Tag: New Year

January’s Quieter Voice

January can be pretty loud. For many, it seems demanding. Get a resolution, a word, a challenge, a life. Make some damn changes, it yells. After all the excess of the holiday season, we often welcome this voice. I have heard it for years and usually stood at attention when it spoke. I needed some directional change.

But this year, it sounds a lot like a selah, a sigh. Have a seat, it says.

For so many years, January’s demanding voice led me to agree with the “New Year New You” theme. And I made lists and came up with words and set intentions. After all, how do we make changes if not intentionally?

But this year not so much. There’s a boatload of things that get harder as we get older. But there are things that get easier, more uncomplicated, as well. 

So if I had to choose a word, it would be one that didn’t demand anything. It would be the quiet, softly spoken word, CONTINUE.

Continue what you’re doing. Continue to put love as your highest priority. Continue to laugh, encourage, and be kind. Continue to eat well, lift heavy things, move. Continue writing.

I am realizing it’s time to enjoy the fruit of all those resolution years. Being content with where we’re at doesn’t mean we stop growing. But when we’re happy with who we have grown to be, we can be assured that “we can stay in motion with the same speed and direction,” Isaac Newton (in his not really written book), How to Enjoy the Aging Process.

So at this start of January, if we are prompted to make a change, we can trust that it will move us more fully into who we want to become. But if we don’t hear anything, maybe we simply accept who we have become and add it to the list of “Benefits of Growing Older.”

Maybe it’s time to focus on making THAT list bigger.

A Little Bit Magic

“Tomorrow hopes we have learned something from yesterday.”  John Wayne

Do we even mention the idea of new year’s resolutions after a year like this? Many people have resolved just to survive the year. Some days this was my goal as well. 

I have gone back and forth with resolutions over the years. Some years I made them; some years I didn’t. Were the years really any different? Depending on which statistics you read, resolutions can be over before January ends. One study reported that only 14 percent of people over 50 keep them longer than one month.

But does that mean, after this crazy year, we forget about aligning ourselves with something new? The end of a year is a perfect time to think about renewal. But after all we’ve been through, do we want to attempt something with potential to fail? With all the anticipation of leaving 2020 behind, maybe it’s the perfect time. But what will renewal look like? That depends on our reality, our dreams, and our willingness to believe in ourselves.

  1. We first have to determine whether we actually need a resolution. That word implies being strong, determined, and unwavering. If we are looking at serious challenges to our health, happiness, or emotional stability then we probably need to be resolute. We may need to schedule an appointment with a a doctor, counselor, or health coach. Before January hits, we decide how we will align ourselves for success in important areas. If nothing else, this year has taught us that we have control over very little. But we do have a say in how we might become the very best version of ourselves.
  1. We may decide that a reset is what we need. Resets are about reflecting on where we’ve been and dreaming about where we want to go. The first day of a new year isn’t any different than any other, except for the universal acknowledgment that it is new. This year, everyone is more excited about that than ever. Regardless of what’s going on around us, we can ask ourselves these questions:
    • Are there any small changes we want to make?
    • Anything we would like to do or learn?
    • Are there ways to be more present?
    • Are there ways of contributing to the happiness of others?

Whether it’s a resolution or a reset, the process involves checking in. The most important part of checking in with ourselves is honesty. As we ask ourselves questions about where we are with our health, happiness, and emotional stability, it’s important we tell ourselves the truth. It might be helpful to do it with a pen. Our answers will dictate our decisions.

Whether it’s a resolution or a reset, we can all grab hold of the magic that comes with the new year. Each one of us has just had 365 days of learning–even if it feels more like 1000! If we pause, we can find so much wisdom wrapped up in this past year. “Tomorrow hopes we have learned something from yesterday.”  John Wayne

From the biggest behavioral changes to the tiniest adjusting of thoughts, we can all enter the new year in a new way, regardless of what 2020 looked like. Perhaps it’s a little resolve, but maybe it’s also a little bit magic.

Cheers to a new year!