New Years And Starting Again
New years are always, conceptually at least, a time for new beginnings. A time to reboot and do all those things we didn’t get done last year (or the year before), that we’ve been meaning to do for so long and finally become who it is we really want to be.
As exciting as that prospect is, it also tends to come with no small amount of historical baggage: the stop-starts of prior years, the past attempts that didn’t last beyond the month, the changing personal circumstances that make specific choices harder than they would otherwise be.
And as the years roll on, the baggage seems to take hold more prominently than the ambition. We’re constantly reminded by the media, by our friends, and worst of all, by ourselves of resolutions and re-starts of the past that began and went nowhere very quickly. Well, then what’s the point?
The point is, that you can always start again. In fact, we need to keep starting again and again, especially when we’ve tried before and stopped. Because this next time is actually different.
We’re a bit smarter now, a bit wiser, because we know what didn’t work. We should, if we’ve thought constructively and critically, learnt why we didn’t make it over that last hurdle the last time around. That’s actually great insight. We now know one more thing we shouldn’t do. As long as we’re being positive and thoughtful, we’re starting not from the same spot as before, but with all of the knowledge and experience that we’ve gained over time.
So, if you’ve refrained from making promises to yourself about the new year and who you’re going to be, and what you’re going to achieve, here’s my suggestion: get out that pen and paper - or iPad or iPhone - and write it down. Go lay out the steps, go flesh out your action plan. Be practical, be tangible, be realistic (i.e. that doesn’t mean don’t be ambitious, it means be kind to yourself). Get after it, again.
Because remember we’re not starting from the same old spot. We’ve moved forward, so we’re starting from there.
