Don’t Lose That North Star Feeling
I just had a conversation with my (amazing and inspiring) business coach, Natalie Claire, that resonated with me around all this New Year’s business.
We were discussing “Gym January”, “Dry January”, and all the things people try to motivate themselves to do when they wake up on January 1. We both admitted that we’re just not New Year’s Resolutions people.
Why?
Winter is a terrible time to make big changes! Our bodies are ready to hibernate after all that holiday merrymaking and physical and emotional output. And yet we’re supposed to suddenly shift into go mode and transform overnight?
It doesn’t make sense.
Natalie said something I love: she sees the new year as a six-week soft landing into the Chinese New Year and the spring season—a time to gently till the soil and plant seeds of intention so the transformations ahead have the right conditions to grow, rather than forcing anything too soon.
To that end, the Chinese New Year (February 17) feels like much better timing for getting motivated, as it aligns with the increasing light and the movement and growth of spring.
So if you’re feeling behind or unmotivated right now?
Join the mammal club!
Try This Instead: Choose a North Star
Rather than making a list of goals or resolutions, I’m choosing a feeling I want to orient my year around—a North Star.
A guiding emotion or state that helps me make decisions, set boundaries, and choose where my time and energy go.
Here are a few possibilities:
Joyful – more moments that feel light or playful
Strong – physically, mentally, or emotionally
Connected – deeper relationships, more presence
Creative – making something with your hands, heart, or mind
Clear – simplifying, decluttering, choosing ease
Rested – honoring your rhythms, protecting sleep
Once you choose your North Star feeling, ask yourself:
What cultivates this feeling?
What interferes?
This shifts you out of performance mode and into alignment mode—less pressure, more resonance. Instead of resolutions that often land like a to-do list, you’re choosing a compass.
My word is “release”—something I often feel in yoga class, after a sound bath, or during a walk in the woods or skiing down the mountain.
What’s your North Star feeling for 2026?
Your Move for the Week
Take 5 minutes this week to write down your North Star feeling and one thing (or ten!) that cultivates it.
Let this become your quiet grounding practice as we move toward the light of spring.
Warmly,
Dr. Krista
P.S. Several of you have asked who I work with to help bring clarity and direction to my business. If you’d like to know more about Natalie Claire and the strategic support she provides women-led businesses, feel free to reply, and I’ll be happy to connect you!
Olive Says
Birdy’s tail should be registered as a lethal weapon requiring a permit to operate. It broke not one but two wine glasses on Christmas day—and a mug—requiring three bouts of the dreaded vacuum.
Mom didn’t mind so much about the wine glasses, but she was pretty sad about the mug because of its message: “Do Less Be More.”
Hello! That’s the motto I live by every day.