For so many people, it's been a crazy few years, and I have been seeing these memes floating around suggesting that we don't claim the New Year as "my year!" for anything, but rather that we just keep our heads low and try to hang on.
While I'm not that big of a fan of the reasoning behind it (to me, that feels very much like victim blaming, like we, the common folks, shouldn't have any aspirations or goals...because that is somehow causing the world to push back....instead of really focusing on who/what is causing the crazy and working on sorting that out...but that's a whole nother topic lol), I do feel like the big, grand celebrations of New Year aren't for everyone.
A lot of people make a whole big deal about welcoming in the New Year. They throw big parties, they have countdowns and big stars on the tv doing shows for entertainment as they wait to welcome in the new year. They pick a Word to represent their year, and make resolutions and it's a whole thing. And that is absolutely fantastic if that's your thing and it serves you well!
However, if you prefer a more quiet route, there is nothing wrong with taking the turning of the year and making it a time of just settling in to the live you already have. Maybe you don't need a big change, perhaps you feel your life is pretty good how it is. Or maybe you know that things are a bit rough, but instead of trying to make a big change, you want to shift your focus instead, and you double down on your gratitude for the bits of your life that you love. Perhaps you just don't like all the fuss and work of big celebrations and just want to take some time to reflect and be in the moment.
I'm sort of reminded of some movies, where traditionally in a big action scene (or something highly dramatic), the music builds and there is this sense of tension as things keep getting louder, until there is some climactic moment and everything just sort of erupts. But I've also seen movies where, when the big moment comes, the music just...stops. And there is this silence, that highlights whatever is going on in a completely different way.
Sometimes, taking a moment in silence, just sitting with ourselves, can be really powerful. Maybe we don't need the big external stuff, but would rather do some deep diving into our own mind. New Year is a great time to take stock of our life, but that doesn't mean we need to make sweeping changes. When we consider the upcoming year, it's okay to think about just continuing on as we are...we are enough, and we don't need to change to be good people!
And I think that is part of why I feel like many traditional takes on the New Year feel off to me. It's almost like the whole point is to 'fix' your life, to trim out the bad and add in all that stuff that you wish you could do (or be). And while I'm a huge advocate for self-improvement, it needs to be done out of a genuine desire to grow, not out of some sense of shame about who you are now.
I definitely have my own rituals around the New Year, but for me, it's all about what I feel I need in that moment. And some years it's about working on a big change, while other years it's about just holding on, or adjusting to a new situation. Neither is better than the other, but if I tried for something big on a year where I already felt I was struggling to just get by, then I would be under even more pressure and it just wouldn't fit. Everything has it's time, and that includes both dramatic improvement as well as radical self-acceptance.
So if you are feeling the need to shake things up, or are super excited about starting something new and making some changes, then by all means, go for it! Grab the New Year by the reigns and hit the ground running. But if you are feeling overwhelmed, pressured to change (when maybe you don't feel the need personally), or just wanting to stay in and enjoy a chill, quiet night...then don't feel like you need to do more! Mark the turning of the year in the way that speaks to your heart, and remember that whatever you need, right now, in this moment...that is the right thing for you!
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