New Year, New Me

Tomorrow is the day! Most of us, if not all of us, will attempt the heroic feat of absolutely transforming every aspect of our entire lives. We will wake up early, we will exercise, we will eat healthy, we WILL BE productive! Come end of January, the Cinderalla tale of new year transformation will come to a routine end.

Now, why am I writing such a pessimistic narrative to our shared reality on the last day of 2023! Even I don't know, but maybe by the end of my rant, we will know? You see, 2023 has personally been especially kind to me. Maybe it was because this was the year I learned to take things as they are and not as they should be. My greatest wish for 2024 is to continue that streak of realistic expectations so that I am not dissappointed like I used to.

I spent the last week reflecting on the year and realised that every month, heck, every day was a new beginning. Every day was a struggle to wake up, a hustle to get to work, a tussle at work, an act of balancing work and life... I went through 365 new 'years', maybe with less enthusiasm and zest for life as I did on January 1 of 2023.

And maybe that is the mistake we all tend to make. We put so much pressure on that one day of every year that we set ourselves on the train of ultimate disappointment and end each year with the quintessential phrase, "Where did this year go?" or "This year went by so fast!"

So what can we do instead? Three years ago, I was given the ultimate piece of advice by a dear mentor of mine, she said, "Sharlin, just take things one day at a time, you will be surprised by how enthusiastic and forgiving you will be of yourself for not doing it all."

And this is exactly what I want to share today. (Phew, finally made it to the point of this rant!) We have heard 'take things one day at a time' a million times, I am here to share my experience on what it means for me, in the hopes that it will resonate at some level with you.

Taking things one day at a time means...

1. To make goals for every single day, both personal and professional. I have this to-do list app pinned to my phone's wallpaper , sometimes listing the silliest of daily tasks. But the satisfaction I get every time I hear the 'Ping!!' of a task completed is unparalleled.

2. To reflect at the end of each day, the good, the bad and the ugly. Journalling is my go-to way to decompress for the day. For those without the time or energy, just sitting with oneself, running through the day in your head will do the trick.

3. To forgive oneself for the things undone. This is the most important. When we take things one day at a time, we also give ourselves the permission to sleep each night without regretting what we couldn't do, with the hope that tomorrow will be the day we succeed.

4. To celebrate the little wins. Did you wake up on time today? Did you eat well? If there was a 'Spotify' wrapped version of our daily habits and how they sustained us till the end of this year, we will be thoroughly surprised at how far we have come.

5. To say a little prayer. This is not just a theist point of view. Just as we begin each year with a prayer for it to be better than the previous one. You will be surprised how powerful beginning each day with a little prayer for it to be better than the day before will be. 

To be honest, I could keep writing. But this is not about me and my experience. It is about my sincere hope for you who took the time to hear what I had to say. My hope for you is that as you cross over the threshold to enter the infinite possibilities that is the new year of 2024, you allow yourself to celebrate how far you have come, feel grateful for all that you have endured and be hopeful to achieve far beyond what you could ever imagine.

May this new year bring you love, luck and the courage to take things one day at a time.

Happy New Year!