5 Ways to Have an Epic New Year: Focus on Your Passions, Happiness, Peace, and Joy

As the new year approaches, it’s time to let go of the pressure of traditional resolutions and instead create a year that’s truly aligned with what lights you up. Forget the “shoulds” and the checkboxes society imposes on us—this year, let’s focus on your passions, happiness, peace, and joy. Here are five ways to make this year epic, intentional, and soul-aligned.

1. Define Your Core Values and Passions

Your core values and passions are your inner compass. They guide you toward what truly matters and keep you grounded in what makes you unique.

When you want to get to a certain destination or reach a goal, you need to know two things. Where you are starting, your current situation and where you want to end up. This is why knowing your core values in all the areas of your life, health, fitness, career, ect. Knowing what is important to you in these areas and what it is you want to experience in these areas is so important. It keeps you aligned with yourself as you pursue your goals. It keeps you on track and aligned. When you're aligned with your true self, things tend to flow.

Action Step: Take time to journal about what excites you, fulfills you, and makes you feel alive. Ask yourself:

• What activities make me lose track of time?

• What do I feel deeply passionate about?

• What values do I hold that shape my decisions in all areas of my life?

Why It Matters: When your goals align with your passions and values, achieving them feels joyful and natural. This alignment ensures your efforts are meaningful and sustainable.

2. Set Goals That Spark Joy

Traditional goal-setting can feel rigid and overwhelming. Instead, focus on creating goals that feel exciting, aligned, and joyful.

Now I know we all have things that we "have" to do and we can't always focus on joys and passions all the time instantaneously. But this is my goal because I believe it to be our purpose in life. To follow our joy. It is sometimes hard to find and focus on our joy all the time when society expects so much of us that doesn't seem natural and aligned. But I am inviting you to start. Start to focus on and set goals aligning yourself to what brings you joy and contentment and begin to bring yourself closer to spending more of your time doing these things. When you focus on and follow your joy, the things that are supposed to be in your life tend to find you. Things flow and work out for you better. So, allow and trust that when you do this for yourself then things will work out for the better.

Action Step: Write down three goals that genuinely excite you. Use language that inspires you, like:

• "Create space for weekly creative writing."

• "Plan a peaceful weekend retreat to recharge."

• "Dedicate one hour a week to painting or a hobby I love."

Why It Matters: Goals rooted in joy are more motivating and easier to commit to because they’re fueled by what you love, not external expectations.

3. Prioritize Peaceful Routines

Peace doesn’t just happen—it’s something you create intentionally. Your daily routines are an opportunity to infuse peace into your life.

I can't emphasize this anymore. You get what you create. What do you want to experience? These things don't just happen for you. Well, sometimes they do. Mostly though, we create our own experience. Let me rephrase that. We GET to create our own experience in life. So, what do you want to create?

Action Step: Establish morning and evening rituals that nurture your well-being. Examples include:

• Starting the day with a five-minute meditation or gratitude practice.

• Closing your evening with a calming cup of tea and reflection on one joyful moment.

Why It Matters: When your routines support inner peace, you’re better equipped to handle challenges and stay aligned with your intentions.

4. Celebrate Small Wins

Don’t wait until you’ve achieved a big milestone to celebrate. Every step forward deserves recognition.

We do this in my new Aligned & Designed Vision Board Workbook that you can grab right no for free on my website>>https:www.tinastinson.com

I love the idea below of the celebration jar because then it's a surprise. If you want some inspiration, go grab the workbook, it's free until February 15th.

Action Step: Create a "Celebration Jar." Each time you complete a small goal or experience a joyful moment, write it down and add it to the jar. Reflect on these moments regularly.

Why It Matters: Celebrating small wins keeps you motivated and reminds you that progress is worth acknowledging, no matter how small.

5. Infuse Fun and Playfulness into Your Goals

Life is meant to be enjoyed! When your goals are infused with fun, the journey becomes just as fulfilling as the destination.

Whay would we not want to make everything fun? Or at the very least peaceful. This should always be our goals. Start to focus on adding joy and peace into everything and see how your energy starts to shift!

Action Step: Add an element of play to your goals. For example:

• Turn decluttering into a playlist party.

• Make vision boarding a creative, laughter-filled activity with friends.

• Challenge yourself to try one new, joyful activity each month.

Why It Matters: Fun and play elevate your vibration, making it easier to attract and manifest the life you desire. Plus, joy is a goal in itself!

An epic new year doesn’t come from checking off a list of resolutions. It comes from aligning your actions with your passions, embracing joy, and cultivating peace. Let this year be the one where you prioritize what truly matters to you—your happiness, your dreams, and your unique path.

Remember, you have everything you need within you to create a year filled with passion, peace, and purpose. Start small, celebrate often, and follow what lights you up. Here’s to your most epic year yet!

Also remember, even though it's January and all the experts are telling you to set goals and get started right now. We need to remember, winter is a time to rest and go inward to prepare for a time for growth and expansion. Just like nature we need a time of rest in order to create. We need downtime. We can't go full on all year round. So, while I enjoy the planning and dreaming, I can do in January and February. I don't really feel inclined to go full on until sometime in March. So, take the time to ask yourself, what feels aligned to you and when is your time to rest and go inward?

Plan your epic year by downloading your free copy of the Aligned & Designed Workbook that includes journal prompts to help you reflect and get inspired, mediations to help you get into the vibe, and a bingo style vision board template to really get into your planning.

To get instant access, just head over to my website and it should be right there>> https://www.tinastinson.com

Happy planning and dreaming,

Xo, T