The Dark Side of Resolutions
EPISODE 5 / 12.31.2024
Think setting goals is the ultimate key to success? Think again. In this episode, we explore the messy, stressy underbelly of ambition — where burnout brews, perfectionism takes over, and chasing dreams can derail your sanity. Tune in for some real talk, a few laughs, and tips to keep your goals from going full Darth Vader.
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Show Notes
As the New Year approaches, it’s time to rethink goal setting. In this episode, Todd and Bettijo dive into the potential pitfalls of big, lofty goals and share a more balanced approach to achieving personal growth. While resolutions are widely seen as an opportunity for self-improvement, they discuss how goals can lead to stress, burnout, and self-doubt instead.
From juggling daily to-do lists as busy parents to navigating life’s curveballs, this episode offers strategies for setting realistic goals that empower rather than discourage. Bettijo reflects on how homeschooling reshaped her priorities, while Todd shares insights from his transition from child actor to the demands of adult life.
Join us for a candid conversation about embracing flexibility, adapting to life’s seasons, and redefining success on your own terms. Whether you’re a goal-getter or goal-avoider, this episode will inspire you to kick off the year with a fresh mindset.
Highlights
- The dark side of ambitious New Year’s resolutions and why they often fail.
- Todd’s approach to setting daily goals that leave room for unexpected events.
- Bettijo’s shift from daily to weekly goals to create flexibility and avoid burnout.
- Tips for adapting goals to fit different seasons of life.
- Bettijo’s journey to homeschooling and why it became the right choice for her family.
- Todd reflects on the transition from child actor to the grueling schedule of an adult actor.
- Using affirmations or mindfulness prompts as an alternative to setting goals.
- How to use AI to help you visualize your future and provide insights for identifying achievable goals.
Ask yourself about the kind of life you want: What would you do day to day, and with whom, and where? Consider the life you have. Do one thing today, however small, to close the gap between the two.
– DAME MAGGIE SMITH
future visualization – CHAT GPT prompt
Below is the Chat GPT prompt we discuss in Episode 5. Our daughter Attalie used one similar to generate a narrative of a day in her future dream life. This exercise may help guide you to reasonable New Year’s resolutions.
Here’s what to do:
- Copy and paste the prompt below into a text editor.
- Fill in the bracketed sections with your own details.
- Paste the edited version into Chat GPT and get ready for a little AI magic!
- Use the AI-generated story to help you visualize granular details of your dream life.
- Then pick out habits or practices that are achievable in your life now.
In my dream life I am {DESCRIBE YOUR DREAM LIFE} When I’m not {SOMETHING YOU WANT TO DO FREQUENTLY} I am {DESCRIBE SOMETHING ELSE YOU LOVE TO DO}. I live {DESCRIBE A PLACE}. I am {DESCRIBE HOW YOU WANT TO BE KNOWN}, and my goal is {DESCRIBE}. I like to spend nights {FILL IN}. I am deeply connected with {FILL IN}. I am {DESCRIBE YOUR RELATIONSHIP STATUS}. I appreciate beautiful {FILL IN}. I like {FILL IN}.
For the story, follow these guidelines: begin the story early in the morning and progress through a full day ending in the evening include my activities throughout the day, fill in logical gaps with imaginative, but consistent details include interactions with people, descriptions of surroundings and internal thoughts and feelings use the first person present, tense to create immediacy i.e. “I wake up to the sound of…” Employing vivid sensory details to bring the scene to life, please write 1500 words. Ask me high-level clarifying questions about my dream life until you are 95% confident you can complete the task successfully but don’t ask me for specific story details.
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