Give the New Year/New You the Best Possible Start
Anyone out there had a typically normal 2021? Life during a pandemic, even after 650 days in, just never manages to be in any way ‘usual’. So we get to start yet another new year in the throes of global abnormality. What an absolutely phenomenal opportunity, right?
How to begin…
Write it down. Let your journal or diary or planner be your inspiration. Make plans and enter them into your Planner. Be grateful for how far you have come and the freedom to enjoy the journey. Capture your appreciation in a gratitude journal. On the matter of journeys, commemorate trips enjoyed and experienced in your travel journal.
Acceptance. Let’s all just accept ourselves for who we are and do whatever is necessary to be the best version of ourselves that we can be. And accept others likewise. It is time to recognize that we are all doing the best we can with what we have, and that is surely worth a pat on the back. Appreciate that you may have the edge on younger people. Encourage those young people with a Young Persons Diary – they’ll thank you for it.
There is no time like the present to start a revolution against resolutions. No more New Year’s Resolutions! Has a resolution ever caused anyone to be more resolved? It is again time for us to rather think about our New Year’s Intentions. Resolutions remind us of our problems. Intentions remind us of our dreams. Dream on! Dream big! And go forth to realize your dream. Diarize your intentions. Build your dreams and immortalize them by mentioning the starting points in your journal. At the end of the year, this allows you to look back and see all you have accomplished. You are never too old to set a new goal or to dream a new dream. You have 365 days; make the most of it.
New You. We would go out on a limb here to say that there is not one among us who can claim to be the same person we were before the 11th of March 2020. That’s the date on which we found out we were all in this pandemic together. Indubitably, everyone on the planet had a shared dilemma. Unintentionally and quite by accident, you have adapted. This takes courage and confidence. Growth and the willingness to embrace how far you have come are very important in the building of a better you. Journaling will give you ample opportunity to understand who you want to be and how you have achieved your goals. If you are reading this, you are a survivor. Good job! Now improve on the new you.
Recognize who stood by you through the ups and downs. Friendships are to be valued. Personal growth means knowing you need support, understanding who to ask, and being willing to accept any positive contribution. Part of being a member of the human race means having and showing appreciation. Not only for friends and family but also for the environment, liberty, peace, and freedom. We have all managed to adhere to some very stringent regulations over the past year and we will likely be called on to give up certain liberties for a while longer. This can be hard but we have made it this far, and we can keep going…with a little help from our friends and an inspirational diary, maybe.
The best start to the New Year must be to be the person you aspire to be, and to live your best life. With working from home the new norm and social distancing the new way, there is no better opportunity to start afresh. Hate your job? Chuck it in and do whatever it is you always dreamt of doing. Work remotely while you experience the world around you; write that book; hell, write that epic saga! The world is ready for another epic saga since everyone is taking advantage of this new way of life to read more. Bored with your lot? Change it up. Rent out your house and spend a few months in an RV; work with the less advantaged and pay it forward for a while; downsize; upsize.
Look out for serendipity in your every day. This has got to be my favorite word and serendipitous occasions are my favorite kind. Bask in them when they befall you.
Allow yourself to fall in love. Really fall in love. Take a chance. Be prepared to be wholly and totally vulnerable. You might learn something about yourself and humankind. Experience what it is that they’ve been writing songs about for centuries! But there’s love other than the romantic kind. Find that love and love the heck out of it.
Now is not the time to be mediocre. Now is the time to be your best YOU and give the new year the best possible start! You have made it through 650 days of extraordinary! Step up and own it.
