Your Guide to Slaying the New Year… and Beyond!

As the new year approaches, you may be feeling that confusing combination of emotions: excitement, trepidation, anticipation, worry, and wonder. Processing these thoughts can be exhausting, let alone planning how to make slaying life a priority in the new year. Often, we become so busy that we spend a lot of our time simply reacting to the outside world rather than reflecting upon how we engage with it and how we can improve our lives. Slaying in the new year means taking accountability for your feelings, your actions, and your very existence–and understanding that you have all the tools within yourself to be empowered.

Finding yourself stuck in a rut, just getting through the day and not moving toward your goals and desires, can be a tricky situation. However, it is also the first step toward finding solutions that will make your life a series of slay-worthy events, experiences, and an evolution that will never cease to amaze you. The trick is to spend some time digging deep to determine what you truly want and insert some simple new ideas and routines to kick negative self-talk to the curb.

Everyone has bad days, but knowing these tips for slaying in life will drive you to lift yourself up when you need it most!

Slaying the New Year

The new year brings with it a lot of pressure to be a better version of yourself, but the truth is that your inner slay queen is already there, just waiting for her cue. No one wakes up and leaps out of bed in instant slay mode; it takes some daily practice to get to where you deserve to be. When it comes to goal-setting for the new year, focus on yourself and what you know is best for you. Whether it’s healthier eating habits, kicking your physical self into gear, or getting into a career groove that will take you places, do some self-searching and determine what will truly make you feel like you are going to slay every day with these tips to slay your goals!

Do Your Best and Don’t Compare

Judging your appearance against every celeb and Insta-star won’t do you any favors, but it will take time away from what you truly want: to love yourself as you are. No one is perfect, and even these seemingly enviable bodies and faces spend an inordinate amount of time achieving what appears to be effortless perfection. Putting yourself down by comparing yourself to others is a dead-end street.

Make a U-turn by looking within at your skills and talents, and then take stock of all the other incredible things in your life. Maybe you have an amazing workplace chock full of supportive colleagues and creative vibes. Or, maybe you reached a personal fitness goal and ran a half-marathon. Maybe you realized you needed help dealing with an issue that has held you back for years and sought the help of a professional therapist. Whatever the case may be, make a promise to yourself to cut that judgy voice off whenever it starts to infringe on your slay style.

Suss Out Self-Care

Self-care is a legit way to slay. Your appearance is a reflection of yourself, and it’s important to give your mind and body those signals that you will care for them. No one wants you to overdraw your account on weekly mani-pedi sessions, but if a little voice whispers it’s time for a massage, a yoga class, a haircut, or a new outfit, don’t silence it! These little lifts are ways to boost confidence and self-esteem and a mental reminder that you’re worth looking after and even pampering. For the new year, set a goal to treat yourself like the beautiful being that you are.

Pursue Your Passion

Too many people spend months or years slogging away at things that don’t ignite passion within them. If you feel like you’re stuck in a rut, this doesn’t mean you need to abandon your possessions and go all-out Eat, Pray, Love. It just indicates you may need a new hobby to set that little spark aflame again.

Set some moments aside to meditate on something that got put on the back burner long ago because you felt too busy, or not ready, or someone else didn’t support your endeavor. You deserve to experience joy, discovery, and success, so make it a priority this year to allow yourself the time to pursue something you feel passionate about! There are so many ways to try out a new hobby, from classes to online tutorials or like-minded friends, family members, or colleagues who are open to trying new things. Once you get the ball rolling, your slay mode will activate as your dream becomes a reality.

Ideas That Slay

Love for yourself and for others around you are the cornerstones for slay-mindedness, believe it or not. When you embrace a positive mindset, the inevitability of imperfection, and pursue your passions and goals, there is literally no way not to slay. The key is to cultivate more self-awareness so that you can fully explore your own inner dreams and recognize how far you’ve come. Take the reins, lean forward, and get ready to have everything you’ve wanted out of life with these slay-tastic ideas!

