A VIEW on Resolutions
Whatever your reason and in whatever season, give yourself the gift of curiosity, reinvention and renewal.
A Reflective Time of Year
Here we are at the end of December, as the glow of the winter holidays still holds on… the lights of the Menorah, the Christmas trees, the Kinara turn into the sparklers of New Years (or the glow of the TV on Rockin’ New Years Eve). This time of year, many of us are thinking about resolutions. What are we taking with us from this past year? What will we toss aside to make space for something new?
We receive signals from all around us that this is the point of the year to resolve to be or to do differently. This is the time for rebirth and revision. I can’t tell you the number of goal setting, reflective, resolute posts I’ve seen in my LinkedIn and Instagram feeds. Some feel like pressure, some feel soft and kind. I hope you read this newsletter as the latter: an invitation to do, or don’t.
Reflecting on Time
I’ve been reprogramming my own concept of “time”. How long does something take to complete when you’re doing it for yourself? When your customer is a concept? Does a week’s worth of work take five days? Seven? Eleven?
Does work start on Monday? Sunday night? Wednesday afternoon? The past six months have been an exploration of what work style suits me. How I might use flexibility - the ability to work when and where fits me best - to understand how I like to work.
And so here in the final days of what has been an eventful year, I’m reflecting on if this is indeed the time to set new goals.
Is It the Time of the Season for Resolving?
I posit that yes, if it feels good to reflect and resolve now at the End of December when we turn the page on the year, sure, try to set new goals. But really what is the end of the year? Why do we need to change now?
Part of the urge to resolve is the collective reflection. We see others talk about their resolutions. We buy the new calendars, new planners, fresh clean slates to start anew. We have the community of a whole group of people - on social media and in our in-person lives - who are also considering their renewed selves.
Can we change more or less frequently than once a year? Can we strive for new goals and habits every six months? Quarter? How about a month or three weeks?
"For what it's worth... it's never too late, or in my case too early, to be whoever you want to be. There's no time limit. Start whenever you want. You can change or stay the same... There are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you've never felt before. I hope you meet people who have a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of, and if you're not, I hope you have the courage to start over again."
- uncertain attribution, perhaps F. Scott Fitzgerald or Eric Roth (said by Brad Pitt)
Seasons for New Habits
Setting and revisiting goals, behaviors and habits helps us maintain curiosity and interest in our lives.
If January feels right, go and seize the moment to start anew. February is also a delightful time to experiment. In the doldrums of winter, consider what might shake up your routine.
The start of spring, in the thaw of March, rains of April or in May when the flowers bloom, we can consider growth and renewal. What a time to start to re-embrace the outdoors, a diet of fresh fruit and vegetables, or a new allergy remedy!
Summertime, when days are longer, we need to be creative with schedules in flux as vacations come and go, kids are out of school, work ebbs and flows. Summer can be a time to resolve for new habits around work styles, locations and rhythms.
Each fall, as the leaves turn, I observe the Jewish New Year and Day of Atonement. I feel a sense of renewal and resolve. I usually do a full house purge, decluttering what has accumulated over the year to make space for new rhythms in a new school year.
Whatever your reason and in whatever season, give yourself the gift of curiosity, reinvention and renewal.
A VIEW on January Resolutions
If January does feel like an appropriate time to reflect and resolve to change, consider some prompts from the VIEW Framework:
Can you get more clear on your Value?
How might 2024 be a year of clarity: about what brings you energy? How you build trust?Might you tap into your sources of Insight?
Who can you connect with that provides informed and insightful perspective? Is there a perspective you can leave behind that doesn’t serve where you’re heading?Will you explore your Empowerment?
Can you strengthen your intuition or your body? How might you connect, advocate and expand your influence?Whose Wisdom will you channel in the new year? Perhaps your own?
What have you learned through your own experience in the past year? How can you frame the story to help provide guidance in the future?
My Wishes for You
I wish you a very happy and healthy new year, full of passion and curiosity. I look forward to a new year with space for growth, new experiences and an expansive VIEW!
