"How has your new year started?"
You must be hearing this question a lot these days.
Every new year starts off with the same recipe – oodles of hope, a few touches of relief at the ending of the previous year, a sprinkle of enthusiasm, loads of greetings, a list of resolutions, and a pinch of belief – Voila!!! Your year is ready and waiting!
I’ve always felt that starting a new year feels like buying a new car. For the first few days, you drive your prized possession very carefully, taking extra care to avoid any possibility of even the smallest of scratches or dents. You clean it, polish the surface, do everything possible to keep the car as new as it was when you first brought it home.
Then the inevitable happens. It starts to get dirty, you slowly get weaned off the daily cleaning, and then arrives the first scratch.
That first scratch causes pain and frustration…then the next one, then maybe a small dent…you get the picture, right? You get used to it and stop caring! (Apologies to car fanatics who might bristle at this suggestion!)
Don’t you feel that happens with every new year too?
It only remains “new” in our minds until we encounter the first failure, the first setback, or the first disappointment. After a few mishaps, doesn’t the year start to feel like a fizzy drink that’s lost its fizz – dull and insipid?
I recall similar feelings that I used to have as a student during my exams.
The preparations would begin with serious study before the commencement of the exams. I’d be all pumped up, filled with excitement, expectation, and enthusiasm to do well.
As I completed each exam, if it went well, I’d get more energy for the exams to follow. Then, if there came an exam that went badly…poof…all enthusiasm would be gone like air from a balloon!
I remember my exams in Year 2 of my engineering study. I had skipped watching movies for over 2 months before the exams, a massive sacrifice for a movie buff like me. I was focused and keen to do well!!
I think it was the 4th exam (in a series of about a dozen) that went down like a stone in water. I knew even before I left the exam hall that I would fail that subject.
It drained my enthusiasm like water draining out of a bathtub as you remove the plug!
I immediately resumed my movie habit that had been paused. I went from my exam hall straight to a movie theatre to drown my sorrow in the darkness of the cinema hall!
Doesn’t that tend to happen to the calendar year as soon as we hit the first bump?
Think about our attempts at weight loss. As long as there’s progress, there’s interest, and we keep our diet and exercise going. As soon as we sense a loss of progress, we lose interest.
We could also look at our careers as examples. When in a new job, we’re all fired up until we hit a snag. Maybe an uncharitable comment from the boss, or a less than satisfactory performance appraisal, and boom…our enthusiasm, interest, and spirit take a downward dive.
If you’ve resonated with whatever you’ve read so far and thought “he’s talking about me!”, well…how can you prevent this dip in energy, enthusiasm, and mindset from happening this year? After all, you need to keep soldiering on, not just get into a waiting mode for 2023!!!
Here are 5 simple tips to keep your spirits high through the year despite the inevitable setbacks you may encounter:
1. Don’t feel sorry for yourself. Avoid guilt-tripping.
2. Be aware that you’re not the only one who fails.
3. Accept that setbacks are part of the success process.
4. Think of your options – you need to be in the game to have a chance at winning. Crumpling in a heap isn’t going to help. Instead, take the blow on the chin and stand up. When I performed poorly in the exam that I mentioned above, I lost all interest and ended up failing one more subject that year! Not a smart option, right?
5. Learn – what can you do better next time?
Here’s wishing that 2022 turns out to be a year that you can look back on with pride and satisfaction.
If you’d like help with making that happen, let’s have a chat! Book a free call with me by clicking this link https://www.thinklifecoaching.co.nz/contact