The January 20th Wall: Your New Year Goals Are Dead

Which Direction

January 20th.

Three weeks into the new year. Far enough in that the champagne buzz has worn off. Not far enough that you can blame external factors for why things aren't working yet.

This is the exact point where I see two types of business owners emerge.

Type One: The Recommitters

They've hit the wall. The new strategy isn't flowing as they thought. The energy's dropped. But instead of abandoning ship, they're asking better questions.

Not "why isn't this working?" but "what needs adjusting?"

Their nervous system isn't treating temporary difficulty as permanent failure.

Type Two: The Collapse

Same wall. Different response.

They're already mentally checking out.

Telling themselves they'll start properly in February.

Or March.

Or when things settle down.

Or when Mercury's not in retrograde.

Or whatever excuse feels most palatable.

Here's what's actually happening underneath those excuses.

Your Subconscious is Testing You

Three weeks is exactly how long it takes for your subconscious to throw up resistance to change.

In the first week or two, you're running on conscious willpower and novelty. Your prefrontal cortex is driving.

By week three? Your amygdala wants a word.

"Remember the last time we tried something new? Remember how that ended? Let's just go back to what's familiar and safe."

This isn't weakness. It's biology.

Your brain is literally designed to conserve energy and avoid perceived threats. And change - even positive change - registers as a threat.

The Difference Between Who Succeeds and Who Doesn't

It's not who has more willpower.

It's who understands that resistance at this point is expected, not evidence of failure.

The business owners who make it through January 20th and beyond? They've learned to recognise this pattern. They know their nervous system is going to push back. They expect it.

More importantly, they've developed the capacity to feel the resistance without letting it make the decision.

What Actually Works Right Now

Stop trying to power through with motivation. Motivation is finite and you've probably burned through yours already.

Instead, ask yourself: "What's the smallest version of my plan I can execute today?"

Not the ideal version. Not the Instagram-worthy version. The version that keeps momentum alive even when you feel like rubbish.

Because here's what most people miss: consistency beats intensity every single time.

The CEO who does 20 minutes of focused strategy work every Tuesday for a year will lap the one who does occasional 8-hour "deep work" sessions when they feel inspired.

Your subconscious learns through repetition, not intensity.

The Nervous System Piece

If you're feeling resistance right now, check your physiology.

Tight chest? Shallow breathing? Jaw clenched?

That's not laziness. That's your nervous system in threat mode.

And when you're in threat mode, your access to strategic thinking, creativity, and executive function is limited. You're literally running on survival programming.

Five minutes of box breathing (4 counts in, 4 hold, 4 out, 4 hold) can shift you from sympathetic to parasympathetic nervous system activation.

Sounds simple. Works remarkably well.

What This Week Actually Requires

Not a new plan. Not more motivation. Not another course or framework.

It requires you to acknowledge that January 20th is hard for everyone, and then do the work anyway.

Small. Consistent. Even when it feels pointless.

Because the version of you on February 20th will either thank you for pushing through the dip, or regret that you gave up three weeks in.

Again.

The choice is today.

What's Your Next Move?

If you're reading this and recognising yourself in the "collapse" category, you're not broken. You're normal.

But normal doesn't build extraordinary businesses.

The question is: are you willing to do what's uncomfortable for long enough that it becomes your new normal?

If your nervous system is running the show and sabotaging your best efforts, that's exactly what I work on.

Clinical hypnotherapy isn't about relaxation tracks or positive thinking. It's about reprogramming the subconscious patterns that keep you stuck in the same loops.

Book a free consultation here: https://www.ndny.uk/book-onlinelink and let's talk about what's actually blocking you.