Shifting the New Year’s Paradigm
There can be something quietly energetic about the New Year, not because we need improving, but because it feels like a moment where possibility becomes more visible. Instead of resisting or being overwhelmed by that energy, we can learn to meet it intentionally. We can take a moment to witness ourselves with curiosity. To notice how we’re evolving. To honor who we are becoming.
If you are used to the old paradigm around New Year’s resolutions and asking ourselves “What can I do better?” we would love to invite a shift towards, “How do I want to engage this next chapter of my life?”
You can ask yourself these questions in a variety of ways, but one of The Teaching Well’s favorites is the Wellbeing Wheel—a holistic snapshot of the major domains of our lives, viewed all at once. The Wellbeing Wheel includes areas such as physical health, financial well-being, romance and partnership, recreation and rest, and our relationship to ourselves.
In the quiet of winter, we can look back at the year and ask simple but powerful questions like:
Where did I feel fulfilled?
How much energy and effort did I actually put into this area this year?
It is incredibly easy—especially for high-capacity, deeply responsible people—to turn reflection into self-criticism. To focus on what didn’t happen, what we didn’t do, where we think we fell short. The Wellbeing Wheel practice is an invitation to actively resist that. Life moves in seasons. Some years are about growth. Some are about survival. Some are about recovery. Low fulfillment in an area isn’t a personal failure—it’s often a reflection of reality.
As we look toward the year ahead, let’s not hold on to the idea of rigid resolutions. Let’s embrace intention and attention.
Intention is the conscious choice to direct resources—time, money, energy—on purpose. Attention is how we show up. Our presence. Our care.
Change happens when both are present.
If you’d like to try this reflection for yourself, here’s a downloadable Wellbeing Wheel with the reflection questions. And if you want to take it even further, join us for Microdose of Wellness: A New Year, A True You Intention Without Reinvention on January 27 from 5-6 PST, where we explore this kind of intention-setting and self-study in a supportive, collective space.
Click here to download a PDF of the Wellbeing Wheel with Instructions
