Happy New Year! It is officially 2022. We’re here. We made it. Congratulations on another year down and embarking on a new one. If you are approaching this new year with a little trepidation, you aren’t alone. Last New Year’s, we said the same thing: “We made it;” “it’s behind us;” “we survived.” Now I find myself saying it again this year like it’s another news headline. I am sure you have noticed, but the past two years have been nothing but fear-evoking headlines. We’ve gone from global pandemic to social injustice to violence and death, then back to the global pandemic. The headlines are made to draw you in, give you a short snippet of the truth, not the whole truth. The headlines are to create a feeling within the viewers, whether it be fear, panic, worry, or pain. The 24-hour news cycle has us manufacturing our own distorted view of our own worlds and lives and living in a constant cycle of headlines. How many times have you said “I can’t,” “I’m stuck,” or “that’s just the way I am”? These are your headlines. They are running through your mind, the 24-hour cycle, reminding you of fear, panic, worry, or pain. We’ve become so used to these headlines that we accept them for truth, but are they the whole truth or just a fragment of the story?
Have you ever been lying in bed and heard a noise downstairs? You know it was likely nothing, but then… did a light just flash? Did a door just shut? You know the feeling when the wave of fear rushes over your body. Your heart races a little faster, and you get a bead of sweat on your forehead. You feel your palms clam up only to find the noise was just the dog. This is what happens when the headlines that run through your head take over. You get a glimpse of a version of the truth, and your brain will run with it. This is what they are designed to do: fight or flight. What if we were able to change the headlines that are running through your head? Just like the anchor of the news feed, you have the power to anchor your own life. Create your own headline for 2022.
If your headline for the past 12 months was “I survived,” you’re likely feeling exhaustion, anxiety, and fear. You must be intentional about the story you tell yourself. Are you continuing to tell yourself about the problem and not the solution? That’s what news anchors do; they repeat the problem over and over again, and so are you.
Headlines of Problems:
“I’m exhausted.”
“I don’t have time.”
“My boss doesn’t listen to me.”
“My spouse doesn’t care or support me.”
“My team isn’t good enough.”
What these stories are, are stories about the problems in life. They may even be true! The tricky part with understanding the power of what we tell ourselves is that the headline feels true. The new headline must be focused on the solution and your own potential to anchor your story. Stop rehearsing and endorsing the low-level beliefs and partial truths that only reflect limitations.
To create a new headline, start with asking yourself a few questions
- How can I put my potential in the center of my story?
- How can I put my goal at the forefront of the story?
- What if I focused on the outcomes of the goal?
- How can I tell myself a story of who I am becoming instead of who I have been in the past?
- How can I be more grateful for what I have today?
You are the anchor of your life. You must write the story. You also must know that it’s worth the work it takes to get there. You will not change your headline overnight. You’ve spent likely 30+ years with your brain telling you all the reasons you can’t and producing all the data from the past. This takes work, but any worthy goal does, right?
This is a new day. This is a new year. We’re not going to focus on survival and loss; we’re going to focus on the power of our potential and the life we want to live. Your headline for 2022 will take rehearsal and practice. Pick a headline for yourself and write it down every single day. It can be a word or a phrase. For one whole year, in 2020, I had chosen the word warrior. That’s who I would be today. Not because I wanted to fight, but I loved the idea that a warrior was ready every single day for whatever came. They also train, they prepare, and they study. They are mentally and physically badass, and they face the day expecting glory. So, every day in my journal, I wrote warrior until one day in August 2021, when I tattooed it on my wrist. I rebuilt the headline in my life. Now, I am not encouraging you to tattoo your headline. Please don’t. But I encourage you to find a headline that has that deep meaning and own it. Anchor your life; no one else will. You have the ability and power. You already have everything you need right now, today, to achieve your goals – you are simply lacking in the belief that you can.
It’s your life; it’s your headline; own it.
