Welcome to The Subtle Shift, a weekly newsletter where I share small but powerful ideas to help you lead with clarity, inspire change, and create a lasting impact. If someone forwarded this to you and you find it valuable, you can join the community here.
This Week’s Subtle Shift: Make Space for the New
As the New Year approaches, we’re bombarded with messages about setting big, bold resolutions. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with striving for growth, this tradition often focuses on adding more—more goals, more commitments, more expectations.
But what if we focused on less instead of chasing more this year? What if progress began not with addition but with subtraction?
Imagine letting go of just one thing that no longer serves you: a habit, a thought pattern, or even a long-held assumption. By pruning away what holds us back, we create space for something new to emerge—a subtle shift that can lead to profound change.
A Confession
I’ve been critical and judgmental of others for much of my life. I convinced myself that these assumptions gave me clarity or control, but in reality, they built walls—and nowhere was this more true than my relationship with my sister.
For years, I judged her harshly for choices I disagreed with, letting those judgments cloud how I saw her and push us apart. I struggled to see her as the beautiful person she was and turned my back on her in some of her most difficult times. I’m not proud of my actions, but I felt they were justified.
Then, everything changed this summer when she nearly died of sepsis. Hospitalized for six months, on a respirator for weeks, and enduring open-heart surgery, her fight for life shattered every preconceived notion I held about her.
In those painful months, I realized my judgments were no longer relevant. They didn’t serve me—or my sister, and I started to take responsibility for what I chose to believe. To show up for her and be the person I wanted to be, I had to let go of my assumptions and create space for something new.
At first, it wasn’t easy—years of emotions and stories don’t disappear overnight. But everything shifted as I practiced releasing judgment and meeting my sister with compassion. Sitting beside her at the dinner table this Christmas, I was overwhelmed with joy and gratitude. My sister made it home for the holidays, and she was alive, present, and recovering better than I imagined.
What Subtle Shift Can You Make?
Dramatic moments have a way of inspiring change, but we shouldn’t wait for them to make the changes we need to make in our lives. Subtle shifts are so much simpler and nicer.
So…what about you? What could you release as the year winds down to create space for the new?
- A Habit: Is there a behavior, action, or routine that drains your energy or holds you back?
- A Thought Pattern: Are there limiting beliefs or self-criticisms you’re ready to challenge?
- A Commitment: Is there something you’ve been holding onto out of obligation rather than purpose?
Five Practices to Make Space for the New
Here are some subtle shifts to help you let go:
- Identify What No Longer Serves You – Take a quiet moment to reflect. What’s weighing you down? What no longer aligns with who you want to be?
- Release with Intention – Letting go isn’t about abandoning responsibility. It’s about intentionally deciding to create space for something better.
- Replace Judgment with Curiosity – Don’t overthink this or get stuck in analysis paralysis. Get curious about what you should let go of and question your assumptions.
- Celebrate Small Progress – Release happens in stages. Acknowledge and celebrate the small steps you take toward letting go.
- Visualize the space You’re Creating – Picture your life with this burden lifted. Imagine what might fill the space you’re creating—new opportunities, relationships, or possibilities.
Conclusion
Letting go isn’t easy, but as we move into 2025, it might be exactly what we need in a world that keeps piling on more.
Instead of chasing bold resolutions this year, what would happen if you let go of one thing holding you back? I’m letting go of criticism and judgment, but what about you? I hope you move into 2025 with an open heart and mind, ready to embrace whatever comes next.
Wishing you a New Year filled with space, hope, possibility, and the courage to make subtle shifts.
Warmly,
Matt Cross
P.S. If this message resonates with you, please forward it to a friend who might need encouragement to let go and move forward. Invite them to join the Subtle Shift community here.
