Well, hello, beautiful souls, and welcome. Welcome to the sweet spot. I'm really glad you're here. Now, before we go anywhere, let's ground ourselves in the truth that will guide this entire week that we're going to spend together. And here's our theme for this week. You're going to love this one. You don't need a new you. I know everybody right now is all about finding the new resolution, finding the new way they're going to be, the new promise, the new thing that they want to get, the new fad. Here's the thing: there's nothing wrong with you. There is nothing wrong with you. There may be something wrong with something you're doing. There may be something wrong with the situation that you're in. There may be something wrong with what's happening around you. But you are doing fine at the spirit level. That's what the sweet spot's all about. So you don't need a new you will become our theme for this week. And this series is built on a quiet truth that most people, most of us, are just afraid to say out loud. We're not broken. We're just not broken. We can be brokenhearted. We can be broken up about different things, but we're not broken. We're just maybe tired. We're grieving. We're overstimulated. We're feeling rushed or pressed on every side. We're feeling the weight of the world. Something is bothering us, yes, but we are not broken. That's the message. And I'm Dr. Derek Sweet. I'm a board certified psychiatrist. I work with athletes, I work with executives, I work with first responders, students, people living under real pressure. But look, more than that, I am a fellow traveler with you, walking through this mystery we call life. Trying to live it well with you, trying to love it deeply with you, trying to make sense of it with you. And that's why we talk every single day here on the sweet spot. And I truly enjoy it. I truly enjoy building the kind of life we want to live together. So today on Making Moves Monday here on the Sweet Spot, I want to say this clearly. You're not behind the eight ball. You don't need a new you. You're not behind. Your momentum starts with clarity and not being in panic. Not being so anxious. Not being so worried. Not being consumed with fear. And that's why we have a theme here called Science, Soul, and Success. We kind of look at all three of these things to make sense of what's going on. A lot of people hear the phrase, we're doing well, this is a new me. This is a new year. This is a new beginning. And immediately they start feeling like I'm behind the eight ball. I'm already late. Like something already has started and they missed it, or they're afraid that they're not going to make it. But that feeling isn't the truth, usually. It's urgency without direction. It's just this feeling that we have. And when we think of new beginnings and starting over and all of that, the King James Version of the Bible, the ancient wisdom, gives us a wonderful directive. In Isaiah 43, I think it's verse 19, it says, Behold, I will do a new thing. Now it shall spring forth. Shall you not know it? Well, actually, it's King James, so we have to say, Shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Hmm. Now for our more modern thinkers, uh, the message Bible puts it this way: forget about what's happened. Don't keep going over your old history. Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand new. It's bursting out. Don't you see it? There it is. I'm making a road in the desert. Rivers in the bad lands. No matter how you slice it, you've got to not look back if you want to move forward. You can't move into the future by clinging to the past. Very simple. And the ancient wisdom is so clear about that. This word, behold, is about pausing. It's about stopping. It's about taking the time to step back and understand that sometimes God is trying to do a new thing, but we're moving so fast we miss it. So the verses don't say panic or get all worried so you don't miss it. The verses don't say reinvent yourself. The verses don't say do all these phenomenal things. It just says behold. Be alert. Don't look at the past, be present, notice just that one word. Behold. I do a new thing. It's springing forth. And sometimes we miss that little tiny springing forth of something brand new for us. Because we're so focused on the outcome. Sometimes we have to breathe. Take a deep breath. In through the nose, and then slowly out through the mouth, and let the exhale be longer than the inhale so you can reset your nervous system and be present so that you can behold. So that you can catch the new thing that's springing up. And sometimes a new thing springs up quietly. In my parents' backyard, there's a mango tree and an avocado tree. They're huge out there in Florida. And I have to tell you, they planted those things as seeds. When they sprung up, I have no idea. How did these trees get so huge? I really don't know. Because I visit them all the time. It sprung up so quietly and it grew so quietly, and now they're huge. So that's the idea. Sometimes God will do something, it's growing, it's happening, you don't even know it. And that's what this year is going to be about for you. That's what this month is about. That's what today is about. Yes, you have to behold. Now I go to the backyard and I do behold. I'm like, whoa, these trees are huge. But did I behold them when they were just seeds planted in the ground? I vaguely remember the seeds. And that's the lesson. We may not see the seeds or the small beginnings, but they can grow into big things. From psychology and neuroscience, we know this to be true. We know it to be true because small beginnings can really mush you into larger things. And when we're anxious and when we're rushed, we don't see this. Our perception narrows. The nervous system can shift into what we call threat mode. You remember the amygdala, the threat center of the brain that we talked about all year long? You remember the prefrontal cortex, the brain's CEO that makes decisions. When we move too fast, when we are rushed, when we're anxious, our threat centers are running the show. And our PFC, our prefrontal cortex, the CEO that makes the good decisions, usually. Sometimes it gets crowded out. It gets crowded out. And we mistake urgency for momentum. But when we take a breath, when we stop to behold, to see the new thing that's springing up, clarity can change everything. Because from the ancient wisdom, what we're learning about behold and pausing is that momentum doesn't begin with speed. It begins when your system settles enough to recognize what's actually unfolding before you. Sometimes you have to take a step back, settle down and relax, take it easy, and just sort of listen. Be observant, be present, and ask yourself, what's happening here? Behold. So here's your takeaway for today on making moves Monday. Instead of asking what should I do next, even though this is making moves Monday, I want you to try asking what's already trying to emerge? What's the new thing that's already happening that you might be missing? Sometimes the new thing isn't a new version of you, it's a clearer version of where you already are. What's already happening? Let me say this gently. You're not late, you're not missing your life, and you don't need to erase yourself and reinvent yourself to move forward. You just don't. Behold as to what is occurring and what new might be happening right under your feet. This is Dr. Derek Sweet. You're listening to the Sweet Spock. Tomorrow is Take Action Tuesday. We're going to talk about why effort isn't the problem and how action works best when it's precise and not frantic. So if this conversation helped you today, I want you to please subscribe. I didn't realize this, but some people think subscribing here is at a cost. There is absolutely no cost. This is truly a free lunch. It is a free lunch. So please subscribe freely. Hit the subscribe button. And if you and if you know a beautiful soul who could use a steadier start this week, share this with them. Share with them that they don't need to be a new version of themselves, that they can behold what's happening around them and understand that greater is that which is in them that is whatever in the world. Until tomorrow, my sweet spotters, my sweet ones, stay present, stay encouraged, and remember, you don't need a new you. We can build on whatever you have together.