TGIM: Anti-Resolutions (Part VI)

Welcome back to Thank God It’s Monday!
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​tl;dr Another year in the books, friends! They say time moves faster when you have fewer unique experiences (hence why children experience time more slowly since everything is new). So if you feel like time is moving too quickly, inject your life with novel adventures.
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Holy cow, Anti-Resolutions Part VI! To catch all the newcomers up and to refresh all of the founding members, here’s an abbreviated recap of the ghosts of New Year’s TGIMs (because they still hold value):
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​Anti-Resolutions: Resolutions are useless without an action plan. Most people don’t stick to their “goals” because they want the end product without committing to the work required to get there.
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​Anti-Resolutions Part II: I borrowed the metaphor from Click, and noted that we must appeal to both our emotional brain (the elephant) and our logical brain (the rider). Even with the best of intentions, our rational brain will lose the battle to our emotional brains when we are tired. We must create goals that appeal to both.
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​Anti-Resolutions Part III: Take action! Just start by doing something, and you can course correct along the way. Don’t get hung up on the fear of failure or paralysis by analysis, trying to figure out the “perfect plan.”
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​Anti-Resolutions Part IV: Instead of stressing about how much you want to get done this coming year, take an inventory of accomplishments from the year prior. Notice how you’ve changed physically, mentally, financially, spiritually, and socially.
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​Anti-Resolutions Part V: The new year is so impactful for people because of the “fresh-start effect.” Mentally, a new year (or week, or month) allows us to separate our “old self” from the “new self” we want to become. We can leave perceived failures behind and take a bird’s eye view of what we want the important things to look like (our health, relationships, purpose). It is the external force needed to act upon objects at rest (us in a holiday slump).
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Which brings us to this year, the year of manifesting.
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Don’t close out the newsletter! I promise we’ll make this tangible and evidence-based.

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A far cry from a magic genie or screaming empty affirmations into the abyss, there is science to back the power of manifesting. But let’s clarify how to manifest properly.
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First, you must clarify your goal. Eating healthier is not a good goal. Getting toned IS NOT A GOOD GOAL. Being better at time management is not a good goal. The problem with these is that you cannot tell me next Tuesday that you checked off “getting toned” or “managed time.” So get clear on the goal that you can track.
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Writing the goal down helps gain clarity on what exactly it is you need to do, frees up cognitive load by removing it from working memory, boosts confidence when you can see the game plan, and creates personal responsibility.
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Second, visualize the ideal outcome. Imagine how it will feel when you’ve created a workout routine that doesn’t stress you out but gives you energy. Consider the confidence you will have when you feel good in your body. Let yourself be excited about the sense of accomplishment you’ll have when you hit your goal. These feelings will help fuel you, especially when you’re tired and ready to quit.
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Third, and the most underrated utilization of manifestation, is picturing the barriers you will inevitably face while working towards your goal. You don’t need motivation when things are going well, but you do need a game plan for when you’re struggling. The exhausted nights after work, the hungry shifts when you didn’t have time to eat lunch, and the distracted days when life happens will all need to be dealt with. Picturing yourself in those situations ahead of time with the stress, fatigue, and reluctance that come with them will help you formulate a plan of action for when they do arise.
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Lastly, form your “if…then…” statements. This removes the game-time decisions and helps you execute according to a predetermined pathway. Why do we have so many protocols in medicine? Because if someone is about to code (if their heart is about to stop or go into a funky rhythm), we don’t think about what to do. If *heart stops* then *give epinephrine*. Or if *bradycardic* then *give atropine*. If…then… saves lives, and it can save your New Year’s resolution for 2026.
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Manifest your ideal self this year. Clarify your goal, picture the outcome, consider the barriers, and formulate your “if… then…” statements.
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I am so excited for the next year to see what new opportunities we can create, the community we can grow, and the lives we can change. Reply and let me know what you’re working on for the New Year and how you’re going to manifest that destiny.
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If you found some value in this, please share it with a friend you think would enjoy it! And let me know if you’d like to be added to get TGIM.
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This week, my podcast recommendation is from Science Vs. “Manifesting: How Powerful Are Our Thoughts?”
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With that, happy New Year, everyone! Thank you for taking time out of your busy lives to be a part of TGIM, whether it’s once a week or once a year. I appreciate you all! Can’t wait for another year of lessons to learn and new experiences to have. See you there!
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Until next year,
Shannon