As we are on the cusp of the new year,
Many of us are reflecting.
It's that natural pause point,
That moment where we look back,
Wonder what it was all about,
And where we want to go next.
And recently I saw something on social media about one of the so-called secrets of the wealthy.
The idea was that you'll never see dirty dishes in their sink at night,
That it's about that consistency,
Discipline,
Showing up for those small things every day.
And for sure that's compelling.
Many of us have probably known wealthy people where that felt true,
That idea that how you do one thing is how you do everything,
And then that dedication bleeds into money,
Success,
And structure.
But then I read the comments and people were talking about working for wealthy families as nannies,
Assistants,
And they were describing messy homes,
Cluttered kitchens,
And the chaos behind those scenes.
And others were pointing out the celebrity stories of homes that were anything but pristine,
And suddenly it isn't so clear-cut.
It's not universal.
It isn't some sacred rule.
And so here lies one of the dangers of social media,
Of course.
It raises a bigger question about how often ideas like this are packaged as truths,
When really they're just angles.
They are often attached to something being sold,
A course,
A book,
A system.
I promise that this will finally be the thing that makes you better,
More disciplined,
More successful,
More enough.
And every year many of us set goals,
Those resolutions,
Those intentions.
Some of them are achieved.
Some never quite happen.
A lot of times they don't happen.
And some years surprise us in ways that we couldn't have planned,
Which is often the case.
Others leave us feeling disappointed for where we thought we should be by now.
And yet that desire to build,
To create,
To try to go somewhere someone hasn't before,
For most of us we still strive for that.
There's something deeply human about wanting to experience,
To attempt,
To reach for something,
And that matters.
But there's also this quiet question underneath all of that that I want you to consider as we come into the new year.
What about the beauty of just being?
Not improving,
Not optimizing,
Not fixing,
Just being.
So much of our lives have been shaped by what we were told would make us better,
More successful,
More evolved.
And while some of those things have generally helped,
Many didn't live up to what they promised.
Many years didn't turn into the version of ourselves we were aiming for,
And that hurts.
There's grief in that.
But there's also something deeply grounding and remembering that worth doesn't come from what you achieve,
Or how clean the sink is,
Or whether you finally figured it all out,
Made the money you wanted,
Achieved whatever goals you were looking for.
There's something sovereign about the simplicity in I am.
Choosing presence over performance,
Connection over accumulation,
Living authentically beyond those material markers and those external measures.
Allow yourself to exist without justification,
Without needing to earn your place through productivity,
Perfection,
Or progress.
Or how many people are following you on social media?
Remember that who you are beneath the striving still matters.
Recognize that value exists because you exist,
That even if everything were stripped away,
Every goal,
Every label,
Every measurement,
You would still be whole.
Because yes,
We live in a world where bills need to be paid and responsibilities exist.
That's real.
But maybe we don't always have to be pushing.
Maybe we don't always have to be striving against ourselves.
Maybe sometimes it's enough to soften into the moment that we're already in.
So as this year closes and a new one begins,
Hold space not only for what comes next,
But for who you already are without earning it.
That feels important.
