New year, new you?
You made it to 2021! Though you crossed the line and entered the new year, at a practical level you crossed into another day.
But at a psychological level, you crossed a threshold, letting the previous year become the past. And with 2020 it feels even more significant.
One thing about the psychological crossing is that it brings change to our awareness.
That is why new year’s resolutions are so popular! People realise that the old ways are no longer valid or sustainable and resolve to create new ways to navigate the new year.
As an aside, I am not a believer of new year’s resolutions. I believe more in making tweaks and adjustments on an ongoing basis and creating a deliberate practice around things that need to change. This is my view and you should do what works best for you.
But I do believe in reflecting on the year and the new year has proven to be a seminal moment for this.
Acknowledging growth!
Sometimes we do not give ourselves enough credit for what we have achieved unless it is equated to monetary, material or, fame gain.
And with a year like 2020, where many goals were either unmet or derailed, we can very quickly call it out as a failed or a wasted year. But is it?
I put forward an alternative achievement, growth! An important achievement I might add and here’s the evidence:
If you made new year’s resolutions this year, you have grown because you realised something needed to change going forward. That awareness alone is your evidence of growth. Whether you follow through on it is another matter. But the intent to change something into the future is growth. If you are like me then growth is part of your year anyway.
You made it to 2021! 2020 was an anomaly of a year. You are here and reading this article, you got through 2020 and made it to 2021. Although your present circumstances may or may not be ideal as you hoped, the fact that you are here means you have grown because you are ready to let 2020 be the past! You are looking forward to new.
You had to step out of your comfort zone in 2020, you dealt with the unknown. In one way or another, you had to adapt in 2020. There were changes, even if micro changes. Changes to: your thinking, your routines to fit in with the restrictions, your interactions, your feelings, and more. You have grown.
And there is still more adapting and growing to do in 2021 and beyond. But sometimes the greatest growth happens in the smallest actions YOU take that only YOU know.
So, please take a moment to celebrate. You made it through one of the trickiest years in recent history! Congratulate yourself and pat yourself on the back.
And if by some chance you are having pessimistic thoughts about 2021, remember one thing, you adapted and got through 2020. You have the skills and experience to adapt and grow in 2021 and beyond. The choice, how you navigate 2021, is yours!
I am here to help.