We hear it all the time: “New Year, New You!”
Why?
Because it sells stuff. It sounds easy. Throw out that old you that’s not working out and get a new one.
I would like to invite you to never say it ever again.
You have spent many years becoming the you that you are. Your knowledge, relationships, skills, habits, ideas, beliefs, convictions, passions all make up who you are.
Most of it is good. All of it is you.
The Self Loathing of “New Year, New Me”
What does it imply to say “new year, new me?” It implies that the old you, the you who is saying those words, is crap.
If I say “new year, new washing machine,” my old washing machine is ending up in a landfill. Does your current self, your entire self, belong in a landfill? Of course not, and I’ll prove it.
Sit down right now and write the 10 best things about yourself. Does the person who those 10 things apply to need to be thrown out and replaced.
NO!
You don’t need a new you next year. You need the you that God made, that you are right now, slightly better next year!
Same You, Slightly Better
My car runs quite well, in spite of its 188,000 miles, but sometimes it has a slight hesitation accelerating under certain situations.
The effect is the whole car, but it’s probably just one small part, maybe the fuel pump.
Take a look a this. It’s the whole car and the fuel pump in proportion to it…
In the whole big car, there’s one tiny part that maybe needs to be replaced or fixed. Every other part of the car is great.
You are this car
Maybe you need a new, clearer set of goals.
Maybe you need new habits.
Maybe you need a new budgeting system.
Maybe you need to finally clean your office.
In 2025, you will be the same wonderful, brilliant, passionate, inspired child of God that you were in 2024.
Do you need to grow? Absolutely.
Do you need to learn? Definitely.
Do you need to change everything? NO!
-Michael Whitehouse
The Guy Who Knows a Guy