Hi ,
Happy new year to you!
Iâm feeling cautiously optimistic about 2022 (which does sound like â2020, tooâ, but letâs not think about that) and always welcome a new beginning.
I know, January 1 is just an arbitrary day that starts the Gregorian calendar, but I still like the fresh start energy that comes with flipping over the calendar.
As my attitude toward productivity and self-improvement has become more self compassionate, my excitement in beginning a new year has also diminished.
Looking more deeply into it, I see that a lot of that excitement was wrapped up in the âNEW YEAR, NEW YOUâ delusion of becoming a whole new, different, wildly creative and productive, better person - is that familiar to you, too?
Being more realistic about my capacity does ruin some of that magical feeling, but so does getting overwhelmed and quitting all of those new goals and habits that just werenât sustainable all at once - the stagecoach turned back into a pumpkin.
đ Pumpkins arenât bad, though! đ Theyâre pretty, fun to carve, and some are even delicious. You also donât have to eat the whole pumpkin at once. (Iâll stop mixing metaphors now.)
In the past, if I didnât have goals and plans made right away on January 1, I used to feel stressed and bad about myself because THE CLOCK WAS TICKING on this fresh year and I had to seize it! This was also fueled by seeing everyoneâs new yearâs resolutions posts, with the trap of comparison making me feel like I was already behind.
Feeling behind is the worst, and itâs often completely made up!
You are wherever you are, and any moment can be the right moment to start.
Letâs agree that making ourselves feel like weâre behind is no longer a thing we have to do, okay?
There are lots of different calendars that donât celebrate January 1 as the beginning, and winter (for Northern Hemisphere folks) isnât a particularly energetic time for many of us.
You get to do the ânew yearâ or âfresh startâ thing however, and whenever, you want!
I used to do my year-end recap in the days between New Yearâs Eve and the following Monday when I go back to work, because I do really like the built-in space for reflection that the last, quiet (or at least, routine-disrupting) week of December gives us, but this year Iâm taking it slow.
Iâve picked my word for the year (PLAY!), but thatâs about it so far - I want to leave more space for dreaming and getting more clarity before I make many concrete plans.
(Iâll tell you more about how I chose my word and my approach to 2022 goals in this Fridayâs new episode of Being A Whole Person - you can listen and subscribe over here.)
Goal-setting is always an ongoing process, and I donât plan out my whole year ever, especially not during a pandemic - plans always change.
Letâs embrace a slow, gentle process of making space to check in with ourselves and how we feel, making as many plans as we feel ready for, checking in again...and repeat!
P.S. You can steal my simple review prompts if you want - download my free weekly and monthly check in worksheets right here.
If youâre not ready to do new things, make new changes, or learn new things at this moment, it is absolutely a valid choice to opt out of the pressure of setting new year goals (February is the new January?) or to vastly minimize your expectations.
But if you are ready to gently move ahead with setting some intentions and goals for the new year (or month), thatâs cool, Iâm cheering for you in that, too!
Weâre not âhitting the ground runningâ, weâre just sauntering in comfortably, making sure your goals feel in alignment with your dreams, nurturing your creative practice, and building in practices that will continue to replenish your energy for what really matters.
If youâd like my support in any of this, check out:
(new time: 1:30-3pm PST - try out a free session if youâre curious)
(book a free, no-pressure call or find me on Voxer to learn more and see if itâs a fit)
Iâm rooting for all of you in your creativity, compassionate productivity, and humanity this year, whatever that looks like! đđđ
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