January 1, 2026 • 13 mins
Happy New Year...
A new day, a new year and a fresh blank canvas
what will you put on it?
I’ve always loved the new year because with it comes a fresh canvas….
but, remember, we can always get out a fresh canvas and begin again. in fact we can do that all year long.
What will differently mean for you this year?
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Episode Transcript
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SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
A deep change in the way that we live requires a deep
change in the way that we think.
I'm Carla Reeves, and this isDifferently.
Hey there.
Happy New Year.
If you're listening live, it'sNew Year's Day 2026.
(00:20):
A new day, a new year, a newblank canvas.
What will you be putting on it?
I've always loved the New Yearfor this reason because it is a
fresh canvas.
And you're an artist.
You're the artist of your life.
And so am I.
(00:42):
But remember, we can always getout of fresh canvas and begin
again.
In fact, we can do that all yearlong.
So, what differently mean foryou this year?
For me, this year feels uniquein the sense that we're entering
a new paradigm of sorts, onewhere I'm finding that a lot of
(01:06):
the old ways of doing thingsjust don't fit anymore.
It's different than the feelingof I want to change this or
that, or I want to set this goalor accomplish this.
It's more of like, wow, thispuzzle piece I have always used
just doesn't match anymore.
(01:29):
So what will you be creating?
Here are some new approachesthat I'm gonna move through.
Um, and I'm gonna kind of movethrough them as I share them
with you.
Um, and I hope that this stirsyour thinking as you are setting
out into a brand new year.
My faith in God and myrelationship with Jesus and my
(01:52):
faith has grown so much thesepast years.
And I've been practicing howthis changes the way I approach
and do business.
You guys know if you if you'vebeen listening for any amount of
time, um, I am a recoveringworkaholic, high achiever, um,
(02:17):
stuck in the productivity vortexfor much of my life.
And this last year, as I've beenmore and more unwinding from
that, I woke up one night andheard God say, When you are
rested and relaxed, I can movemountains.
And I'm telling you, friend,I've been sitting with that for
(02:40):
a lot of days now.
And it's more, like I'munderstanding it more and more,
in that it's not so much aboutsleep and rest and like making
time to relax as it is like aposture, a posture where I'm
learning to let go ofresistance, all the places where
(03:03):
I resist and try to control ortry to force or try to make
deadlines and strategy and allof that.
Those strategy and goals anddeadlines are all good, but in
some cases they get in the wayfor me.
In fact, I'm really excited tobe printing my first journal
(03:25):
again in like 20 years, and itwill be available for sale
shortly.
Um, but this is just a perfectexample.
Like I had set a timeline and adeadline that I wanted to have
that to print by at the end ofthis year.
And it just, there were just acouple pieces that hadn't landed
yet that weren't comingtogether.
(03:46):
And I was just making myselffeel so bad that I was missing
my deadline and just so muchridiculous mental noise about
it.
And instead, I just relaxed andrested.
And like, sure enough, maybelike a week later, the pieces
came together and there wasnothing wrong.
It wasn't a failure.
(04:06):
And those are the types ofthings I'm talking about
changing and just going with theflow more and trusting the
timing and trusting that it'snot always in my timing and that
God's timing is far better andfar greater.
The other piece of it is justbeing more awake and alert and
present and having like arelaxed trust that I will know
(04:30):
what to do.
Um, as long as I stay presentand connected to God and spirit
and focus on what is right infront of me, whether that's
having a conversation with myhusband or taking a walk with my
son or on a coaching call with aclient or working out in my
Pilates class and just focusingand serving and showing up right
(04:55):
where I am.
I've been thinking about this alot.
That do you remember likethere's a quote or something
about like your like presence isa gift?
And it truly is, not just forthe person you're with, but for
you too.
I had another big realizationthis week that I have been
(05:17):
creating my business for thepast 20-ish years.
And what I mean by that is II've been running my business
and doing business and wearingall the hats, but my mindset has
been stuck in that I'm creatinga business, building a business,
and continuing to live in thatframe of mind has kept me in a
(05:40):
place where there literallyfeels like there's there's no
finish line, it's never done,there's always more I could be
doing.
There's a never-ending to-dolist, which I know is part of
entrepreneurship, but my husbandpointed out a few weeks ago that
he saw that sometimes I carrylike this heavy weight around my
business.
(06:01):
And him saying that to me reallyhelped me see a blind spot that
I hadn't seen.
And I've decided I want to beginoperating from enough.
Like it's already enough.
My business is already enough,just the way it is.
And there are things that I wantto do and build and refine.
(06:22):
Like I do believe if you're notbuilding, in some sense, if
you're not growing, you'redying.
But shifting to building from aplace of enough has really
allowed me to relax my postureand think about how can I
channel my creativity in newways, in deeper ways instead of
(06:43):
broader ways.
