After the hustle of the holiday season, folks sit back, tuckered out from all of the holiday mayhem, then transition to think about “The New Year” as a grand moment in time represented as the start of everything new! The New Year is viewed as The Chance to finally do amazing things, to go to amazing places or to shift to new behaviors. Sounds super exciting, but you may want to pump the breaks on all of that amazingness. According to an article by Business Insider, 80% of people drop their resolutions by February, which means it may be time to reconsider your approach to the New Year and try something a little different. Let’s slow things down to a slower pace to reflect, resolve and reset.
Reflect
”Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” – George Santayana
Rather than fast forward into the future, it’s beneficial to take a moment to reflect on the current year. Twelve months, 52 weeks, 365 days is a long time. How was it? It’s human to have ups and downs along the way. No one had a perfect year. Reflect on what went well for you. What challenges did you overcome? What did you learn about yourself and others? What are you most proud of? What surprised you the most? Who came into your life and who has left your life? Reflect on these things as a way to give yourself credit where credit is due and to identify areas where you’ve gained strength or plan to avoid, if possible. It’s easy to forget how our experiences mold who we are if we’re constantly rushing around and moving on to the next person, place or thing.
Resolve
“If you cannot find peace within yourself, you will never find it anywhere else.” – Marvin Gaye
Next, take time to resolve any conflicts, misunderstandings or broken situations or relationships. This doesn’t require that you contact someone or open wounds. You can resolve within yourself. Find peace with your circumstances. Do some soul searching and understand that forgiveness releases you from feeling captive about situations. You benefit physically, mentally and emotionally by working within, to free yourself of the heavier matters of 2019. The year is will soon be behind you, never to return…why not leave the weight of anything unresolved behind you a well? Don’t ignore it, find your peace so that the likelihood of feelings resurfacing are minimized. Doing so, creates space for positive and fulfilling experiences in 2020.
Reset
“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” – Dr. Martin Luther King
Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines ‘set’ as “to put in a particular position; place” also “to prepare for proper functioning.” The prefix ‘re’ means, “again: anew.” Rather than using the New Year to warrant a list of unreachable, unrealistic goals that are likely to diminish by February, rethink your approach and reset yourself, prepare for proper functioning in 2020. Neutralizing your stance and expectations can be beneficial and will allow you to be in position to receive all that will come in 2020. Operating on high alert is exhausting. Simply be open to manage the new by using all that you learned in 2019. There is no right or wrong way to do this. You can dictate how to best utilize your positive and negative experiences to the future better, no matter what.
By: Chaina Porter, MHC Intern
References:
Merriam Webster. (n.d.). Merriam-Webster. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/road%20rage
Mulvey, K. (2017, January 3). Insider Picks. Retrieved from Business Insider: https://www.businessinsider.com/new-years-resolutions-courses-2016-12
Set. (2005). In in Merriam-Webster’s dictionary. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.