of New Year's resolutions have

been around for a really long time.

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I actually looked this up.

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They've been around for centuries, but

the commercialization of them really

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started in the 1920s when companies

started to capitalize on this idea of

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becoming a new you in the new year,

and it has just grown from there.

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The wellness and fitness industries kicked

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saw the rise of aerobics in the 1970s.

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You know, the gyms that we love or that we

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Before then, they were for

bodybuilders and for people

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who were in some sort of sport.

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And then around the 2010s things really

exploded even more with the internet

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and social media, with online workouts

and streaming and wearable devices.

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I mean, for a while, didn't we all have

a device that told us how good we were

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doing, how many steps we were getting.

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And not to be left out.

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The personal growth industry also wants

you to set goals and get a jumpstart on

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those goals with challenges and the top

five ways to get going in the new year.

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Businesses want to start their New

year office quickly as possible.

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I heard my coach talking about

this, about how it was hit

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the ground running in January.

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Because with the craziness of

the holidays, there's a sense

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of like, okay, it's over.

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Let's get on with it.

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Let's get back to real life.

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And all of it is capitalizing

on the momentum so many feel

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collectively as we start the new year.

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It's when businesses make a lot of

money and with the rush of the holidays

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over, they know you are searching

for a solution to the problem that

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you are so sick of and you don't

want to deal with for another year.

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I even shared my own workshop

with my email subscribers.

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But what we did not do in the

workshop was set specific goals.

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We got clearer on what we actually want

and how we want to feel in the new year,

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but we didn't set any specific goals.

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Our minds are so uncomfortable

with the stillness and the quiet

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in this gap between the solstice

and when the spring starts.

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But honestly, our bodies are tired.

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After the holidays, there's

this lack of sunlight.

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It's cold outside and our

bodies are wanting winter.

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Our bodies are craving

rest after the holidays.

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I know there are parts of the US that

things are beautiful and they're growing,

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but for the most of us, things are really

dormant, but our minds are ready to go.

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Our bodies want rest, and

our minds want to go, go, go.

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It can feel really uncomfortable, but

it's so necessary for anything to grow.

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There needs to be a pause.

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There needs to be some rest.

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I have to think that this is why seasonal

affective disorder and depression

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increase so greatly in January.

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The height of the holidays is over,

but we have this expectation of

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ourselves that we should be ready to go.

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We should be ready to move.

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We should be ready to do the next thing.

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That's what happens when we override

our own natural rhythm, our own natural

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timing, because there can be this

feeling of feeling like, I need clarity

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now, or I'm going to fall behind.

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But here's what I want you to hear.

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You are not behind and you

are not going to fall behind.

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That pressure is external, which then

leads to this internal chaos you feel.

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But when you slow down, there is time

for meaning and allowing for the ahas

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to come through of what your next

step is, which in turn allows you to

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offer grace to yourself and to others.

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What's been so fascinating

in the last few years?

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In contrast to all this go, go, go.

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I've noticed that there's a

countertrend that's happening.

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It's a return to the older ways, like

following the course of nature, using

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January as a time to slow down and to rest

and to allow our bodies to go through that

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same wintering that is happening outside.

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I know, like I said earlier, that there

are parts of the US that this is a lovely

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time for growing season and that they

are warm in January and February, but I

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guarantee you most of us in the US are

cold, dark, and everything is brown.

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This is actually a really beautiful time

to connect with your natural or your

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body's natural rhythms, putting your phone

far from your bed to allow your body to

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slip into sleep on its own natural clock.

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You can't always sleep later, but you

can give yourself extra rest or a nap

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in the middle of the day can help.

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I saw a quote from Ruby Miranda

the other day that said, "we

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are not becoming someone new.

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We are improving on

what we've already got."

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And I could not think of a better way

to explain about this time of year.

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We are all amazing in our own unique

way, and it's okay to feel like you don't

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wanna get up and go at this time of year.

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Your body is in tune with the seasons

more than you might even realize.

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And it's okay to stop rushing and to

jumping on the bandwagon of the new year.

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It's especially okay if it means that

you stop overriding your own timing.

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If your body is telling you to slow

down after the holidays, then I

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want you to follow that honor that.

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'Cause the date on the

calendar is just a date.

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The Julian Calendar started the new

year on January 1st, but as they

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added in Christian holidays, they

noticed that like it was so off.

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It was the new year didn't start

like at the same time every year.

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But it wasn't until 1582, 1582

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when the Gregorian calendar

was adopted, and that put the

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new year in the dead of winter.

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And it became the new year that we all

know and we are all familiar with, and

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maybe we love, and maybe we don't, but

many traditional calendars based the new

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year on the solar or the lunar cycle.

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For centuries, the spring equinox

was the start of the new year

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in many parts of the world.

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Or the new year.

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Started it at the end

of harvest in October.

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The new year on the Chinese calendar

actually begins on the second new

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moon following the winter solstice.

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So for so long, January felt like a

month for me, but it was this space

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between Christmas and Groundhog Day.