And my business is feeling morelike something I get to do, like
it is a privilege and an honorto do this work instead of
something that I have to do.
It's fascinating to me how I canturn things that I love and
adore in my life into somethingI have to do that feels like a
(07:04):
chore or something to beaccomplished.
And I really want to change myposture here.
This simple shift in my frame ofmind has got me really excited
because I think it's going tomake it easier for me to step
also step away from the businessand have more time in my day
(07:25):
that I can go out and take awalk or go out and work out.
And it's not that I do thosethings, but sometimes I do those
things, but there's anunderlying urgency of like, I've
got to get back because there'smore to do and I don't want to
get behind and on and on.
I'm sure that you can relate.
The third thing I want to sharewith you that I'm sensing this
(07:45):
year is that I need to be moregrounded and anchored.
Do you feel that too?
As the world is changing fasterthan I have ever seen it.
I feel very strongly that weneed to be anchored.
Um, I can see in my clients too,that I'm working with right now,
that they too want to beanchored so that they can buoy
(08:07):
and lead others around them.
We had a dear friend spendChristmas Eve with us this year,
and she specifically had askedif we were going to church that
she wanted to join.
And so we did, and she told methat she hadn't been to church
in 30 years.
And I don't go to church all thetime either.
(08:29):
But there have been times in mylife where church has played a
really important role in growingmy faith.
And in the sermon, the pastorchallenged everybody.
One, he asked, like, are youopen or are you close to God?
And I know my friend has told methat that question, like, she's
really been sitting with.
(08:50):
But then he also challengedeverybody at the end of the
sermon, that especially newbelievers, like, I just want to,
he said, I just want tochallenge you to try this out
for a month or three months.
Like, get in your Bible for amonth or come to church for a
month or three months and let ittransform your life.
(09:10):
Give it an opportunity.
I thought this was so powerful.
Like, what do what is there tolose?
But so much to gain.
It hurts my heart that um somuch that there's been so much
damage done by religion andchurch that has created for
people to and has reallyrepelled people away from the
(09:34):
very thing I believe that we areall seeking.
So, what is going to keep youanchored?
For me, it is my faith, it isGod, but it is my marriage too,
is such a grounding force in mylife.
My family and friends,relationships, writing.
Writing is a huge anchoring toolpractice that I use.
(09:57):
Moving my body and um, gosh,joining the studio for the last
year, this Reformer Pilatesstudio.
I haven't talked about thatenough, but that has been very
anchoring, very grounding.
I don't think about anythingelse when I go in there, and
much of what they talk about is,you know, anchoring your body
(10:17):
and your posture and umalignment and struggling tall
and all of those things.
So, what is going to keep youanchored?
And lastly, as we step into thisnew year and the dreams are
swirling in your heart and mind,it's so important.
(10:39):
And I'm reminding myself and youto keep our eyes on and hold our
vision.
And it's also important to havea plan that's gonna take your
vision the long haul through thevalley of disappointment when
nothing is showing or happeningyet.
That usually hits aroundFebruary.
Something that's gonna carry usinto the breakthrough zone.
(11:01):
And I was having a conversationrecently with a dear loved one
who is in his late 60s, and he'srealizing and said to me that
he's lived most of his life infear.
Can you relate?
I can.
I don't want to be a slave tofear anymore.
I want to keep stepping outbecause, in my experience, the
(11:24):
more I contract, the easier itbecomes to stay small.
What does living fearless looklike to you this year?
And I don't believe this isliving without fear, but
practicing, you know, takingthat skydive every day, whether
it's in that next step or actionyou're gonna take, that next
(11:47):
conversation that's brave andimportant, your next choice,
these are the things, these arethe emotions that are gonna
carry your vision forward.
Okay, so things I want you toknow about and check out this
month on the 21st of January.
If you're listening live, I'mgoing to be speaking at the
(12:08):
Purpose Gathering, which iswhere it's um with Ashley
Frehan, and it's where faith andbusiness and family collide.
And we are going to be talkingabout doing life and business
differently.
And I am so, so excited.
(12:30):
I will bring you more details.
But the 21st, if you go to thepurpose gathering.com forward
slash workshop, you can sign up.
On the 28th, I'm hosting thenext free class, which is uh our
topic for this month is writeyour life forward.
So come join me.
Learn a practice that can helpcarry your vision for the long
(12:54):
haul.
And then, as I mentioned soon,my first printed um journal in
20 years will be ready andavailable for you to purchase.
And I can't wait to share thatwith you.
So until then, happy, happy newyear to you.
And I will see you next week.
(13:18):
Hey, thanks for listening allthe way to the end.
Before you move on with yourday, pause and capture one
thought or takeaway that stoodout to you.
Write it down so it doesn't getlost in the noise.
