Are you following along with my GENIUS Approach to reimagined resolutions?
If so, you already know this isn’t a “start from scratch” kind of New Year.
Step 1 was Gratitude. We named what’s working in our lives so we don’t abandon our own progress.
Step 2 was Energy. We got honest about what fuels us and what drains us, so we avoid setting unsustainable goals.
Now comes Step 3: Novelty.
Novelty is the step for anyone who has ever thought, “I’m stuck in my habits,” and meant it in the most human way possible. Not lazy. Just… on repeat.
Because here’s what doesn’t get said enough: once something becomes familiar, it feels safe. That feeling of safety can be difficult to give up, particularly if you’ve had a stressful life. But, it’s also how you can wake up one day and realize you’ve been living the same week for the last three months.
Or even three years.
Novelty is not about remaking yourself (or scaring yourself). It’s about creating intentional space for new ideas, new actions, and new experiences, while protecting the parts of your life that already work.
This is the balance. Keep what grounds you. Add what expands you.
New actions do matter.
Not because you need to become a different person, but because your current results are shaped by your current patterns. If you want a different outcome, you don’t need a dramatic upgrade. You need one new behavior you can repeat.
Novelty can be tiny.
A different route to work.
A new playlist.
Saying yes to an invitation you usually decline.
Signing up for one class.
Taking a walk without your phone.
Introducing one new input into a system that’s gotten a little too predictable.
New inputs change your choices. New choices can change your life.
Last week, I shared a special end-of-year compilation on the podcast.
It’s a reflection on the moments that shaped us this year, not just the highlights, but the heartbreaks, the pauses, and the uncomfortable in-between seasons that changed us quietly.
In this episode, you’ll hear deeply human insights from voices like Selena Gomez, Cardi B, Madonna, and more. Each conversation touches a different edge of real life: love, loss, pressure, purpose, spirituality, money, and self-belief.
Here’s what you’ll take with you:
How hard seasons can become personal growth
What love looks like when it’s built on safety, patience, and imperfect effort
How to move through heartbreak without rushing your healing
How to protect your energy and stop carrying other people’s opinions
How to rethink money, risk, and opportunity as learnable skills
If your year felt heavy or confusing, this episode will help you make meaning out of it.
Listen on
If you want to feel inspired, learn practical tools, and hear powerful stories, follow and listen to On Purpose on Amazon Music, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Today’s Small Shift
Step 3 in the GENIUS Approach is Novelty.
As a mindset, Novelty is about shifting from “I’m stuck in my habits” to “I make intentional space for new ideas, goals, and experiences.”
Today’s practice is simple:
First, brainstorm any new experiences, habits, or goals you’ve been curious about. Anything counts. For example, joining a class, taking a different route to work, or saying yes to a social event you would normally avoid.
Check those ideas and actions against your Step 2 lists. Do any of them line up with your Energizers? If so, circle them.
Pick one new activity to try this week.
Have fun with this. And don’t forget to come back tomorrow, when I’ll share the theory, mindset, and practice behind Step 4: Impact.
