We all love the notion of a fresh start — the idea that we can put aside all of the missed opportunities and unfinished plans or projects, dissolve all of the regrets, and edit all of the things we should have said or done…or not. We pick a day on the calendar and deem that the moment for the clean slate. Unfortunately, that make for a really loaded and intense restart. I wind up feeling a growing apprehension weeks before the day because I have just made it a deadline and a piled on huge pressure to succeed with the makeover. That almost sabotages the effort before I begin.
Maybe we just need to take a deep breath. If I didn’t get something done before the end of the year it doesn’t mean I failed, or that it is too late to do now, or that my time management skills are lacking, or that I am somehow lessened personally by the passing of time. Fresh starts are just meant to refresh our efforts. We can do that anytime…on a Tuesday afternoon in any given week in any month we pick. We can resolve to act more loving, to speak more civilly, to drink more water, to paint a little more, …you see? So Happy New Year and Happy Fresh Start, whenever and as often as you choose to.