199. The ONE thing

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Hello darling heart, and welcome to this episode of the Drink Less, Live Better podcast.

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This is the podcast that helps you to see that drinking less doesn't need to be stressful, lonely, or boring.

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I'm your host, Sarah Williamson, and I decided to have a year alcohol free as a little life experiment and haven't looked back.

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I'm here to support you with your alcohol free or drink less adventures.

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Follow me on Instagram at drink less, live better, find resources on my website drink less, live better.com, and buy my book, drink less, Live Better.

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It's available in all the places you might purchase a book and perfect for dry January.

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Today we're talking about the one thing.

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We're taking a stand against all the new year, new me narrative.

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We may or may not have set ourselves a challenging set of resolutions or goals for the year ahead, and we may be bossing them,

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being brilliant, winning at them, or maybe not.

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Speaking as someone whose birthday is the 4th Jan, I have spent a lifetime either saying the new year wasn't allowed to start

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until later on in the month or trashing my resolutions 4 days after they were made. No judgment on past me. I am entirely human.

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Instead of new year, new me, let's go with new year me. You don't need to be new. You're not new.

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You're absolutely perfect as you are, and if you can't say it to yourself or for yourself, let me say it again. You are perfect as you are.

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All that has happened recently is the date has changed, and as dates change incrementally, so do you and I, and you get to make the choice.

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You get to choose every day who you are and who you are becoming next.

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You're working towards the next version of you and making choices aligned with your values and intentions, hopefully, and you are perfect as you are.

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The new year, new you narrative is jarring and clunky.

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I assume you're not coming screaming out of your house in the middle of this month with a completely new identity. Evolution beats reinvention. Your story continues. It's not a complete rewrite.

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It's supposed to be gentle and comfortable.

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As for the one thing, I am here and championing and celebrating choosing sobriety as a one thing intention.

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For the moment, you can keep your gym 3 times a week, green smoothie every day, supplements and yoga practice intentions,

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and if you nail the one thing, I will cheerlead you all the way.

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A primary focus of an alcohol free month or year might just be the thing that transforms everything else.

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By focusing on staying sober, you're not just addressing one habit, you're investing in a complete life upgrade that ripples

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positively through every other area of your being.

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Concentrating on one important thing at a time isn't all about a productivity hack.

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It's actually game changing your personal and professional life. It's deep work. It's compelling.

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In my first few months of not drinking, I pretty much made it my full time job.

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I mean, I actually had a full time job, but I absolutely made the time to educate myself about alcohol.

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I listened to podcasts like this one and read books like Drink Less, Live Better. I've researched.

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I bought new and interesting alcohol free drinks.

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I stopped some habits I'd always done and changed out some of my old routines.

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I socialised slightly differently and it paid off.

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By concentrating on my one goal of 'be alcohol free, I was able to be successful and not scattered.

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I made my one goal nonnegotiable, and I prioritized it.

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When you consistently direct your energy towards one important thing, you start to build momentum.

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If I was learning a new language, I would spend 1 hour focused each day on language learning, and I'm sure I'd get far better

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results than if I was trying to learn 3 languages at the same time.

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A focused approach allows us to build a deeper connection with what we're doing, recognize our patterns, and develop expertise,

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expertise in you rather than surface level knowledge.

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Of course, there's the mental clarity, and we drew reduce stress that comes with concentrating, focusing on one thing.

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Our brains consume significant energy energy if we're switching between tasks.

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It's like having multiple browser tabs open on your computer. Anyone else? No. Just me. Okay.

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So instead of thinking about, oh, I haven't had my green smoothie today.

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I forgot which supplements I was supposed to take.

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Was today an arms lay day or a legs day at the gym?

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Each switch drains your battery and increases your stress levels. Oh, my god.

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It's 9 PM, and I haven't completed my yoga practice, and I haven't remembered to do my affirmations or write in my journal. No one needs that pressure.

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By focusing on the one thing, you're giving your mind the gift of clarity.

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You'll find yourself making better decisions and feeling more in control.

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You'll experience a greater sense of accomplishment when you complete your one daily task of hitting your bed sober.

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Have the courage to narrow your focus.

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Make your one thing your alcohol free intention.

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Other goals can be slipped in later on in the year.

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Get through this month first with a laser focus on the most important choice, and other great things will follow.

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Trust me if you can't trust yourself yet. Give yourself permission to focus deeply.

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A future version of you will thank yourself for it. Thank you for listening in today.

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Come back again next week when it is episode 200.

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Check out the show notes for a link to a hidden podcast episode that will help you with your 5 PM cravings and details about

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my one to one life coaching and sober coaching programmes. And, PS, I believe in you.