New Year, New Purpose: Your Guide to Starting the Year with Clarity and Intention Pt 3
QUICK RECAP FROM LAST WEEK:
Welcome back, friend! Last week we dove deep into something really important - sustained motivation and how to keep it alive every single day. Here's what we discovered together:
MOTIVATION IS A DAILY PRACTICE - We talked about how motivation isn't something you stumble upon or wait to feel. It's something you build through the small choices you make every day. Whether you stay centered when chaos hits or take action when you'd rather chill out - these are YOUR choices, and they become your habits.
YOUR GREATEST MOTIVATION - We explored what truly drives you. Is it providing for your family? Making a meaningful impact? Building something that outlasts you? When you're crystal clear on what fuels you, everything else becomes easier.
BUILDING MOTIVATION HABITS - I shared some practical morning, daily, and weekly habits that high performers use to generate motivation automatically. Because here's the truth: successful people don't wait to feel motivated before taking action.
YOUR FREEDOM VISION - We dreamed big together about what ultimate freedom would look like for you five years from now. What would you BE, DO, HAVE, and FEEL? And we uncovered that first dream you'd chase if you felt truly free to pursue it.
Here's What Matters:
Maybe you took action on some of these ideas. Maybe life got in the way and you didn't. Either way, you're here now - and that counts for something.
Each week is a new opportunity to get clearer, take one more step, and move closer to the life you're meant to live.
Your dreams are calling you for a reason. Let's keep listening...
Laying Aside the Weight
Our brains are designed to go forward. But we often carry weights that hold us back.
As it says in Hebrews 12:1-2: "Let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us."
Three Weights Holding You Back:
1. Social Weight - Other People's Expectations
Social pressure is huge. We let people set our thermostat instead of setting it ourselves. When someone tries to make you feel like you're not the person you know you are, you're giving them permission to set your thermostat. Stop letting what people think about you become a weight that holds you back.
2. Comfort Weight - Self-Deception
We enter a default mood of comfort:
- Comfort food
- Comfort scrolling
- Comfort binge-watching
Most of us give ourselves permission during the holiday season and tell ourselves we'll start in January, after Valentine's Day, after Easter, when the weather clears up...
This is self-deception. It's a weight preventing forward progress.
3. Physical Weight - Literal Weight
If we need to shed weight and move our bodies to be more nimble, pliable, and movable - we need to do it. When we're physically drained, we're mentally drained.
My recommendations:
- Walk every day (not just 3 times a week)
- Weight train 3-4 times a week
- Focus on extension movements (more back than chest exercises)
- Keep your screen at eye level to protect nerve pathways
Your Legacy Starts Today
Here's the most important question you'll answer:
What would you love your legacy to be with your family or at work?
When people remember you, what do you want them to say?
Family legacy might sound like:
- "They always made us feel loved and supported"
- "They taught us to believe in ourselves"
- "They showed us what integrity looks like"
- "They were always there when we needed them"
Work legacy might sound like:
- "They made everyone around them better"
- "They solved problems others couldn't"
- "They lifted people up and created opportunities"
- "They left this place better than they found it"
Your legacy isn't built in one big moment. It's built in the daily choices you make:
- How you show up each day
- The energy you bring to others
- The problems you choose to solve
- The love and care you consistently give
Your legacy starts today with how you contribute.
The Power of Growth-Minded People
This past year, I attended my business group called Ultra in Scottsdale, Arizona. It was tiring, but refreshing because I was surrounded by people who want to do better in life.
When you interact with people who want to improve, it lifts up your game too.
Collaboration with growth-minded people is absolutely crucial for sustained motivation.
There's nothing wrong with wanting more. If you want more, become more.
Final Thoughts
New year, new purpose isn't just a catchy phrase - it's a commitment to yourself.
It's a commitment to:
- Lay aside the weights holding you back
- Build competence in areas that matter
- Sustain motivation through daily habits
- Make meaningful contributions
- Design your ultimate freedom
- Create a legacy you're proud of
The world needs your full contribution - not your leftovers. Your dreams are valid and achievable. Your authentic self is your superpower.
Go out there and be great. Make this your year of purpose.
Take Action Today!
Are you going to let another day go by staying in the same place you've been for too long?
Another day can become another year all too easily.
It's so easy to hang onto our excuses of why we're not going to make that change.
But here's your opportunity: This can be your year of purpose, clarity, and breakthrough results.
Your Next Step
I've created a 5 Step Clarity Blueprint that will help you:
- Get more clarity in life
- Increase your energy and courage
- Build healthier relationships and connections
- Boost your productivity
- Discover your meaningful contribution
This is the same blueprint I use with my coaching clients to help them take their next step.
Text "CLARITY" to 423.460.9757 and we will send you the 5 Step Clarity Blueprint instantly!
It's free. There are no excuses.
Don't let another day go by without change. Don't let another year slip away without real progress.
Your future self is waiting. Your legacy is calling. Your purpose is ready to be discovered.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE
Hey, I want to take a moment to say something important... Thank you.
Thank you for showing up week after week and investing in yourself. Thank you for being willing to look honestly at where you are and where you want to go. That takes courage.
In a world full of distractions and easy excuses, you're choosing to do the work. You're choosing growth over comfort. You're choosing to believe that this year - YOUR year - can be different. I don't take that lightly. Every week when you open these messages, you're making a statement: "I'm worth it. My dreams matter. My future is important." And you're absolutely right.
Whether you've taken massive action or you're still finding your footing... whether you've had breakthrough moments or you're still working through the fog... you're here. And that matters more than you know.
Your willingness to keep showing up, keep learning, and keep moving forward - even when it's hard - is exactly what separates people who transform their lives from people who stay stuck.
So thank you for trusting me with your time. Thank you for being open to these ideas. Thank you for believing that change is possible.
I'm honored to be part of your journey.
Let's keep going together.
With gratitude,
Dr. Howard Dennis
Dr. Howard Dennis is a Certified High Performance Coach who helps individuals and organizations unlock their potential, gain clarity, and achieve extraordinary results. To learn more about the 5 Step Clarity Blueprint or to schedule a coaching session, visit https://drhowarddennis.com/