The clock strikes midnight and you’re already thinking of how you’re going to start the first morning of 2018 with a green smoothie and a matcha instead of a bagel and a large coffee. Dread begins to make its way in and you block it out of your mind, returning to the party to linger in holiday bliss for just a little while longer. It will be worth it, you tell yourself. I’ll finally lose the 20 lbs that I resolved to lose last year. And the year before that. I’ll finally fit into that dress stashed away in the back of my closet.

What does weight loss mean to you?

What do you think losing weight will add to your life? Maybe it’s time to dig a bit deeper and stop fighting this uphill battle you’ve lost time and time again. For some people, weight loss will mean being seen and heard more fully. People will notice you, and therefore people will listen. Or maybe it means you’ll gain more followers on instagram because you’ll finally have that perfect bikini photo on your feed that seems to attract people by the thousands. I hope I’m not sounding harsh here. Believe me, I’ve been there too. Many times. But do you really want your appearance to make or break whether or not you’re successful? Whether or not people notice you? Whether or not people buy your e-book or book a session? Now, I’m not talking to people who need to lose weight because it’s a danger to their health. I’m talking to the women who obsess over the last 20, 15, 10, even 5 pounds.

Your weight isn’t the most interesting thing about you.

And it’s not the most important thing. On the list of priorities, it should be at the bottom. But it never is. Maybe that can change this year. Maybe we can have better resolutions this year, ones that don’t put us in a contracted and anxious state, but instead an expansive and open state that makes us excited for the new year ahead. Ones that fill us up instead of tear us down. Ones that fill up the soul so much that there’s no room for that extra slice of pizza. The desire for it simply disappears, because we are so filled up with passion and purpose and love for ourselves. That’s when real, lasting change occurs.

Our bodies are begging us to listen to our deepest and sometimes most hidden desires.

To finally take that photography class we’ve had on our bucket list, or to go on a long hike in nature to clear our heads and get re-inspired. To quit that job that hasn’t served us for years but we feel stuck in. To love ourselves enough to create the life we’ve always wanted, because we deserve it. To me, those are better resolutions than weight loss.

You may find that letting go of things that have clogged your energy field for so long will naturally result in weight loss. But making weight loss the goal makes your body the enemy. Trust your body that it knows what it’s doing holding onto that weight. There is a reason for it. Trust that it always has your best interests at heart, because it does. Learn the language of the body and learn to listen to your higher self and it will always lead the way to wholeness. All you need to do is heed the call.

Wishing you a happy and healthy 2018,

Cailee