This photo has nothing to do with this blog post, but Trav’s big change for New Year’s was shaving his beard. I miss it.
I get a little confused every time January 1 comes around. Maybe panicked is the better word…I read all these blogs about hopes and dreams and big moves and decisions as well as contemplative reflections about the previous year. I think they are meant to inspire us. But all they make me do is sweat.
Was I supposed to plan for this day?
Do I need to launch something new before it’s too late?
Have I missed the boat on becoming a better version of myself for another 365 days?!
I’m typing this in the Notes section of my iPhone as I am too lazy to get up for some paper. The January 1, 2015 date at the top of my screen is taunting me. It’s saying, “It’s already 6:20 in the evening and all you’ve done today is watch the entire first season of Friends. Looks like 2015 isn’t going to be the year of productivity for you.” If my iPhone could speak, I’m sure that’s what it would say.
It’s now Monday, January 12th and I have graduated from my phone to my computer to finish these panicky thoughts. I think the aforementioned confusion comes in because isn’t every Monday kind-of like a mini-New Year’s? Don’t we have these fresh beginnings all the time where we can commit to something?
I don’t think it’s wrong to use a new year as a way to signify the end of something or the beginning of another. It’s just that this thinking is the opposite of how I operate. Pressure to do something in a specific time frame (also known as a deadline) is extremely stressful to me. I will do that when I want to, thank-you-very-much. Especially when it comes to growth and life change…I can’t just wake up and decide life is going to be different simply because the calendar says January 1. I have processes people! I’m on a journey! STOP RUSHING ME.
Truth is, I’m really excited about this year. I have lots of plans and hopes and dreams and food to look forward to. I have ideas swirling that are taking their time to settle. I have amazing people in my life and a business that’s growing. But I need to remind myself that just because giant changes aren’t in motion or big trips aren’t planned, it’s OK. I’m OK. I’m still keeping up.
So this morning. I realized that it’s Monday and I can make a plan for the next five days. And that’s just enough for me.
So I raise my glass to those of you who are also sweating under the pressurized madness of the new year. You can make big life moves tomorrow. Or in April. Just keep chugging.
