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Season of Flux

12/26/2013 By Nancy Borg With 2 comments

826339201_optThe holiday hustle bustle is finally over.  Ahhh, we can breathe again and just bask in the holiday glow. We’re enjoying the gifts of the holiday while we are hopefully decompressing from all the stress.

But with the New Year just around the corner, we still can feel an underlying energy.  We anticipate a change and can sense ourselves propelling forward to somewhere.  And so we find ourselves in a state of flux.

The juncture between Christmas and New Years is always an interesting transition.  One festive celebration seems to spill into the next.  It’s often hard to catch our breath.  But if we stop and consider this “space” of time as an opportunity to initiate the cogs to turn, we can begin to percolate some new goals.  In this way,  we won’t ring in the New Year without a plan.

But how many of us are really going to make this happen?

Undoubtedly,  this is an opportune time to take a respite and relax. Schools’ are on vacation break and daily routines are interrupted.  So it’s understandable why so many of us don’t want to address next year’s goals just right now.  It’s easier to rest on our laurels, right? I get it.

In fact, I find myself vacillating between enjoying my “staycation” break, and biting the bullet to set my 2014 action plans, both professionally and personally.  Without question, I believe that clarifying my goals will make me accountable.  But I’m also an advocate of thinking before planning, and planning before doing.  Perhaps even guilty of over-thinking.

For me, this state of flux is a perfect time to sort it all out and evaluate introspectively.  Can I identify my wants and needs and integrate the two?  Am I happy with the status quo?  In what ways can I improve?  Asking the right questions is an effective part of my process.

No need to fix what’s not broken, or re-invent the wheel.  We don’t need to be a new person in the New Year, just a better one. We all can improve something. Ushering in a New Year can organically instigate change in all of us.  Some good food for thought, for sure.  And trust me, I’m thinking.  After all, I’m still in a state of flux.

Before YOU welcome in the New Year, I wonder whether or not you’re thinking about making any changes.  Have you asked yourself any questions?  Are you in flux too?  Come join the party and Happy New Year!

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New Year Resolutions That Stick

12/26/2012 By Nancy Borg With 3 comments

The holiday’s may be over, but its afterglow is all abounding.  Our bellies are full and our hearts are grateful.  But we still have one more party to hurdle…  ushering in the New Year.  Time to reflect, evaluate, and perhaps change.

But do your New Year’s Resolutions seem redundant year after year? Something like; eat healthier? Lose weight? Join a gym? Save more money? Give up all your bad habits?

As if our lives aren’t stressful enough, why must we conclude the year with an endless list of personal promises and lofty goals that are unlikely to be all fulfilled?

Granted, it serves us good to at least write a list of what we hope to accomplish, but who really needs the added pressure of such a dubious pledge?  I’m all for reflection and resolution, but doable trumps all.

We all have good intentions of course, but if we’re finding ourselves reaching for repetitive goals every year, perhaps we should tailor them to be more practical.  And maybe, just maybe, we’re throwing too many ideas into the pot.  Beginning a brand new calendar year can be motivating and yet tempting to re-invent ourselves. 

It is improbable that we can fix everything that is lacking in ourselves in one year.

Too often, this is why New Year resolutions fail. Don’t set yourself up for defeat.  Avoid making such a long list of impossible dreams.  Look to manage stress this year, not create more.  It’s a great time to focus on all facets of your life; personal, family, business, etc. and evaluate it thoughtfully.

Prioritize your goals and go after the important ones.  Realize what did not work so well this past year and make the necessary improvements.  Better to do one thing well, than a lot of mediocre.

Or…

STOP making specific resolutions altogether.  Simply start living a better life by just doing more.

Here’s some easy ways to start;

  • Keep learning more
  • Be kind-er than you were last year
  • Be more grateful for what you have
  • Live a healthi-er life than you did last year
  • Smile more
  • Laugh often
  • Love more
  • Be more positive

 

If this sounds a bit cliche, don’t overlook the significance of these simple and pleasurable objectives.  They are attainable. You can of course opt out of any of these, and find your own creative ways to make life better than it was last year.

An overall positive outlook is a great instigator for productive change, and that attitude alone, will inspire you to get closer to your aspirations.  If nothing else, striving to be more organized  (sorry, couldn’t resist) will provide you with the focus you need to affect this change.

Happy New Year to all! Rejuvenate. Time to turn the page.  How are you going to make this next year better?

 

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