SACRAMENTO, CA - I’m normally not one for New Year’s resolutions. That’s not to say that I think the entire concept of “new year, new you” is silly. On the contrary, I admire anyone who wants to outline a plan of self-improvement. As for me: At any form of rigidity in my personal life, I tend to balk.

I know I’m not a static person. I’m constantly in development, evolving my needs by the day, if not by the hour. Although that may sound like I’m constantly in survival mode, it’s actually my response to the intense goals I heaped upon myself when I was a 20-something and younger. Healing my inner child might sound like a therapy gimmick, but it’s helped direct my attention inward in ways that have been indescribably beneficial.

In the decade preceding 2023, I’ve had to mourn the loss of dreams, the loss of relationships, the loss of people close to me. At the same time, I’ve fostered hope in ways I never believed possible. I found the very foundation of the person I’d been hiding and worked to grow myself up from those roots. I took a chance on creativity I’d never been brave enough to embrace.

Most of that was accomplished in 2022 alone, a year pockmarked with tumultuous events and bumpy self-realizations. Confronting yourself is always messy, but it’s harder still when you’ve been putting off reflection for comfort.

My underlying hope, though, is that this small message comes across: In the year ahead, give yourself some grace, and don’t be afraid to dig deep.

And that’s where I get stuck, because I don’t think a New Year’s resolution can fully encompass what you may need for this endeavor. You’re bigger than an aspiration. You’re more than numbers on a scale. You’re more than the promise of reading more books or running more miles.

I think it’s more than enough to keep asking yourself, “What do I need at this moment?” and having the strength to listen to the answer.