Episode 100: New Year Intentions

Dec 22

Can you believe this is the 100th episode of Euphoric The Podcast?! In celebration of the New Year being right around the corner, Karolina and Danielle dig into their experiences now and before being alcohol-free. Discover the value of reflecting on the past year to then manifest the life you want in the coming year. Learn some powerful and creative ways to jump into 2022 without alcohol. Stay curious and set yourself up for success in the New Year!

Karolina’s new book Euphoric: Ditch Alcohol and Gain a Happier, More Confident You, made bestseller status on Amazon! Sign up today to be part of her Euphoric Book Launch Inner Circle. When you preorder the book and sign up for the team, you'll get an advanced reader copy to read as early as today. You'll also get some cool bonuses and a chance for an author Q&A! Expand your network and meet other incredible alcohol-free badasses. You also get a behind the scenes look at what goes into a book launch. All that’s asked in return is a review of the book and sharing it with your friends.

Manifesting the New Year you want

As the year comes to an end, December is a beautiful opportunity to reflect back on your year! As the seasons change, Winter can really be about slowing down, hitting pause, preparing for Spring and planting seeds for a fresh start.

I love to take time at the end of the year to ruminate on my experiences of the past 12 months. It’s such a powerful way of grounding and remembering how special the year was, as well as moments I struggled.

After taking time to reflect, I shift my thinking to what’s ahead. New Year’s resolutions can be dangerous, right? They focus so much on just “fixing” ourselves. Instead, I ask myself, “what do I want to manifest this year?”

In some ways, waiting for January 1st to implement new rules or goals can also give us license to completely give into our temptations. Danielle has a great approach to navigating this. Instead of waiting for New Year’s Day to start a resolution, she uses December as an opportunity to inspire and create change. Then she brings that transformation into the new year with her.

Whether you think about what to manifest in the months ahead or you begin your resolutions in December, it is so valuable to get curious with yourself. When you think about 2021, what are the moments you’re grateful for? What lessons did you learn? What were your struggles and successes?

Now ask yourself, “what do I want to manifest this year?”

Dry January and getting curious

Did you know that just last year, 1 in 5 Americans participated in Dry January? If you don’t know what that is, Dry January is when you go alcohol-free for the first month of the new year. Sure, you could do that any month of the year, but the beauty of January is that it’s not only the start of a New Year, but you also will be more likely to find others making the same lifestyle commitment.

In a culture where drinking alcohol is the norm, Dry January is a great way of mitigating the social pressures of drinking. Not to mention, you can invite your friends to join you!

Sometimes, when you set rigid goals (such as 31 days of no alcohol), it leads to black and white thinking. If you mess up and have a drink on day 17, you might decide the entire month is blown so you might as well give up. Danielle encourages instead of focusing on the goal, invite yourself to get curious.

What if instead of the goal being 31 days, the goal is to get curious about your relationship with alcohol? Then if you do drink… reflect on why. Reflect on what the situation was that led you to have a drink or what you felt before and after drinking.

Being inquisitive with yourself leads to true long-term change, and it also helps you to have more compassion on yourself. Remember, even if you drink one day, that still means being alcohol-free for 31 days, minus 1 day. That is still a huge accomplishment and gift to yourself.

I also want to remind you that participating in Dry January doesn’t mean you have to quit alcohol for the rest of your life. Maybe you do Dry January for a few years, and in the fourth year, your mental approach shifts in a new way compared to previous times. From my experience, it can be helpful to remember that your decision doesn’t have to be permanent.

Celebrating New Years and setting yourself up for success

I really love celebrating New Years. It feels like such a special time that everyone is taking part in as we jump from one year into the next. Culturally, this time of year is marked with partying, drinking, champagne, and maybe a drunk kiss at midnight with a stranger.

When I think about the last New Year I had when I was still drinking, it had the opposite effect. I remember being up until 3 am still drinking! I felt embarrassed and wasn’t acting like myself at all. In fact, it took me an entire week to bounce back from that night.

We all have the ability to create something special on December 31st, even if it means doing something different. Over the last two years, Danielle and I have celebrated the New Year together.

Last year at midnight, we jumped into a freezing cold pool to celebrate! It was invigorating and spontaneous and such a perfect way to mark the New Year. Instead of feeling drunk, I felt a rush and a buzz from life. The experience was incredibly nourishing to my soul in such a deep way.

What if this New Year you weren’t focused on drinking, and instead created something new and incredible? Go camping or plan a sunrise hike for New Year’s Day, bringing a thermos of hot chocolate to have at the peak. However you celebrate, the possibilities are endless!

Just imagine what would happen if you set yourself up for success in the New Year.

“Fun doesn't always have to mean self-destructive. It can actually be self-constructive… it can actually be something that builds your spirit and builds your character.” Danielle Baldino

LINKS/RESOURCES MENTIONED

Join Karolina for her FREE live Dry January challenge, from January 3rd to the 5th. Learn how to overcome your fears and doubts of going alcohol-free. Change your thoughts around alcohol, and get the tools and plan you need to succeed and jump into a new identity.

Pre-order your copy of Euphoric: Ditch Alcohol and Gain a Happier, More Confident You today and also sign up to be part of the Euphoric Book Launch Inner Circle.

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