The Year-End Detox and My Plan for an Intentional 2025
“Intention is the starting point of every dream. The creative power that fulfills all of our needs, whether for money, relationships, spiritual awakening, or love.” - Deepak Chopra
It never fails that around this time of year (Black Friday, Christmas, New Year’s) we’re bombarded with an onslaught of emails for sales, unique gifts, and things we must do before the year ends. If you’re like me, you expect this barrage, but you're sick of it by the second week of a consistently filled inbox.
You might even unsubscribe to offer you some semblance of peace. But even that doesn’t stop you from seeing the same ads on social media, television, YouTube, etc.
Aside from buying the gifts I plan on giving to my loved ones and indulging in a few things for myself, I often feel the same around this time of year.
Exhausted. Overstimulated. Burnt out.
And with that comes a major detox.
From all of it.
During this time of year, I aim to relearn intentionality and how to apply it to my life.
I go back and rewatch documentaries like Minimalism (available on YouTube), Less Is Now (available on Netflix), The Social Dilemma (Netflix), and the latest eye-opening film, Buy Now: The Shopping Conspiracy (also on Netflix).
I turn to books like Soulful Simplicity, Essentialism, and more that remind me why simplicity and intentionality are what we should always strive for.
No, I’m not saying to live this way you must adopt a minimalist lifestyle. What I mean is taking a step back before buying, before consuming, before doing anything that you know will make you feel played, regretful, sad, or unworthy.
As someone who works in marketing/communications, I know the tricks. I’ve studied them and when done right they’re effective, making you buy something that will have you going, “Why? I didn’t really need that.”
I’ve fallen for them.
As we shift from Christmas ads to “new year, new you” ads, I encourage you to adapt some intentionality into what you consume.
Take that social media break, unsubscribe from those email lists, and return items you realize won’t serve you. If they’re past the return window, then donate them or use an app like Poshmark to recoup some money from it. Believe me, it’s better to rid yourself of the item than to keep it around as a daily reminder of your guilt.
There are many, many ways you can remove things from your life that no longer serve you. And that is my primary mission for the rest of this year.
This mission is to reclaim what I’ve lost over the last few months, which is comfort, calm, and simplicity. I’ve over-indulged in areas that don’t make me feel the best and under-indulged in areas that matter most to me: my health, my priorities, and my goals.
I want to enter 2025 with a clear path. I have a few hearty goals for the new year and I want to be at my best to work toward them. Will I falter at times? Of course, but I will arm myself with mantras, questions, and support to guide me back to intentionality when that happens.
My no-buy list for the new year will include items I am most susceptible to purchase and I am going to do whatever it takes to refrain from the siren call.
I want 2025 to be the year I grow inwardly and not grow by the amount of stuff I own. I want to get clear on what best serves me, my goals, and my lifestyle rather than focus on what’s “trending” and what influencers are being paid to sell me.
I want 2025 to be the year I give the biggest middle finger to the consuming machine. As they affluently say in one of my favorite movies, Empire Records, “Damn the man!”
Again, I’m not saying all of this to convert you away from consumerism. We all must consume certain things to live and survive. Consider this message a friendly gesture, telling you it’s possible to become a more mindful consumer over a brainwashed one.
Best believe we’ve all been brainwashed at one point to buy something we don’t need. I sure have.
Do your best to educate yourself on the long-term effects of over-consumption. Watch Buy Now: The Shopping Conspiracy on Netflix, read books and learn. Raise your self-awareness about where all of our trash and “trendy” products end up.
And before you click, “Buy Now,” pause. Give yourself an extra day or two or thirty to decide if the item will truly serve you and your future.
Until next time, I hope this serves as a gentle reminder that you have the power to remove toxic or unwanted things from your life and when you become more comfortable letting those weights go–because they are weighing you down–you will naturally lead a more intentional life.
Wishing you a beautiful day and new year, my friend, wherever you are. 💜
What are some things you hope to accomplish before 2024 ends? What are things you hope to accomplish in 2025?
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