It was very strange to wake up on New Years Eve morning and see everyone from Australia & NZ celebrating the arrival of 2019. It is my first time being on the other side of the world for Dec 31st so one of the last to see the new year in, instead of the first. Does that mean my year was longer?
New Years resolutions go in and out of fashion and I’m not sure what their status is right now. I haven’t made any for a few years because I generally felt burnt out when New Years rolled around and not prepared to put any added pressure on myself. I needed a break and a reset more than anything. For a lot of us the start of a new year is seen as a clean slate and full of possibilities and therefore is a great time to start new good habits or set some goals. It’s also a great time for reflection and celebrating the year that was. For some of us it might also be an opportunity to say good-bye to a year that was tough or full of sadness. I hope there were some shining lights in there for you.
For us, we had a pretty huge year. Apart from relocating, which is obviously pretty massive, Monty survived his first year, learning to walk and talk. Gracie changed from being a toddler into a kid with ideas of her own and the determination to see them through. I began on a path for a new career, new hobbies and became unemployed for the first time in 22 years. Eliot has been the rock holding us all together.
For 2019, instead of putting together a list of SMART goals I want to achieve as resolutions, which is what those of us in the corporate world have been doing for our performance based goals year in, year out, I’m going to get clarity on my values, set a direction and live with intention. That’s a lot for one sentence but boiled down, it is a change in mindset. Sometimes we can get fixated on a goal and lose the reason why are we doing it, I’m going to try and remain true to the reasons, the values and not an arbitrary measure.
As I work through this process, I’ll share with you what I uncover and I hope it provides value to you. Whatever you decide for 2019, to have resolutions, set goals or simply head in a certain direction. I wish you all the best and remember, even if you don’t start on Jan 1st, any day (or even time of day) is the right time for positive change. Don’t wait for Monday or tomorrow for that matter.