A Different Approach to New Year’s Goals
Every January, I see it happen again and again—women physicians, already carrying the weight of busy schedules and endless responsibilities, set ambitious New Year’s goals.
“I’m going to lose weight this year.”
“No more stress eating after long shifts.”
“I’m going to finally get control over my habits.”
But a few weeks in, those goals start to feel heavy. The excitement fades, and guilt creeps in. You’re left feeling like you’ve failed before you’ve even started.
I’ve been there, too. And I’ve learned something important: Goals that come from a place of guilt and self-criticism rarely stick.
This year, I want to invite you to try something different.
Stop “Fixing” Yourself—Start Focusing on What You Want More Of
For so long, I approached New Year’s goals from the mindset of “What’s wrong with me and how can I fix it?” But that mindset only led to frustration and burnout.
Everything changed when I asked myself a different question:
“What do I want more of this year?”
More energy? More rest? More connection with loved ones? More fun?
When you focus on creating more of something positive, instead of trying to “fix” yourself, your goals become something you actually want to work toward—not something you feel trapped by.
The Power of Choosing One Word for Your Year
Big lists of goals can feel exciting in January, but let’s be honest—they’re hard to stick with.
That’s why I started choosing one simple word to guide me through the year.
Last year, my word was “replenishment.”
It became my compass. Every decision, every moment when I felt stuck or unsure, I could come back to that word and ask:
“Is this choice helping me replenish myself, or is it draining me further?”
It made everything clearer, and it stopped me from spiraling into overwhelm.
If you’ve struggled to keep up with goals in the past, I encourage you to try this. Choose one word that captures what you want more of this year—calm, energy, joy, connection, trust.
You Can’t Push Through Burnout—You Have to Rest Through It
As physicians, we’re really good at pushing through. Through exhaustion, illness, grief—you name it.
But last year taught me something important: You can’t push through burnout.
For months, every time I felt like I was getting better, a single busy week would knock me back down. It wasn’t until I slowed down—truly slowed down—that I started to heal.
If you’re feeling tired, overwhelmed, or just stretched too thin, please know this:
✨ You’re allowed to stop.
✨ You’re allowed to rest.
✨ You’re allowed to take care of yourself.
Sometimes, stopping is the bravest and most productive thing you can do.
Your Goals Should Feel Like Support, Not Pressure
Your goals aren’t supposed to feel like a punishment. They’re supposed to feel like support.
If your goals make you feel stressed, guilty, or weighed down, it’s time to re-evaluate them.
Instead of asking, “What do I need to do better?”, try asking:
- “What would make me feel more energized this year?”
- “What habits support the version of me I want to be?”
- “What’s one small thing I can do today that moves me in the direction I want to go?”
When your goals are rooted in kindness and self-compassion, they become something you can actually sustain.
Trust Yourself—You Know What You Need
One of the biggest shifts I made last year was learning to trust myself.
I stopped relying on external rules—whether it was the number on a scale or a rigid diet plan—to tell me if I was “doing it right.”
Instead, I started asking myself:
- How does my body feel?
- What do I actually need right now?
- Am I making choices that feel aligned with the life I want to create?
You don’t need a scale, a list of rules, or someone else’s blueprint to tell you how to care for yourself. You already know.
This Year, Let’s Do It Differently
This year, I hope you’ll let yourself set goals from a place of trust, kindness, and care—not guilt or pressure.
✨ Ask yourself, “What do I want more of this year?”
✨ Choose a word to guide you.
✨ Give yourself permission to rest.
✨ Let your goals feel like support, not punishment.
✨ Trust yourself.
If you’re ready for a kinder way to approach the New Year, I dive deeper into all of this in this week’s episode of the Thriving as a Physician Podcast.
👉 [Listen here and let’s make this year one that feels good.]
You deserve a year that feels aligned, intentional, and deeply supportive. Let’s start it together.
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