So it’s my first working day of 2023. I’ve had my coffee, gone for a walk, taken an early morning dip in the ocean and have just walked into the office. My first instinct was to sit down, open my emails and to-do list and start chipping away and getting back into the swing of things. But I’ve managed to catch myself before doing that and instead begun to write this blog post. 

Why did I decide to start the year without looking at everything that needs to be done, and instead write a piece of content? Well, to answer that I have to tell you about the person I’ve decided to be in 2023. 

The past few years have been a whirlwind of change, growth and learnings for me and I’ve decided this year to be very intentional with my actions. A few years back I was described as someone who was passive, very laid back and just let life happen. Rather than going out and getting what I wanted from life, I just waited until things came to me. Where I wanted to go in life and the actions I was demonstrating on a daily basis just didn’t match. I knew what I wanted to do, but just didn’t really know how to get there or how much effort it was going to take. Fast forward to 2023 and having gone through a number of life-changing events and also spent countless hours on self development over the past few years, I now know what is required to achieve my goals in all aspects of my life. And the answer is…wait for it…being very intentional with my actions on a daily basis. Now, I understand that’s quite ambiguous, so I’ll share with you how I’m going to do that in 2023.

In 2023, I’m going to make sure I prioritise what is important and spend less time focusing on what isn’t. From a business sense what does this look like? Well, I’m going to focus on putting my energy into doing the things that are going to push the business forward. Everything I do is going to be about what is the best for the business. So everyday before undertaking any task, I’m going to ask myself “Is this the best use of my time?” or “If I do this task, am I going to be effective or am I just filling time to make myself feel busy?” This is why this morning when I opened my laptop I decided that spending the morning writing, sharing my thoughts and expanding our brand's reach through content was where my time was best spent. We can often get caught up in the weeds and forget where our biggest value as an individual can be. What I’ve realised this that me putting words onto paper and sharing it has allowed us to gain a great audience because what I’ve written might resonate with someone, who then shares it with a family member or friend who might also need to hear it (that’s your cue to share this with a few people you think might enjoy it once you’ve finished reading).

From a personal point of view, I’m going to be very intentional about two things, how I spend my time away from the business and how I speak to myself. Last year, I got a bit slack and let some of my good habits slip, particularly around exercise and mindfulness. These are two things I’ve begun already prioritising and looking into how I can do them differently to keep things fresh as they bring me a great amount of joy and energy. Self-talk and mindset on the other hand are things which I consider a strength of mine, however, I’m going to take them to the next level and start speaking to myself and others in a way that is much clearer about my intentions and how I am going to achieve them. Notice how in that last sentence I wrote “I’m GOING to take them to the next level” not “I’m hoping to take them to the next level”. Language is powerful and what we say can have a big impact on how we act and feel. If we wake up in the morning and the first thing we say is “work’s going to be shit today” or “I can’t be bothered” then you’re already starting off in a negative state and it’s going to be harder to get back to the positive. But if everyday you wake up, sit on the side of your bed, feel your feet on the floor and say to yourself “Today’s going to be a good day” then your energy and actions will automatically become more positive. It’s amazing how something so small can have a big impact on how you feel throughout the day. I encourage you to try it!

So, that’s who I’m going to be this year and now the question is ‘Who are you going to be in 2023?’

• An intentional or passive person?
• Someone who wakes up everyday and looks forward to the day or dreads it?
• Your own hero or a victim?
• Someone who creates positive habits or develops lazy ones?
• Someone who takes responsibility or always blames others?
• Are you going to move towards your goals or slide further away from them?

This isn’t about setting new year's resolutions that you stick to for a few weeks and then never think about again. This is about creating a mindset shift, becoming more adaptable and being very intentional with all your actions to become the person you know you can become.

Oh, and make sure you remember to share this with others and help them to begin to think about who they want to be in 2023! 

Ben Haren

Co-founder of The Adaptability Movement