Hey, this is Julie. Welcome again to the podcast. I was just thinking when I was little, do you remember when you were little and the holidays came about and you were like, wow, the excitement, the anticipation of the holidays, it was like there was nothing more special or exciting in your life than December and nothing could be the heart limitations of Santa and the food and family. Now that I'm on the other side of it, we're concentrating everything. Wow. Hmm. Rethinking everything, simplicity. Anyway, just a little thought as we kick off this episode. I want to talk about how I'm going to redirect everything, my energy, my life, my personal and my professional life in 2026. I love that saying new year, new you. Can we just delete and forget that saying all together, new year, new you guys, it's new year, same you. Boo. We just have to be a little more intentional. And that's what we're talking about today. Thank you for being here with me because I want to start this episode with a confession. There was a year where my New Year's resolution list was longer than my grocery list. And I've four boys. So my grocery list is pretty long and spoiler alert. Neither of these lists were ever finished. I thought more goals meant more success. You know, they say feeling busy often means that you feel like you're successful. That's how I used to feel busy, busy, busy, busy. I'm so successful. Nothing ever got finished. I thought more goals meant more success. What it actually meant was more pressure. And in reality, it meant more self-judgment. And that equated to less self-joy. A lot of less joy in my life. And I wonder why because I was doing all the things I was supposed to do. I was checking all the boxes. Success, success, success, getting those diplomas, getting all those accolades, making that money, ringing those bells. And I wasn't happy. I wasn't feeling that joy. So this year I did something radically different. I chose one personal goal and one professional goal. Not because I lack ambition anymore, but because I finally understand how energy works. Today we're talking about how to start this year intentionally and not frantically. I hope I'm not alone in this journey because this episode truly is for high achievers who have tried performing and tried increasing productivity, but are really ready to start feeling aligned. And I mean aligned by doing things bigger and bolder. I just mentioned I want you to think about making one personal goal and one professional goal. Let's start here. Don't make too many resolutions like I have done in the past because there is no way you can do it. Resolutions, resolutions. Let me just tell you, ladies and gents, it does not work. That's it. It does not work. I'm going to open the Pandora's box and let you know what my personal goal is for this next year. My personal goal next year is to protect my physical and emotional energy. It's a non-negotiable this next year. I have given out so much of my energy to people who have sucked it, who have chewed on it, who have adored it, and who have thrown it to the wayside. It's just nothing, who have savored my energy without giving anything back in return that left me to plead it. But I kept giving away my energy to those vampires. That means I need to start saying no without overexplaining. And guess what? When I did step into that zone and start saying no, people actually just accepted it and walked away and it felt really good. And I had time to do things that really mattered. Spending time with my family, real good quality time with my family, with my husband, doing things that mattered for my business, getting things that needed to be done in my house, those chores that I hate to do, cleaning out those cabinets, cleaning out the pantry. You're welcome, honey. Yeah, he was very happy. I actually organized the pantry. That is a big job, by the way. Do you ever feel so overwhelmed? Do you feel like you're going, going, going, going? You are a worker bee instead of actually thinking through the process and there is no time for recovery. That is so important to me now. Then also choosing rest before resentment. If I do not get my rest, if I do not get my sleep, I'm a goner. I used to think it was a badge of honor not to sleep. It was a badge of honor to be going, going, going, going. Why do I think that way? I would love to know. Why do we think that going, going, going, not getting sleep, running that rat race makes us better than the ones that are slower and methodical? I don't know. I actually have to research that. So that's my personal goal. Protect my physical and emotional energy. Anybody else with me? I'm sure there's somebody else out there with me. Please let me know so I don't feel so alone. Actually, I know there are people. Or if not, I hope I inspired someone to think a little bit differently. My professional goal is to amplify fewer voices more powerfully. Now, let me tell you this. My job in the PR world is really to amplify all voices who are making an impact in this world. So when I say amplify fewer voices more powerfully, I want to amplify fewer voices more powerfully again, protecting my energy because I have to be more selective in my clientele right now. I often feel when I'm not selective within my clientele, I am choosing clientele that don't necessarily want to do the work alongside with me. And we do not get the same results. I want the results to be exponential. So I need to work alongside people who have the same energy. So we in return get results that are huge. This year very clearly, I've been aligning myself with people who expect huge results. I have been reaping bigger results within my professional life. And I cannot align energy with people who are relying solely on me to give them results. It is always no matter who you work for, it always has to be in tandem. So that's one thing. I am amplifying fewer voices more powerfully instead of trying to do everything for a lot of people. This means I'm going deeper, not wider, and I'm creating content experiences that actually move people. I really learned this lesson from a book called Centralism by Greg McGowan. Read this book if you're overwhelmed. This book will feel like permission to exhale. This isn't about doing less. It's about doing what matters. Again, Essentialism by Greg McGowan. Read the book. I'll put this resource in the show notes. So check that out. I'm going to be giving you a lot of resources in this episode. I hope you check it out. Full disclosure, just things