Showing Up for Yourself....When the "New Year, New Me" Energy Fades

January has a way of starting loud.

New planners. Fresh goals. Big declarations about who we are going to be this year.

And then, quietly, the energy starts to fade.

If you’re a mom navigating scholarship, leadership, or a terminal degree, that fade can feel personal. Like you didn’t want it badly enough. Like you should be doing more.

But here’s what I’ve learned: the fading isn’t failure. It’s information.

What Ghana Taught Me About Alignment

This time of year always takes me back to my first trip to Ghana, when I began laying the foundation for what would eventually become my study abroad program. It was my first time on the African continent. I arrived excited, nervous, and carrying more expectations than I realized.

Something shifted the moment I was there.

Being in the motherland slowed me down. It grounded me. I stopped chasing productivity for the sake of being busy and started paying attention to what actually mattered. I felt a responsibility not just to the work, but to myself.

I wasn’t operating on motivation.

I was operating on alignment.

And that distinction matters.

Motivation Is Temporary. Alignment Is Sustainable.

Back home, especially in academic and professional spaces, we’re taught to push through at all costs. To keep going even when we’re depleted. To treat rest as a reward instead of a requirement.

But Ghana reminded me that showing up for yourself isn’t about hype or momentum. It’s about remembering who you are and why you started when things get quiet.

Alignment doesn’t ask you to do more. It asks you to do what’s true.

How to Keep Showing Up When the Energy Fades

As January winds down, here are a few ways I return to alignment when motivation isn’t carrying me anymore:

Return to your original why. Not the polished version you put in an application or on a vision board. The real reason you said yes.

Choose grounding over grinding. Busyness is not the same as progress. Intentional action will always take you further than exhaustion.

Let rest be productive. Some seasons are for building. Others are for listening, reflecting, and recalibrating. Both are necessary.

Stay connected to community. I did not build my work in Ghana alone, and none of us are meant to navigate big goals in isolation. Community keeps us honest, supported, and seen.

The Quiet Work Still Counts

January doesn’t determine your year.

What determines your year is whether you keep coming back to yourself, especially when no one is cheering and nothing feels urgent.

That’s the lesson Ghana gave me.

And it’s one I carry with me into every season where the noise fades and the real work begins.

A Question to Sit With

One way we continue showing up for ourselves is by being honest about the financial realities of our goals.

Are you familiar with the different ways a PhD or other terminal degree can be funded?

Too many scholars, especially moms, are navigating advanced degrees without full access to information that should be transparent and shared.

In February, I’ll be hosting a free webinar focused on financing your terminal degree and unpacking options that are often under-explained or assumed knowledge.

If this is something you’re navigating right now, that upcoming conversation is for you.

Make sure you subscribe at drtinaoneal.com or join my facebook community to get the link when it drops. Seats are limited for this...so stay connected.