A New Year’s Message For Serious People

Happy New Year.

At the time of writing this, it’s 01:20 AM Istanbul time.

I’m sitting in a bed in Cyprus, under the weather and writing an article.

Why?

Because I feel like it.

That’s why!

Anyway, I’m going to deliver a New Year’s message to you which will put you on the right path.

It revolves around focus.

Specifically, what you choose to focus on.

2023 was an interesting year for me.

It was the first year into my content creation journey and has taught me many things.

Despite not seeing much “success”, I’m feeling optimistic.

I can see myself doing what I do now forever.

If that’s not a good sign, I don’t know what is.

2023 saw me move from rural Scotland, trapped in sub-zero temperatures, to Istanbul:

The greatest city on the planet.

It saw me start a new life with new people.

It saw me begin new challenges and hobbies which I’d been putting off for years.

It saw me perform in front of audiences and embrace my inner creativity.

It even saw me break my romantic dry spell.

In short, 2023 was one hell of a year.

And I can’t wait for 2024.

I want this post to serve as a reminder to you.

There’s going to be a lot going on this year in the world of news and politics.

Many things are going to trying to monopolise your attention.

When this inevitably happens, you’re going to have a choice to make.

Do you A) ignore the noise and focus on yourself?

Or B) Allow the noise to take you away from your priorities?

Your year will be defined by what you choose to do.

Most people will choose the latter.

The media machine is too powerful and they’re unsure of what they even want out of life.

This uncertainty is all media needs to monopolise attention.

Instead of these people figuring out what they want to do, they will remain pacified by what they see on their screens.

But some will remain diligent in the face of constant distractions.

They’ll understand that external events in the world are out of their control and giving energy to these things is pointless.

In fact, it’s detrimental.

When you decide to give energy to something pointless like politics, you’re taking away energy from your own life.

To make this year the best year of your life, you need to focus.

But more specifically, you need to focus on the right things.

The right things depend on your personal goals.

I’m not going to tell you what to do.

Everyone wants different things out of life and I’m not here to preach.

But generally speaking, you want to do good things while avoiding bad things.

I know, basic right?

But it’s the truth.

There’s a reason why New Year’s resolutions exist.

People who set them know that they’re lacking in specific areas of their lives.

They’re deeply aware of their incompetencies and have a desire to change.

The arrival of the New Year gives these people the chance to address the insecurities which they’ve been ignoring for ages.

Once they know what they want to fix, they become desperate to improve.

Sadly, most never will.

Not because they can’t, but because their bad habits are still too influential.

If you want to break out of your negative cycle of destruction, you need to change.

And the easiest way to do this is through simplicity:

More good.

Less bad.

If you don’t go to the gym, start going.

If you don’t have any friends, start meeting people.

If your diet is horrendous, replace cake with carrots.

Doing this in all areas of your life will lead to favourable outcomes.

And doing this on a consistent basis will allow you to make the most of the New Year.

Lastly, I want to emphasise something.

The New Year itself, isn’t important.

It’s just a number on a calendar.

It doesn’t actually mean anything.

The only reason people take it seriously is because we’re pattern recognition machines and like tradition.

I want you to get rid of the concept of “New Years Resolutions”.

Instead, I want you to start looking at everyday in the same way:

As just another day.

If you wake up one day and indulge in self-destructive nonsense, don’t do it again.

Just because you failed yesterday, doesn’t mean you can’t win today.

If you screw up one day, make sure you don’t tomorrow.

Because from an experiential perspective, you don’t experience years as big blocks of time.

You only ever experience now.

The present.

Since this is true, focusing on arbitrary dates on a calendar doesn’t make any sense.

If you wanted to start the year well, you should have started months ago.

Waiting for the magical calendar Gods to reset the numbers doesn’t actually do anything.

It’s you who has to do something.

I hope you found this message of value.

Like I said, it’s late here, so forgive me if the prose isn’t perfect.

But then again, nothing ever is.

Despite feeling ill.

Despite being on holiday in a tropical land.

And despite it being nearly 2AM.

I’ve done something that will take me closer to my goal.

If this isn’t a lesson on how to dominate the New Year, I don’t know what is.

Thanks for reading,

Godfrey

PS. Follow me on X.