I really like. And I hope you get obsessed with these particular resources I do have. I also want to talk about the New Year and how we also put a lot of pressure on ourselves. We look at the New Year, again, New Year, New Year, I hate that thing. So I probably won't say that again in this episode. But a lot of us do put that pressure on. What do I need to do this year? What do I need to do? Let's ask ourselves, what season am I in? Are you a new parent? Are you new in a job? Are you right out of school? Are you looking to change jobs? Are you looking to increase your health and vitality? Think about what season you are in. And understand that your season is an integration and take everything you've learned and start refining it. Don't put all the pressure on one day. You are in a season and it is integration into your life. We are often hard on ourselves as we are going through life this year, this past year, ups and downs. And there's going to be some more ups and downs that we do encounter this next year. Life is so freaking hard. How come nobody told us when we started life that this was going to be all parties, cupcakes and rainbows? I always think of myself as an optimist. I see things with rose colored glasses on, but I'm telling you, there are some days where I can't barely get out of bed. I mean, I have to get out of bed because nobody would eat my kids. Well, they're old enough, but the point is, I don't want to. I'd rather just put Netflix on and lay in bed. The ads and flows of life, nobody tells you. It is so important. And I want to hear from you that when we do go into those caverns of those deep dark moments that you have survived in the past year, that you did survive it. And that counts. You have survived all of those things. You have recovered, even if it doesn't feel like you have recovered, you have recovered. Sell a break that. Go deeper, acknowledge that. I want you to think about that. Write that down if you can. If you had issues with relationships, issues with your health, issues with your business, I want you to celebrate that you actually got through that, even if it doesn't feel that it has completely healed, I want you to go deeper and understand that you have survived in that counts. The win wasn't expansion. It is that you understand that you are listening consistently each experience that you are having. Create a proof of lifeless moments where you showed up when it would have been easier to disappear. There are so many moments. And look at how strong you are. It's pretty incredible if you think about it. Maybe a divorce, a breakup, you got fired, you were on the brink of having no money, maybe you slipped and fell, maybe you had a friendship breakup. I don't know. We all have these things and then find somebody to connect lives with, have conversations with. Get out of your own head. That's the best thing to do when we stop focusing just on ourselves and our pain and think about others. That's a really great place to start. I'm just really rifting this to be honest. I'm thinking of all the things that have helped me out through the past year that have boosted my mindset, that have boosted my professional life, my personal life. Some of the most meaningful opportunities that I've had this year were through conversations, not content. I really dialed down on my social media. I put relationships over algorithms. I've always intentionally nurtured relationships. And something about social media never really feels mutual. I don't feel nurtured in a relationship that is purely on social media. It feels very transactional. I really wanted to nurture my in real life relationships. So that's what I've done. Just a little tip. I love that. And I also would love to suggest maybe saying yes to expansion. Think about saying yes to so many different things. I would love for you to say yes to. As many things as you can say yes to growth, it doesn't have to be dramatic. Say yes to going out for coffee with someone you didn't think that you would necessarily be compatible with. Say yes to an invitation to an event. Say yes to a neighbor going to a charity event. Say yes to things that you really maybe thought you'd be uncomfortable with. I think you may learn something new. If there is nothing better and I learn this from Jim Quick this year, then feeling like you are in that beginner's brain learning something new at all times by saying yes to expansion. I believe you'll get into that beginner's brain. One other thing I just want to say is I am coming into this new year is I want you to plan joy on purpose. If you don't schedule joy, life will schedule stress, plan joy, schedule it in. Even if you have to put it on your Google calendar, do something that makes you smile. Do something that will make you feel like a kid again. What is that? What does that feel like? I want to know. I know you're going to do this. I hope you feel like a stronger you. Not a new you. Just a stronger version of you. This year I'm not chasing more. I'm choosing meaning. I'm choosing one personal goal, one professional goal, and the courage to honor both. You're not behind your becoming. If anything touched your heart today, please share this episode and please don't forget to like, rate, and review. Hi, this is your brain coach Jim Quick, on the author of the best seller limitless upgrade your brain, learning to pass your lock year exceptional life. And I am so excited to speak at CreativeCon this year, February and Chicago. Just think about it. In a world that's changing faster than ever, creativity is an luxury. It's a superpower. I'd CreativeCon. I'm going to show you how to train the most important technology in the world, which is your brain. To think faster, learn deeper, focus better on lock year genius. That's already inside of you. So whether you're an artist, you're an entrepreneur, you're a creative innovator, your imagination is one of your greatest currencies. It's true wealth and you'll discover from me, science-based tools to rewire your mind for creativity, productivity, and really limitless expression. You know, our session's not going to be just a presentation. It's going to be an activation because when you free your mind, you also free your art, your business, and your future. Like you can't wait to see you there. Hit some creativecon.com. You're taking the A and you're turning into an eight. Let's see our E-8-T-I-V-E-Con.com. And I can't wait to see you there until then. Remember to be limitless. Thank you for listening.