And if you're ready to godeeper, come join me in my free
monthly class, conversation andguided writing to help you see
(13:40):
things differently and moveforward with clarity.
Save your spot, Carlareeves.comforward slash free class.
A deep change in the way that we live requires a deep
change in the way that we think.
I'm Carla Reeves, and this isDifferently.
Hey there.
Happy New Year.
If you're listening live, it'sNew Year's Day 2026.
(00:20):
A new day, a new year, a newblank canvas.
What will you be putting on it?
I've always loved the New Yearfor this reason because it is a
fresh canvas.
And you're an artist.
You're the artist of your life.
And so am I.
(00:42):
But remember, we can always getout of fresh canvas and begin
again.
In fact, we can do that all yearlong.
So, what differently mean foryou this year?
For me, this year feels uniquein the sense that we're entering
a new paradigm of sorts, onewhere I'm finding that a lot of
(01:06):
the old ways of doing thingsjust don't fit anymore.
It's different than the feelingof I want to change this or
that, or I want to set this goalor accomplish this.
It's more of like, wow, thispuzzle piece I have always used
just doesn't match anymore.
(01:29):
So what will you be creating?
Here are some new approachesthat I'm gonna move through.
Um, and I'm gonna kind of movethrough them as I share them
with you.
Um, and I hope that this stirsyour thinking as you are setting
out into a brand new year.
My faith in God and myrelationship with Jesus and my
(01:52):
faith has grown so much thesepast years.
And I've been practicing howthis changes the way I approach
and do business.
You guys know if you if you'vebeen listening for any amount of
time, um, I am a recoveringworkaholic, high achiever, um,
(02:17):
stuck in the productivity vortexfor much of my life.
And this last year, as I've beenmore and more unwinding from
that, I woke up one night andheard God say, When you are
rested and relaxed, I can movemountains.
And I'm telling you, friend,I've been sitting with that for
(02:40):
a lot of days now.
And it's more, like I'munderstanding it more and more,
in that it's not so much aboutsleep and rest and like making
time to relax as it is like aposture, a posture where I'm
learning to let go ofresistance, all the places where
(03:03):
I resist and try to control ortry to force or try to make
deadlines and strategy and allof that.
Those strategy and goals anddeadlines are all good, but in
some cases they get in the wayfor me.
In fact, I'm really excited tobe printing my first journal
(03:25):
again in like 20 years, and itwill be available for sale
shortly.
Um, but this is just a perfectexample.
Like I had set a timeline and adeadline that I wanted to have
that to print by at the end ofthis year.
And it just, there were just acouple pieces that hadn't landed
yet that weren't comingtogether.
(03:46):
And I was just making myselffeel so bad that I was missing
my deadline and just so muchridiculous mental noise about
it.
And instead, I just relaxed andrested.
And like, sure enough, maybelike a week later, the pieces
came together and there wasnothing wrong.
It wasn't a failure.
(04:06):
And those are the types ofthings I'm talking about
changing and just going with theflow more and trusting the
timing and trusting that it'snot always in my timing and that
God's timing is far better andfar greater.
The other piece of it is justbeing more awake and alert and
present and having like arelaxed trust that I will know
(04:30):
what to do.
Um, as long as I stay presentand connected to God and spirit
and focus on what is right infront of me, whether that's
having a conversation with myhusband or taking a walk with my
son or on a coaching call with aclient or working out in my
Pilates class and just focusingand serving and showing up right
(04:55):
where I am.
I've been thinking about this alot.
That do you remember likethere's a quote or something
about like your like presence isa gift?
And it truly is, not just forthe person you're with, but for
you too.
I had another big realizationthis week that I have been
(05:17):
creating my business for thepast 20-ish years.
And what I mean by that is II've been running my business
and doing business and wearingall the hats, but my mindset has
been stuck in that I'm creatinga business, building a business,
and continuing to live in thatframe of mind has kept me in a
(05:40):
place where there literallyfeels like there's there's no
finish line, it's never done,there's always more I could be
doing.
There's a never-ending to-dolist, which I know is part of
entrepreneurship, but my husbandpointed out a few weeks ago that
he saw that sometimes I carrylike this heavy weight around my
business.
(06:01):
And him saying that to me reallyhelped me see a blind spot that
I hadn't seen.
And I've decided I want to beginoperating from enough.
Like it's already enough.
My business is already enough,just the way it is.
And there are things that I wantto do and build and refine.
(06:22):
Like I do believe if you're notbuilding, in some sense, if
you're not growing, you'redying.
But shifting to building from aplace of enough has really
allowed me to relax my postureand think about how can I
channel my creativity in newways, in deeper ways instead of
(06:43):
broader ways.
And my business is feeling morelike something I get to do, like
it is a privilege and an honorto do this work instead of
something that I have to do.
