Listen, I had some big plans for kicking off the new year. I’ve got some serious pandemic-eating sins to atone for. I’ve got some fitness equipment that now boasts dust bunny grandbabies to the original dustbunnies. And I’ve got some professional and family goals for which I had planned to hit the ground running.
And the first couple weeks of January laughed at me. And giggled.
We’ve got a phenomenon here in Austin called Cedar Fever. It’s where a type of juniper indigenous to the area decides to get all romantic this time of year and release this pukey green pollen into the air. It coats the windshield of your car. It dusts every stick of furniture on your patio. And it sometimes plays havoc with your allergies and respiratory system. Some years it doesn’t bother me so much.
And then there’s the endemic. That’s what we’re calling it now, right? Within the first couple of weeks, the cedar was flying, the virus was viral, and all kinds of plans to hit the new year running ground to a halt.
How about you? Are you finding the new year a little hard to keep up with already?
Well, here’s some good news. I’m navigating it with you, and I’ve got a few ideas for me that I thought could be of help to you. So here they are, in no particular order:
1. Don’t fight what you can’t fight.
I was beating myself up over not seizing the new year the way I wanted. But here’s the deal; I can’t fight cedar trees and their seemingly evil propagation system. I can’t predict when another round of quarantine becomes necessary. And likewise, you aren’t responsible for that alternator that went out on your car the first day you were headed back to the gym. You’re not responsible for the emergency at work that threw your new schedule sideways. You can’t control that your toddler decided the first week of the year was the ideal time to go through sleep regression. These things happen, regardless of what the day or season of the calendar says. Don’t waste energy battling situations over which you have no control. Instead, roll with the punches as best you can. What you are responsible for is how you navigate the unexpected. In the past, I would have physically pushed myself too hard, and my internal talk would have been full of stressful verbiage. This go-around, I traded in goal-chasing for getting recuperative rest and in turning in early in the evening instead of chasing my side hustle goals. And I think it will ultimately put me further ahead, instead of busting myself over things I can’t control.
2. Declare your own New Year.
Look, I love me a January 1. I was raised in a culture that embraced the day one week after Christmas as the start of a new year. But lots of other places and people around the world see it differently. The Jewish new year is in September. The Chinese new year begins January 25th this year. (Here is a list of various new year starts celebrated across the world.) So who’s to say that January 1 is your only shot for the year? As Lara Casey says, “There is nothing magical about January.” Declare your own start to your new year, and relaunch what you want to focus on the next few months. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you can only create a reset in your life once a year. Give yourself permission to start anytime.
3. Make grace part of your goal.
I do best being all in. I just do. I tend to stick with things best when I don’t give myself any margin. But when you’ve had a rough start to the year, due to illness, emergencies, or those little unpredictable moments that can sideline a carefully laid plan, all in isn’t the best approach. Wouldn’t I rather make some progress over none? When I get too legalistic with myself, I hamper my progress. “Well,” I think, “I’m not up to such and such miles on my running schedule, so forget it.” Hm. That’s not terribly helpful. So how’s about this? Show yourself a little grace. I’m learning to show myself some. And not only is grace a kinder approach, it’s more powerful. It allows me to get back up; it gives me the margin to refresh and reset on those things I want to still go for this year without ditching the whole thing in a perfectionistic fit.
Whatever your ‘Cedar Fever’ or ‘Yet Another Quarantine’ has been for your at the beginning of this year, know I’m rooting for you, cheering you on. Don’t kick yourself, don’t get so attached to a date on the calendar, and treat yourself and your goals with kindness and grace. At the end of the day, whatever day you start, isn’t that what a healthy and happy new year is built of?
All the best this year…and every day,
p.s. Be sure and check out this special New Year’s podcast episode
