Nancy: Resolutions tend to feel more like punishments. Non-negotiables on the other hand are practices and rituals that make you feel alive, supporting your growth and joy in ways that are exciting, not exhausting. Let’s look at what this might entail for you.
Nancy: Welcome to the Nancy Levin Show. I’m Nancy Levin, founder of Levin Life Coach Academy, best-selling author, master coach, and your host. I help overachieving people pleasers set boundaries that stick and own self-worth, anchored in empowered action, so you can feel free. Plus, if you’re an aspiring or current coach, you are in the right place.
Join me each week for coaching and compelling conversations designed to support you in the spotlight as you take center stage of your own life.
Let’s dive in.
Nancy: Welcome back to another episode of the Nancy Levin Show. If you are listening in real-time, we are just about to cross the threshold into 2025. As we move into a new year, I know so many of you are looking at New Year’s resolutions.
However, I’m going to offer you a twist. I invite you to instead identify your new year’s non-negotiables.
When we think about resolutions, first of all, they have a sneaky way of setting us up for failure. They feel restrictive and they feel like a long list of things that we should do. Let’s be honest, we all may have the best intentions on January 1st and then by the time we get to February, we feel discouraged. Those resolutions. tend to feel more like punishments and this is why I’m offering you a different approach.
Non-negotiables, on the other hand, are practices, rituals, that make you feel alive, nourished, and fulfilled. They are the things that light you up. Non-negotiables are about supporting your growth and joy in ways that are exciting, not exhausting.
Let’s look at what this might entail for you.
First, I invite you to ask yourself a simple question:
What are the practices or rituals that enliven you?
What practices or rituals allow you to inhabit yourself fully?
That’s the place to begin. You want to begin crafting Your New Year’s non-negotiables from a place of what excites you, what lights you up, from there, we can begin to move into what you want to let go of in order to make space for more of what you want.
When we’re looking at non-negotiables, I want to remind you, they don’t need to be big, they don’t need to be time-consuming, and they don’t need to look like anyone else’s. They can be simple and they’re just for you. The key is consistency. So many of us tend to go into a new year with a long list of things we want to do or accomplish, we forget to ask ourselves: What do I need to let go of in order to make space for what truly matters?
This is where I’m going to introduce you to a concept called incompletions incompletions are the lingering projects, unresolved tasks or situations, and unfinished business that weigh us down. These could be things like unfinished work projects, clutter in your home, or even relationships that no longer align with who you are or who you’re becoming.
As we step into 2025, I invite you to take stock. Ask yourself:
What am I holding onto that no longer serves me?
What can I release? to create more space for what lights me up because ultimately here is the permission slip I want to hand you today. You have permission not to finish everything you’ve started. You do not have to cling to old, outdated commitments that no longer feel alive for you. This is not about earning a medal for endurance. It’s about honoring your energy and freeing yourself for what truly matters. If we take this a step deeper and we talk about non-negotiables, what we’re really talking about is returning to the essence of who you are, and rediscovering the truth of who you’ve always been.
That is going to take some self-inquiry. What do I want? What do I need? What do I feel? What lights me up? These are the kinds of questions that can help you identify your non-negotiables. They’re not about what others expect from you or what you think you should do. They’re about reconnecting to you.
In the new year, I want to hold you in knowing that you are worthy of setting aside intentional time for you to reconnect with you through your own non-negotiables. Your warp and value is not tied to how much you do, how much you give. It’s not tied to how many boxes you check off. Your value is tied to how willing you are to listen and love yourself.
As you begin crafting your non-negotiables, I Invite you to start small.
I think back to when I attended a silent meditation retreat in Thailand. In fact, I shared my two-part experience of that journey recently on the podcast. You can go back and listen to those two episodes. When I was there, we didn’t begin with hour-long meditation sessions. We started with five minutes. Just simply five minutes of sitting, five minutes of walking, and then each day we added a little more. By the end of the retreat, I was meditating for an hour at a time. The same principle applies here.
Don’t overwhelm yourself by setting a big, unattainable goal. Instead, ask yourself, what is the smallest action I can take today to feel more connected to myself?
It’s all about micro-actions. Five minutes of meditating, five minutes of journey, five minutes of meditating, five minutes of journaling. Maybe it’s simply a walk around the block. Maybe it’s simply sitting quietly with your coffee, looking out the window. Before the day begins, whatever it is, let it be small and manageable because this is how you set yourself up for success.
As we set our sight into 2025, let your non-negotiables be your anchor. They’re not just practices or rituals. They’re actually declarations of your worth and your value, your willingness to intentionally take time for you sends a message to the universe and everybody else that you are prioritizing your own needs and you’re giving yourself permission to put your needs first. Your practices, your rituals, these declarations of your work, they’re how you show up for you day after day in ways to feel joyful instead of punishing.
As we step into 2025, I invite you to ask yourself:
What lights me up?
What will I say yes to this year that supports my highest good?
What am I willing to let go of in order to create space? for my joy because what I want for you more than anything is for this to be your year of saying yes to you.
Thank you so much for being here with me today Here is to crafting your year of non-negotiables and living in alignment with what lights you up.
Until next time, please remember, you are worthy of giving yourself permission to put yourself.
Nancy: Thanks so much for joining me today. I invite you to head on over to nancylevin.com to check out all the goodies I have there for you. If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a rating, and a review. I’ll meet you back here next week.