We often associate the New Year with resolutions and plans for the future and it can be tempting to put a lot of hope in the goals we set at this time of the year. New Year, New Decade and all that.
Statistically, 80% of New Year's resolutions fail by February (Tabaka, M., 2019). There's a whole host of reasons why resolutions fail - too many to explore now and it's not the point.
One useful way we can frame what may be happening is to look at it through the lens of the natural world.
If you're in the Northern Hemisphere, Winter is a time to rest and restore. The ground beneath us is frozen and any seeds that we plant at this time will not survive through until the spring.
When we try to start things in winter, our efforts can be hampered by a natural inertia that comes from long nights and short days and this can lead us to run out of steam by spring. The extra energy we need to expend in trying to realise our intentions can also lead us to run out of steam by the time spring finally arrives.
If you're in the Southern Hemisphere it is the peak of summer and by the time you get your momentum up, the oncoming Autumn encourages a natural slowing.
Use these winter months for dreaming with the longer nights encouraging us to slow down, nourish our bodies and restore for the energetic months ahead.
Start to contemplate what you would like to do with the year ahead, nurturing those ideas which you can begin putting into action in late February. By this time it's likely you'll have more clarity, and you'll definitely have more energy as the sap starts to rise and we see a shift from yin (restfulness) to yang (activity).
The only deadline for a resolution is the one you give it, so let go of any obligation you feel to do something on January 1.
Happy dreaming!
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• Leadership Coach / Personal Coach
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