Did you set all of your new year’s resolutions? Or are you part of the crowd now saying ‘no’ to resolutions? Even if you resolve to stay the same, or just be a better person in general, you have set a resolution. Then again, aren’t we always setting resolutions for ourselves?
We have gone through a fair bit of turmoil and changing tides over the past 3 years. And in the midst of it all, we have collectively changed our minds at a few turns. No, I am not just talking about the pandemic and what was right or wrong while we figured things out. It definitely added to the mix:
Work from home? It was a huge shift. Then it became a great alternative. Now people are trying to work out a hybrid option, even thought there were many benefits discovered.
Quit your day job? You might recall the ‘resignation’ movement, especially for those in the service industry. The pandemic was a perfect time to figure out what you really wanted to do, and a lot of poor working conditions were revealed in the process.
Slow down? Remember the push for people to do less, interact less, basically cut back on busyness. It seems in the last half year in particular there has been a strong push to do the opposite, going back to a trend many tried to halt before the pandemic even started. That leads to the latest buzzword…
Quiet quitting? Do you remember a time when just doing your job was considered a form of resignation? I can’t. Somehow we have not only gone full circle to 2019 thinking, but we are attempting to make it even worse. With inflation constantly inflating, people cannot be trusted to just work and do what is necessary, they must also strive for some brass ring that no one has presented.
Maybe we just forget how stressful it was to navigate a very stressful global situation?
Many people I have encountered as 2022 came to a close were still figuring out how to balance work, family, and social life. There was excitement in going back to ‘normal’, but not knowing how to act ‘normal’. Freedom to move and work and be leisurely, while also finding your new self. Some are still nervous and careful when it comes to health, keeping in mind that Covid still accounts for many deaths, and the only reason we are not more alarmed by this is because there are no longer alerts, and it became ‘normal’.
I have said before how there are a number of positives that showed up by accident over the past couple of years, and I believe they are still things to hold onto. Here is my list, much like the lists I have made in the past:
- What are you striving for? Take a moment to reevaluate your personal values and priorities. Have they changed?
- Busy and Purposeful are not the same thing. Live in the time you have, don’t try stealing it.
- People above projects, wants, shiny-things, etc. Don’t make people into objects or means to your ends.
- Conversations over criticism. Learn to talk with others about things, even things you disagree on, instead of making more enemies. Get to know a perspective that is not your own.
- Faith, hope, and love. There is more to this world than what you want or can do by yourself, there is always something beyond this moment, and as the verse says, the greatest of these is love. How do you love? If you have the other things on this list backwards, love will not be easy.
I think that list represents a pretty solid starting point for a new year. Those are things I can get behind on any date or season.
Happy New Year!
Lead Freely 