If you're like me, you might be feeling like January has already reached its 45th day, and the amount of time that has passed should have you in the month of February already. I don't know what makes January feel so long, but let's blame the festivities - they made us imagine life is a ball of parties and soft life.
Anyway, time is moving and we need to get on with it. Whether you're feeling energetic and excited to do the new year, or you’ve started feeling tired or weary and need a little nudge, or even a big nudge - as I do from time to time. Perhaps you’re questioning if you took on too much, or wondering if all this effort is worth it. Perhaps the mountain before you seems too big and you’re wondering if it’s worth it at all to scale that mountain. These are all week 3 thoughts of the new year. It’s the fear in you speaking, the fear of uncertainty, the fear of losing, and the fear of being inadequate, among other fears.
At this time it’s very easy to give in to the fear and settle back to the old habits. It's easy to give up on climbing the mountain, to turn back from writing the blog – and yes I get these from time to time, but I’m in too deep. It's easy to stop trying to climb the corporate ladder, or to stop trying to start that business. It can be that you're trying to lose that weight, or trying to salvage that relationship and want to give up. It's also easy to stop pursuing that desire you have to do something meaningful in this life. And it’s easy to fall back because, after all, we think, nobody cares if I do it or not.
These are the times you need that internal voice of reason, a voice of encouragement. The raison d’etre. It’s said the most difficult part of the journey is at the beginning. That’s why the best way to handle these moments is just to start the journey, despite the feelings. Feelings are not to be trusted as they change with circumstances. Trust the reason why. When your why is clear, it’ll give you the needed energy to take the next step and the next and the next.
Perhaps this is not the time to look at the big mountain to be climbed but to look at the next 5 steps ahead of you. It’s much easier to take in, and once you get the rhythm, the next 5 steps again will be easier. The emotions might take time to catch up with you – don’t expect them to always be on your side, so don’t trust them. But sooner or later, they will catch up with you.
Whatever nudge you need to take you to the next level, please take it – for you are the only one who cares enough about your life and only you can do anything to change your circumstances or to grow in the various aspects of life.
Remember, we're all given 24hrs a day and the difference between all of us is how we spend those 24hrs. An average person spends about 4 hours a day on their gadgets; that directly translates to 60 days in a year - and that makes 2 months (let that soak in).
Of the 12 months you have in a year, 2 months are spent on your phone. The question begs, how are you spending those 2 months in a year? Are you learning something, doing something meaningful, or making yourself feel inadequate by watching others? Or are you feeding your mind with positive motivation? It’s your space, so the choice is all yours.
As we come towards the end of January, let’s not lose energy or hope of making a change in your life. Nothing changes when nothing changes and at times the hardest part of the journey is at the beginning. Don’t be among the statistics that drop it even before they start.
Let us soar!