It's fascinating to me how I canturn things that I love and
adore in my life into somethingI have to do that feels like a
(07:04):
chore or something to beaccomplished.
And I really want to change myposture here.
This simple shift in my frame ofmind has got me really excited
because I think it's going tomake it easier for me to step
also step away from the businessand have more time in my day
(07:25):
that I can go out and take awalk or go out and work out.
And it's not that I do thosethings, but sometimes I do those
things, but there's anunderlying urgency of like, I've
got to get back because there'smore to do and I don't want to
get behind and on and on.
I'm sure that you can relate.
The third thing I want to sharewith you that I'm sensing this
(07:45):
year is that I need to be moregrounded and anchored.
Do you feel that too?
As the world is changing fasterthan I have ever seen it.
I feel very strongly that weneed to be anchored.
Um, I can see in my clients too,that I'm working with right now,
that they too want to beanchored so that they can buoy
(08:07):
and lead others around them.
We had a dear friend spendChristmas Eve with us this year,
and she specifically had askedif we were going to church that
she wanted to join.
And so we did, and she told methat she hadn't been to church
in 30 years.
And I don't go to church all thetime either.
(08:29):
But there have been times in mylife where church has played a
really important role in growingmy faith.
And in the sermon, the pastorchallenged everybody.
One, he asked, like, are youopen or are you close to God?
And I know my friend has told methat that question, like, she's
really been sitting with.
(08:50):
But then he also challengedeverybody at the end of the
sermon, that especially newbelievers, like, I just want to,
he said, I just want tochallenge you to try this out
for a month or three months.
Like, get in your Bible for amonth or come to church for a
month or three months and let ittransform your life.
(09:10):
Give it an opportunity.
I thought this was so powerful.
Like, what do what is there tolose?
But so much to gain.
It hurts my heart that um somuch that there's been so much
damage done by religion andchurch that has created for
people to and has reallyrepelled people away from the
(09:34):
very thing I believe that we areall seeking.
So, what is going to keep youanchored?
For me, it is my faith, it isGod, but it is my marriage too,
is such a grounding force in mylife.
My family and friends,relationships, writing.
Writing is a huge anchoring toolpractice that I use.
(09:57):
Moving my body and um, gosh,joining the studio for the last
year, this Reformer Pilatesstudio.
I haven't talked about thatenough, but that has been very
anchoring, very grounding.
I don't think about anythingelse when I go in there, and
much of what they talk about is,you know, anchoring your body
(10:17):
and your posture and umalignment and struggling tall
and all of those things.
So, what is going to keep youanchored?
And lastly, as we step into thisnew year and the dreams are
swirling in your heart and mind,it's so important.
(10:39):
And I'm reminding myself and youto keep our eyes on and hold our
vision.
And it's also important to havea plan that's gonna take your
vision the long haul through thevalley of disappointment when
nothing is showing or happeningyet.
That usually hits aroundFebruary.
Something that's gonna carry usinto the breakthrough zone.
(11:01):
And I was having a conversationrecently with a dear loved one
who is in his late 60s, and he'srealizing and said to me that
he's lived most of his life infear.
Can you relate?
I can.
I don't want to be a slave tofear anymore.
I want to keep stepping outbecause, in my experience, the
(11:24):
more I contract, the easier itbecomes to stay small.
What does living fearless looklike to you this year?
And I don't believe this isliving without fear, but
practicing, you know, takingthat skydive every day, whether
it's in that next step or actionyou're gonna take, that next
(11:47):
conversation that's brave andimportant, your next choice,
these are the things, these arethe emotions that are gonna
carry your vision forward.
Okay, so things I want you toknow about and check out this
month on the 21st of January.
If you're listening live, I'mgoing to be speaking at the
(12:08):
Purpose Gathering, which iswhere it's um with Ashley
Frehan, and it's where faith andbusiness and family collide.
And we are going to be talkingabout doing life and business
differently.
And I am so, so excited.
(12:30):
I will bring you more details.
But the 21st, if you go to thepurpose gathering.com forward
slash workshop, you can sign up.
On the 28th, I'm hosting thenext free class, which is uh our
topic for this month is writeyour life forward.
So come join me.
Learn a practice that can helpcarry your vision for the long
(12:54):
haul.
And then, as I mentioned soon,my first printed um journal in
20 years will be ready andavailable for you to purchase.
And I can't wait to share thatwith you.
So until then, happy, happy newyear to you.
And I will see you next week.
(13:18):
Hey, thanks for listening allthe way to the end.
Before you move on with yourday, pause and capture one
thought or takeaway that stoodout to you.
Write it down so it doesn't getlost in the noise.
And if you're ready to godeeper, come join me in my free
monthly class, conversation andguided writing to help you see
(13:40):
things differently and moveforward with clarity.
Save your spot, Carlareeves.comforward slash free class.
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