A New Year’s reflection: embrace multiple new beginnings
For many, January 1st is considered a day of new beginnings, making resolutions and setting fresh intentions.
But many of us find it really difficult. We are still in the middle of winter, and an especially cold one at that. We’ve probably spent the last month or so busily planning, preparing and celebrating Christmas and New Year and both the bank balance and the social battery might be running a bit low. We’re trying to motivate ourselves to get back into the routine of work, but it’s especially difficult when it’s still dark outside, and the bed is toasty warm. Here’s a radical thought - maybe January isn’t the opportune time to get the results we want?
Over the recent festive season I was travelling in south east Asia and I observed nations and religions that embrace many different New Years – not just how they celebrate, but when. Visiting a Buddhist temple in Thailand on the 31st December I was asked by local monks to select a colourful flag with my Chinese birth sign on it, write a wish for the new year and hang it amongst the hundreds of others within the temple. A beautiful symbolic gesture that allowed me to reflect on what I wish for this coming year. The weird thing is, the Chinese New Year doesn’t actually begin until the 29th January, and Thailand has its own New Year celebrations ‘Songkran’ in April. Even so, the Buddhist community were quite open to marking the 1st January as a significant date too.
It made me reflect that we don’t need to limit ourselves to the Gregorian calendar. Like those in the temple, we can choose to set out our wishes and intentions whenever we want. So, if you really weren’t feeling it on the 1st January, or the resolutions you set then have already fallen by the wayside, don’t worry about it, there are at least two other new year’s coming up! The most important thing is to set clear intentions, put a plan in place to sustain your motivation and set yourself up for success.
Having missed Near Year in the UK, I’ve decided to use the Chinese New Year as my start date this year. It gives me time to get back into the daily routine, and recover from all the excesses of my trip. By then, I’ll have got back into the rhythm of work and I know I will be able to dedicate some time and headspace to my intentions. The days will be getting slightly longer and the snowdrops beginning to poke through. The emergence of plants and flowers always reminds me of the circularity of the natural world and the constant cycle of growth. We are part of this natural world too and I feel that it is easier to consider our own growth and self-improvement at this time, as everything around us is beginning to grow and flourish. By being aware of the world around us, and the more we tune into our own bodies about how we’re feeling, the more we’re likely to set goals that are worthwhile and wholehearted.
Whether your intentions are purely physical, strictly professional or deeply personal, I find that it helps to set your goals out with a clearly defined, achievable target in mind. Consider milestones on the road, rather than an end point. Once you’ve reached your target, you can always set a new one. This can help to keep you motivated and less likely to give up.
Be kind to yourself this January and I wish you a successful new year, whenever you decide it begins.
Nicola Barclay is Managing Director of Athena Coaching and Consulting, providing coaching, mentoring and training to current and future leaders.
