BTW - If you didn't already know, I'm Sarah - Drink Less; Live Better founder, best-selling author, expert speaker, life coach and, as you already know, podcast host!
We don't have to hit rock bottom, we're allowed to want something different and we can CHOOSE to improve our lives from this point onwards.
I work in the magic space where doubt, hope and action meet... oh.... and
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Transcripts
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Hello, darling heart, and welcome to this episode of the drink less, live better podcast.
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This is the podcast that helps you see that drinking less doesn't need to be stressful, lonely, or boring.
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I'm your host, Sarah Williamson, and I decided to have a year alcohol free as a little life experiment and haven't looked back.
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I'm here to support you with your alcohol free or drink less adventures.
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Follow me on Instagram at drink less, live better, find resources on my website, drink less, live better.com, and buy my book, book, drink less, live better.
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It's available in all the places you might buy a book and is perfect for dry January.
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I hope you enjoy this podcast episode. Let's get straight to it. That's a wrap on 2024.
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Plenty is written and talked about the start of a new year, and here I am adding to that.
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But tell me, what does it mean to you?
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Well, for me, it really is just the rolling through of another minute, hour, day.
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We do tend to place a lot of significance on these moments of transition and perhaps there isn't as much as we think there is to it.
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Something to note, if you love the new year and all it means to you then I am here not to rain on your parade.
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You do what makes you tick along nicely.
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I wonder if what we can leave behind is often more valuable than what we carry forward, releasing our thoughts and behaviors
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that no longer serve us, recognizing what we can leave in the year that has just finished.
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There's that inner voice that says, this is just how I am.
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I'm always going to be like this, and maybe that's not true.
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Some limiting narratives don't need to define our future chapters, and saying goodbye to them at this time of year is no bad thing.
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We can choose to leave behind relationships that drain our energy, habits that undermine our well-being, and expectations
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that belong to other people and not ourselves.
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So we know we can't change what has happened, but we can change how much thought we give those memories, those circumstances, those situations.
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The lessons can be retained whilst their emotional burden is released.
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I'm certainly doing a bit of that at this time.
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I made a mistake this year, paying someone for a service they seriously under delivered.
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I'm leaving thoughts about that in 20 24, but carrying forward the lesson of listening to my gut feelings more carefully.
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I knew I was making a mistake with this person well before I made the mistake.
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This time of year is great for gentle reflection.
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If you've been in my world a while, you'll know I rave about the year compass.
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See the show notes to download your copy.
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Use your diary, calendar, and photos of the past year to remind yourself of all the times you've shared with others or enjoyed
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on your own, then focus on what you might like more of in the coming year.
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In 2025, if you're gonna make any big changes in your life, perhaps with your job, move house, or something else big, how
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are you going to create a new habit that makes it all possible?
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Are you looking forward to making new friends, or are you gonna try some new creative pursuits?
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All of this is change, growth, and learning. What about alcohol?
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Is it already in your rearview mirror?
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Is now the perfect time to even further lessen its significance in your life?
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The freedom we can choose for ourselves in new beginnings is perhaps the most powerful part about it.
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You can choose to define your success on your own terms rather than measuring ourselves against against external metrics. No more comparisonitis.
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I have definitely, in the past, running my own business, spent too much time looking at what other people around me are doing, and it's so not necessary.
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My freedom is arranging my own client calls and curating my weekly diary as I want it to look.
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I give value to my professional life and also my personal life.
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I get to spend time with my family.
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I fit in 2 volunteering roles, 1 with refugees and asylum seekers and one with Samaritans, and I choose long walks with Martha, my dog.
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We also have the freedom to change our minds.
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We don't need to carry on being who we've been before just because other people are used to that version of ourselves.
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We get to develop ourselves as we move forward, particularly into 2025.
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I've said it before, and I have no doubt I'll say it again, but it's worth reminding.
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We are human beings, not human doings.
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What are the activities that you have been doing on autopilot over the last year?
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Which of those can you leave behind to allow yourself more time, perhaps for rest, perhaps for reading, perhaps for just being with yourself.
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My start of 2023 was, well, a bit of a horror show, if that isn't too dramatic.
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It probably is dramatic, but I'm telling you now, it felt horrible.
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It didn't really matter that it was the turning of a new year.
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It was just a time of great uncertainty, many hospital visits, and a sad death. 2024, I set my sights on a lower key start to the year.
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And this year, in 2025, I'll flip the calendar gently over and move forward thoughtfully.
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Let's move towards who we are becoming next.
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Let's keep our eyes into the future.
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We get to grow towards who we want to be every day, and that is regardless of the date. Welcome to 2025, darling heart. Let's settle in slowly. Thank you for listening in today. Come back again next week.
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Check out the show notes for a link to a hidden podcast episode that will help you with your 5 PM cravings and details about
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my one to one life coaching and sober coaching programmes. And, PS, I believe in
