Fresh start?
Is it just me, or is it already a long year?
Not everyone views January as a time of new beginnings (for one of my business partners, September is her January when the kids go back to school), and sadly we’re not off to a good start in 2021 as a nation...
But research by the psychologist Katie Milkman shows that January generally is the best time of year for fresh starts. If you have big, audacious goals, habits, or changes you want to make in 2021, or are just looking for some structure to start the new year, check out my planner, A Daily Planner for Modern Humans. Especially now with the political and societal chaos going on, not to mention the mental and physical toll of the pandemic, some order and structure in one’s life can be a welcome relief.
For me personally, January is a great month to hit the reset button. Sometimes with heavy stuff like my part in societal change, but also just everyday little tweaks to make incremental improvements in the quality of life like taking a super-slow meditative breath every time I am at a traffic light.
This is also a month to re-establish rituals. A fun exercise (to me anyway) that I do yearly is to come up with some themes for the year. These themes inform my choices for the year and help direct where I spend my time:
· Overall theme: Loving detachment
· Color: plum
· Flavor: basil
· Scent: ylang ylang
· List of “21 things in 2021”: the things I want to include or do this year, encompassing all parts of life, such as career (obtain another coaching certification), health (be able to a pullup), fun (play tennis 52 times), community (become a pen pal to a lonely nursing home resident), spirit (say a little phrase of gratitude before every meal, even if just inside my head), etc. You get the idea.
Would love to hear of any new year’s rituals you are engaging in this year.
Be safe,
Bijal
The intent of these emails is to provide different perspectives, ideas, and insights as you navigate the path forward for yourself, your team, your organization, and your family.
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Bijal Choksi, MA, CHPC, ACC