This is not the article I set out to write.
I love resolutions (and usually keep them), revel in goal setting (journals and workbooks get me hyped like a kid getting a PS5), and feel energized by a fresh new beginning. January is my favorite month of the year, because I love the new year vibes.
That’s now where I’m at this year.
If you’re like me, you’re still in an energetic funk, and it’s not just a hangover from 2020. We’re in it.
As evidenced by what’s going on in our country — nothing changed dramatically when the clock struck midnight on December 31, 2020.
So here we are, a week (or so?) into the month I’ve usually prepared for weeks in advance (doing monthly, quarterly, and yearly recaps before doing journaling, vision boarding, and goal-setting to plan for the coming 12 months, of course). And I’ve done… some of that. Something that brings me so much joy has felt unattainable as of late — It’s like I’ve subconsciously shielded myself from disappointment in a way, in a pandemic-PTSD haze. After a year of setting goals that turned to dust as if Thanos snapped his fingers in the gauntlet (nerdy joke, but if you know you know), how could we not?
Of course, this emo diatribe doesn’t tell the whole story. There are still goals we can set, dreams we can achieve, plans we can make — just adapted to our current circumstances. But with so much still in limbo — Can we travel this summer? Is it smart to open a business right now? Will I be able to go back to the gym? — the hesitance is real, and it feels as though our energy is in limbo, too.
My approach now is not to jeté into January with that whole ‘new year, new me’ schtick, but rather to focus on a new mindset.
This is a hard lesson for someone like me (any other A-type Virgos out there?) to learn — and I anticipate this will take a lot of trial and error, but I’m going to be focusing on my outlook versus my quarter one benchmarks toward my quantifiable goals. You know? Letting go of the goal-list, releasing control a little. Chilling out a bit, turning inward — a lot of what we were trying to do in 2020.
How can we change our mindset in 2021? I’m not talking about toxic positivity — pretending your problems don’t exist, focusing only on the bright side — but shifting into a healthier state of equanimity. Accepting the bad, ugly, sh*tty scenarios and embracing gratitude and joy for the brighter side of life.
This month, we decided to create a series on our podcast, The Space by Svn Space, called “New Year, Same You, New Mindset.” For the next few weeks, we’re tackling a mindset shift with the help of one of our favorite clinical psychologists, Dr. Kevin Gilliland, our master astrologer Shannon Aganza, and acclaimed cannabis entrepreneur April Pride. How can we look at things differently this year — our lives, the world around us, the concept of time, our goals, things we may have harshly judged — and shift our perspective?
I’m sure we’ll have our fair share of hurdles this year. Look at how 2021 has started! And this won’t be an easy path … but by committing to look at things differently, keeping an open mind, and growing and evolving as human beings, I think we might have a nicer time this year. Fingers crossed.
To support your journey, tune in on Mondays on Spotify or iTunes, and you’ll get to hear some great talks that’ll help guide you and get this year off to a fumbled — but positive! — start. I hope you love these resources and lessons as much as I do. I’m excited to grow together with this community, and embrace 2021 as best we can.
New year, same us ... new mindset. New perspective. New outlook. Let’s do it.