This image neatly sums up the western new year, lots of colour, big bangs, back to boring reality.
It’s nice to celebrate whenever possible, many of us don’t have as much fun as we need, but I’ve always felt that the social viewpoint to new year’s could do with amending.
Is new year really a new start? Should it be? Is it right to hiccup every 12 months rather than keeping on building?
All Good Questions
Perhaps we need to start with mindset in order to answer them. The idea of a new year can hold out a feeling of hope, this year I will be different. I will join the gym and use my membership. I will make decisions. I will meet ‘the one’. I will focus on my career and make a success of it. How often do we forget our resolutions half way through January, or half way through the first week?
We return to normality after the Christmas/New Year hiatus full of enthusiasm, and reality pushes it straight out of the window. If you know that feeling and that pattern, perhaps thinking about new year in a different way might help.
Life is a progression
Once you’re born you are on the river of life, which only travels in one direction. You can never go back (no oars), you can never change what you did in the past. You only have now. Yet the idea of now can be a limiting and negative one. If you live only in the now are you ensuring that the things you’re doing will create a brilliant future? Or are you mindlessly creating randomly?
Random achieves random results
If, instead of breaking up your life with a fictitious change point every 12 months, you live your life as a continuation, you may have more success at all levels.
- What has the past taught you and how can you use it?
- What are you doing now and are you enjoying it?
- What do you dream of and are you creating it?
In utilising the past, being aware of the present, and considering the future, you will be creating a seamless path through your life. Get it right and new year new start won’t impact on you in any way. It will be an excuse for a great party and business as normal, because you’re already doing very nicely thank you.
No false hopes
Instead of honestly believing that you will become a performer of miracles between 23.59 on the 31st December and 01.00 on the first of January, you will be continuing that process of what did I learn, am I happy and if not why not and in what area of my life, and what is the best thing I can do now to create my dream life?
This process also reminds you that you need to be aware of your life every day, reflecting regularly, and adjusting whenever necessary. An immediate course correction is far easier than one 11 months after you made a mistake. Think of yourself as the captain of your ship. You see rocks on the horizon, you grab binoculars, you change course now. You don’t wait for the crash. You certainly don’t get closer and closer because you’re waiting for a specific moment in time to avoid carnage and leave yourself no wiggle room.
So new year next party?
Think of the pressure this thinking takes off new year!
You can now enjoy the parties, gatherings, family times, without having to spend time pondering your future and all the mythical gym sessions you’re going to pay for, and never use.
Plus
You’ll launch into the new year confident that you already know what you’re doing, you’re already walking the right path and living the right life, you’re already on track and intend to stay there.
Focus = success
Worshipping new year can cause you to question everything, feel you should be doing better/more/differently, deliberately focusing on everything that isn’t right, because it is new year isn’t it so you have to do that.
Focusing on small problems on the way through a year makes them easier to solve. Continuing focus leads to continuing positive steps forward.
All you need now is a dream?
You do have a dream, don’t you?
Life isn’t meant to be drudgery, it’s supposed to be full of dreams and wonder, experiences and special moments. Don’t fall for the boredom, only struggle means you deserve your success, lie. Go find your dreams, believe in them, live them, enjoy them, it’s much more fun!
To your happiness
Deb xx
Deb Hawken 