2023: New Year, New Me

I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting lately. I used to be really good at it, and then life does that thing where it gets in the way and you get busy and tired all the time and your good habits start to slip and before you know it you’re a different person to when you last checked. Just me?

Anyway. I’m mindful of that. A turbulent H2 of 2022 has allowed me to reassess what it means to be me, and what I want to achieve and what my life looks like. I’m not saying I’d recommend it, but I’m feeling pretty fucking good right now.

I usually hate platitudes, but one that struck me was "sometimes something good has to fall apart so that something better can be put together." In fact, yeah, I do hate platitudes. But that doesn't mean that what they say isn't true, and that the thoughts or reflections that they encourage inside you aren't any less valid. Whatever stimuli it takes for you to have a revelation or a realisation should be cherished.

So, what's the point of this post then. I guess just to publicly hold myself accountable to the 12 readers of this blog.

I listened to a really good podcast the other day, that spoke about planning new years resolutions. I don't usually do them—if you want to change something about your life, JFDI, don't wait for an arbitrary time to start. Especially during a time when we get about seven hours of sunlight and seasonal depression is rife and you've just come off the back of a gluttonous Christmas. It's really easy to knee jerk and say "yep, no more booze for me" and "I think I'll start eating better and running five days a week from 1st January".

January is a really terrible time to start resolving to do things. How difficult must it be to plan in a run every evening, when the evenings are cold are dark and wet. Winter is the nighttime of the year. In my opinion winter should be focused on reflection, rest and recovery, which is what I plan on doing. During those moments of reflection, think about what you want to achieve next year.

A key takeaway for me is to see January (and December) as the time to start planning resolutions, rather than a panic that you should start doing x on 1st January otherwise you're a failure. Reflect on how you feel starting the new year. Are you happy? Do you have bad habits you'd like to break? What are your goals for the next 12 months.

So when do you "implement" these resolutions? They suggested the Spring Equinox, i.e., March. Why? It is the start of Spring. The length of daylight is about the same as night, and is only getting brighter. The weather is starting to improve and get warmer. There are leaves on trees again. It's a time of hope and optimism and a perfect time to start picking up steam with your gameplan for the year.

Well, we'll see.