We are at that crossroads again – one pointing towards the year that has been and one towards the year that has to be.
The choice here is not which road to take. We all will move towards the one that has to be – the year ahead. It’s about the one we choose to look at, and focus on
If we choose to look at the year that has been, it seems like a crowded road – with memories and events, people and places. A plethora of emotions, successes, setbacks and learnings. A road where we’ve attached meanings to events and stored our experiences as memories
And if we look at the road, which is the year to be – it sparkles with ‘newness’ – the word itself implies possibilities and opportunities. It looks like a clean slate, yet to be filled up. And it could mean uncertainties and unfamiliarity too. This road has the thrill of the risk and the chance of doing things differently
Again, we have a choice.
If we move forward while looking backwards, we are sure to trip! The progress is going to be difficult. As they say, we cannot live our future facing the past!
And if we march ahead without a look back, we’re going unprepared into uncharted territory
We could have the best of both worlds (roads)! We can look at the past, gather all our resources – our good memories, learnings, successes and carry them into the future with us while focusing and looking ahead. That way, we are aware of where we’re headed and we have the ammunition of our experiences with us
So tell me,
- What habits, attitudes and memories do you want to carry with yourself from 2024 ?
- What habits, attitudes and memories do you want to leave behind?
- How will you make 2025 different from 2024?
- Which relationships do you definitely want to nurture in 2025?
- Which relationship can you let go of?
- What new skills do you want to develop in 2025?
- Which skills do you want to enhance?
- And the final one – my favorite – make a vision board and beneath each pic write what getting that would do for you. For eg – you want to run a marathon – get the pic that speaks to you and then beneath it, write what winning a marathon would do for you. (Idea taken from Dr Will Horton – Founder, NFNLP)
And once you do all this, its been brought from your unconscious to the conscious mind. You’ll find yourself taking some action towards these. Might be a good idea to look at these often and if it works for you, craft an action plan.
Don’t fret too much if your past record doesn’t support this pro-activeness. The past does belong to the past! Remember, we’re thinking afresh – the only thing that counts is that you decide to honor yourself by doing what you promise yourself. The repeat action will follow because of the satisfaction/ happiness you got by finishing what you promised yourself. You’ll feel capable and that is the best reinforcement!
So, here’s to happy new thoughts – let’s leave the baggage of the past, and as the clock intrepidly ticks on, lets step into our new and magical horizons!
And, lets have an AWESOME new year! 😊
Payal Talwar
With over 13 years of experience in the field of learning and development, Payal wears many hats as a Life and Performance Coach, Life-skills Trainer, Educator and Administrator. Armed with an MSc and MBA degree, Payal is certified in Adult Learning, a Certified NLP Master Practitioner and NLP Trainer from NFNLP, U.S., along with being a certified Law of Attraction trainer and NLP Life and Performance coach. She is the co-founder of WINGS Team, a dream that everyday achieves its goal of helping people empower themselves. She has worked with educational institutions, corporates and government organisations, having coached and supported people from all walks of life in discovering their true potential. A two times author of, ‘Kanta Bai Pvt Ltd.’ and ‘Me And My Middle Age’, Payal comes from an army background. While her passion lies in interacting with people, she also dabbles in painting when she’s not writing.
She advocates Running as both a passion and a discipline, and it’s evident in every aspect of her life.