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It was this just empty, barren month.

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And why Groundhog Day.

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As a kid, I always loved Groundhog Day.

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I love the idea that an animal

could predict the weather.

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I found that so fascinating and like

my logical mind learned that it wasn't

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possible, but part of me loved the idea so

much that nature played this larger role.

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For years, I always felt that the

year didn't really get started

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until around Groundhog Day.

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And several years ago I learned of

the Celtic Festival of Imbolc, which

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falls the day before Groundhog Day.

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Imbolc is exactly the

middle between the solstice.

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And the Equinox.

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And then it all started to make sense.

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Imbolc literally translates as "the

belly of the mother" because it's

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when new life is starting to stir,

but it's not yet ready to be birthed.

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Ooh.

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Many animals are pregnant around this

time and they will be giving birth

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later in the months of February and

March, and I love the idea of starting

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to feel this momentum later in January

or even around Groundhog Day or Imbolc.

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I don't know why I love

Groundhog Day so much.

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I just do.

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There's something about it,

maybe because he's cute.

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Then, as I learned more about human

design, it did not surprise me that

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the human design New Year starts

on January 22nd, which is when the

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sun moves into a gate that has the

energy to honor your hopes and dreams,

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and to make those dreams a reality.

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Ooh, that sounds so good.

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And that's like what I wanna tap into.

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The gates that are in the first part

of January, that where we are right now

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as I'm recording this, they are meant

for reflection to help you notice what

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didn't work, so that then you can start

to take action after January 22nd.

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In the lunar calendar where January

is the last month of the year.

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This year it's the year of the Snake,

and it's before the year of the Horse.

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The year of the snake has been about

shedding just like a snake sheds its skin.

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It's things and relationships that

need to die away that have been

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shifting and it's not been comfortable,

but it's absolutely necessary.

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So what does all this stuff

mean for you in this last month

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before the Chinese New Year?

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There may be thi some shedding and

things that need to happen to let

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go and to release so we don't carry

them into the new year so that we

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don't carry things that needed to be

shedded as part of the Year of the

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Snake into the Year of the Horse.

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So if you're feeling like there's still

something that needs to be let go before

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you can fully move into the new year.

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It's okay.

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And it's absolutely perfectly normal.

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You are following the

rhythms of your body.

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You're following the rhythms of your DNA.

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And you're following the rhythms

of the earth and the lunar cycles.

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So if you are not feeling ready to

jump into this new year with both feet,

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this is your permission to slow down.

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This is your body asking for quiet.

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Listen to that.

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You have a natural rhythm in your

body and it's important to give

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yourself grace to follow that.

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To release that sense of urgency, which

then leads you to doubting yourself

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because you're thinking, " why can't

I get excited like everyone else?"

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Maybe it's the rest of

society that's outta whack and

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following an arbitrary date.

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I'm not saying you shouldn't jump

into a class that you've been wanting

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to try or to do something new, but

be okay if it takes you a couple

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of weeks to feel that momentum.

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Setting goals and how you want to

feel in the new year can help you

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feel some excitement and allow you

to plan for when the clouds and

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the snow have started to subside.

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I, myself, am waiting until the end

of January to launch something new.

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I am doing some planning and some

prep, but I wanted to give myself

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a slow and steady start to the year

instead of jumping in and then being

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exhausted by the middle of February

like I have done for so many years.

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So when you catch yourself in the next

couple of weeks thinking, "I have to

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figure things out so I don't fall behind."

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I want you to acknowledge the

momentum you see others having around

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you, and then pause and remember

in the tortoise and the hare.

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Who won the race?

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It was the tortoise that kept

going at a steady pace, one

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foot in front of the other.

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Breathing in and exhaling, not the

hare who started off with a bang

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and then lost steam halfway through.

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There is no urgency.

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There is only your own

right timing for your body.

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Give yourself permission to

allow the wintering to happen.

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To be okay with a pause before you

move into your New Year's goals.

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And if you're feeling a lot of

pressure to figure it out or to fix

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things, I want to invite you into a

Life & Energy Audit session with me.

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This is a one-time session designed to

help you pause the noise and to look at

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where you're feeling off without pressure

or feeling like you have to figure it out.

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We will take an honest look at

where your energy feels scattered

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or depleted, and where you've been

saying yes, out of habit or guilt.

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We won't solve everything in one call.

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But you'll start to see what patterns

and energy leaks are holding you back

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and the expectations that you have been

carrying without even realizing it.

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There are no action steps that you

have to do to fulfill it or homework,

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but you'll leave with a clearer

sense of what's not working for you,

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words for what matter most, and one

small, doable step that feels true.

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This is not a coaching session or a

human design analysis or a reading,

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but human design informs me about

what co questions to ask you and

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where you may have developed patterns.

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You can book your Life + Energy

Audit in the show notes.

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And if this episode resonated

with you, I would be so grateful

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if you would follow the show.

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Leave a quick review or share it

with someone you know who needs it.

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Be well, and I will talk to you soon.