I received two back-to-back emails this morning from two completely different organizations with subject lines that began ‘Start the new year strong…’ and then implied that all I needed to do was purchase a new dishwasher or SaaS product to be effective in this endeavor.

Sigh. Eye roll. Delete. Delete.

I found this messaging really irksome.

I do actually want to be strong in all I do, so we are aligned in that purpose. And I am always on the lookout for new tools to sustainably support me in my strength-building practices.

I guess what irked me was 1) the sense of urgency or pressure to be strong right now because we’re already more than halfway through January and the ‘new year’ won’t be here much longer, along with 2) the implication that there was a one-and-done solution for how to do this.

You might say, ‘Sam, it’s just marketing and you don’t need to look too deeply into it.’

Perhaps…but the world (particularly the marketing world) is full of manipulative tactics and when I have a reaction to something, I like to understand why.

Developing awareness of ourselves, including what, why, and how we react to – and interact with, the world around us is fundamental to effective self-expression and interpersonal relating, and ultimately to living a more conscious, fulfilling, and impactful life.

It also makes us stronger.

So, I took a moment to sit with why I was irked by these emails. Through this process, I looked at what my personal definition of ‘strong’ is, how I’d like to embody it in my life, what my timeline is for becoming it, and what tools I need to sustainably build strength as a continuous practice.

I won’t get into all that now because I promised I’d keep this short. (Feel free to drop me a line if you’re curious about anything, though.)

Instead, I’ll just share this:

One of my strength-building practices this year has been to write every day. It varies in form from freestyle stream-of-conscious, to timed writing exercises, to writing to a thought prompt, sometimes in a journal, other times at my computer, sometimes writing just for myself, and other times writing for the purpose of sharing.

A question I’ve found to be particularly insightful lately is:

‘How am I directing my willpower towards creating change?’

It’s a lovely way to validate all the ways you’re operating positively in the world, along with the intentions and actions you’re putting into place in order to be and create the change you seek.

It’s also a gentle but firm way to assess the areas in which you might not be holding yourself as accountable as you’d like, and it helps create a path back.

Whether it’s through writing or another form of self-inquiry, regularly being honest with ourselves about what we’re doing and why helps us build long-term, sustainable strength.

If you dig into that question, please reach out and let me know what you discover!

Meanwhile, what are your strength-building practices? I’d love to hear from you!

Love, Sam