Hollywood actress Gwyneth Paltrow shared recently that she is ‘too old’ for New Year’s resolutions and that she has ‘nothing left to quit’ and shew rather set broader goals.
The 50-year-old health-conscious star who is also the founder of wellness and lifestyle brand Goop said that she does not like the idea of making New Year’s resolutions because she thinks they ‘set us up to fail’ so would rather set ‘broader goals’ for the year ahead, though she admitted she’s also run out of vices to give up.
Broader goals
In her Goop newsletter, Paltrow shared: ‘I’m not a big resolutions person because I think it sets us up to fail. I try to set broader goals and work toward them all year.
‘I think about the little incremental changes I can make as opposed to some big sweeping thing.
‘Also, I’m so old now and have been doing this for so long that I kind of have nothing left to quit. It becomes about less-tangible things.’
She continued: ‘I think the new year is a good time to reassess: What kind of leader do I want to be? What are my goals at work?
‘What kind of parent do I want to be now that my kids are older? I always imagine an ideal future state—and then I think about: What do I need to do to get there?’
An intensive detox to kick off the year
One of her broader goals is intensive detox. She revealed that she was considering an intensive detox to kick off the year, which will involve up to 28 days of hands-on treatment for four hours daily, along with a diet and detoxifying teas.
Her brand Goop has been criticised for promoting pseudoscience and alternative wellness regimens. The Iron Man star is known for following a strict macrobiotic diet, which relies heavily upon the consumption of whole, organic grains.
However in October 2002, when her beloved producer father Bruce passed away, she relaxed her strict diet.
She told Glamour magazine in 2004: ‘Since my dad died, I’ve been easier on myself.
‘I want to see the world, eat an ice cream. I sometimes eat takeaways, crispy duck with pancakes. Life’s too short not to relax, enjoy yourself, even smoke a cigarette.’
The Great Expectations actress is married to Brad Falchuk. She has two children with former husband Chris Martin, Apple 18, and Moses, 16.
Learning to let go as a parent
Recently she reflected on how her daughter’s departure for college last year taught her how to ‘let go’ and examine their new parent/child relationship. This could also be part of her broader goals.
Discussing the lessons she learned in 2022, she wrote: ‘Oh gosh, there were a bunch. I think my deepest lesson was around letting go when Apple went to college.
“As a parent, you are so entwined with your child. When they’re a toddler, you are their sun and moon—and they’re yours. And then when they leave the house, you’re confronted with these new ideas of life’s progressions and chapters.
“The way that I got through the grief of that was a continuous letting go – letting go of control, ideas, perceptions, what I hope for her. And retrenching in – you know, you can always be someone’s sun.
“The role of a parent is to give off love and to give off light. And you don’t expect that much in return.
“When they’re little, you get a lot – a lot of hugs, and they sleep in bed with you when they have a nightmare.
“When they’re adults, you have to retreat back to just giving sun. I had to embody that, and I really had to let go.”
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