Seek Self-Love

Yes, it starts with you. Self-love isn’t selfish – it’s literally the opposite. You may want to change the world, but all things start with a single step: belief in your own intrinsic worth. We are all flawed yet made beautiful and whole by our unique gifts, abilities, and beliefs. Own what resides within you by acknowledging you are a work in progress but always moving forward and that every setback is an opportunity to grow! Once you give this gift to yourself, others will see it radiating from you, and the chain reaction that ensues will be an actual community of slay all around you.

Boost Your Bod

Healthy habits are a constant struggle simply because of the world we live in. We may intellectually know that too much screen time, too little sleep, and a sedentary lifestyle can be a negative factor in our lives, but without checking in with ourselves daily, these slay-busting tendencies become ingrained. If slaying the new year is on your agenda, pick one of these ideas and make it a priority. Then, take time to recognize how it makes you look and feel!

Set a timer for a slightly earlier bedtime, track your water intake, allow yourself screen breaks, or dedicate 15 minutes to a walk or floor workout, and you’ll be amazed at your newfound slay-fullness.

Let Love Loose

Giving back to your community is certain to boost your slay mentality. If you have been feeling isolated or wondering how you can make the world around you better, explore some ways to do that. You may feel compelled to organize a charitable drive at your workplace for a cause you feel passionate about, or you might try donating blood for the first time. Perhaps it’s been a long time since you volunteered at your church, synagogue, or mosque. Maybe you’ve been meaning to join the school board or another organization that will help you make a positive difference for others of all ages. This is your opportunity to give back and get slay-tastic results for current and potential future generations as well!

Words to Slay By

In times of renewal like the new year, it can be uplifting, empowering, and enlightening to look at the work and words of others who spent their lives pursuing goals to benefit not only themselves but humanity and our world as well. Sometimes, the ultimate way to lift yourself out of a rut is to spend a few moments gazing at quotes from women who slay in our past and our present.

As a bonus, these quotes are beneficial to all sexes and genders. Trailblazers from then and now have worked tirelessly to overcome barriers and reach heights that for centuries were unattainable, so don’t hesitate to look to them when you need a boost!

Affirmations are another way to adjust your attitude and build positive mental habits to ensure you are slay-ready whenever you need to be. Whether you want to maintain a vision for more success in your career, a greater connection in your romantic relationship, more gratitude in your daily life, or you’re simply going through a rough patch you can’t seem to lift yourself out of, skip the negative self-talk and use these ever-ready positive affirmations to get you through the next hour, day, week–whatever it takes!

Life is not for the faint of heart, so in instances of stress, fear, sickness, setbacks, and anything else unexpected that gets thrown your way, remember you are slay-worthy with these messages of self-love.

Slay Quotes and Graphics for Your Inspo

(Scroll right to view all)

Quotes About Slaying in Life

“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”

– Maya Angelou, civil rights activist and first female inaugural poet in U.S. presidential history

“Women belong in all places where decisions are made.”

– Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second female justice of the Supreme Court

“You never have to ask anyone permission to lead. When you want to lead, you lead.”

– Kamala Harris, the first woman of color to be elected US Vice President

“If it doesn’t scare you, you’re probably not dreaming big enough.”

– Tory Burch, fashion entrepreneur

“You get in life what you have the courage to ask for.”

– Oprah Winfrey, talk show host, actress and philanthropist, and the first African-American woman to own he own production company

“Every day when you wake up, there is a crown prepared for you. Each day, forsake everything and everyone that will try to keep you from it.”

― C. JoyBell C., author of poetry and philosophical literature

Slay Affirmations

Ready, Set, SLAY!

If you feel ready to slay the day, start now! Loving yourself unconditionally, even on the bad days, is the key to slaying in life.

Remember, it is all about the confidence that comes with pursuing actions, goals, and affirmations that echo this. Confidence is not passive; it can be cultivated like a garden, becoming lush, verdant, and alive the more you nurture and respect it as the essence of yourself.

So buckle up for an incredible, life-changing ride now that you are ready to embark on your empowerment journey, and remember to give yourself love, grace, and gratitude along the way.

Now go slay boo.