It suddenly dawned on me this week that we are already quickly approaching the end of January; the ever increasing pace of life caught me by surprise again. A cliché I know, but often true for many of us!
There is something special about how our mind-set changes as we enter a new year. Optimism, energy and belief in good things seem to hit us in abundance. At Insights, where we work with organisations to grow and development performance and capability, it seems to be the time of year where we are helping many businesses set their scene for, and kick off, the New Year.
Personally, I find this a great time for reflection and pause before the great manic rush to the end of our last quarter of business, and the inevitable cramming in of every bit of activity as possible!
I recently returned from a business trip in America where I watched the film ‘Lucy’ on the plane home. Without giving away any spoilers for those who haven’t seen it yet, there was a lasting message that struck me and seemed apt for this month of reflection, change and new starts:
Time is something we create to make ourselves believe we matter or have meaning
So, in forcing me to stay still long enough to watch a movie, Lucy also made me realise that slowing down time and really looking at what is important serves me well through the festive period.
My 'pause' to tidy my desk, empty my mind and enrich my heart, soul and body gives me the springboard to leap into the new year with vigour and verve to tackle things, which before the break seemed insurmountable, yet now become an interesting problem that is easily solved.
I don't know about you, but to me it seems that time speeds up and the years go by faster as more changes take place. Change is something we all face, in various forms. It is an amazing accelerator in life and we each need to find our own way to work with it. We must create our own strategies to go with it, make sense of those that shake up our worlds and then to be able to ground ourselves to harness it, rather than be blown over by it.
So, as the New Year rolls in and begins to gain momentum, be thankful for those short moments of pause wherever you may find them. Use them to set you up in readiness to rise to the challenge and ride the change curve that will inevitably be there throughout the year ahead, and maybe even enjoy the journey!
