It is nearly the end of 2026. Another 365 days have gone by and only two months are left in the year. I find with each year that goes by, the pace of life gets faster. We are not that far away from entering 2027 and the start of that familiar feeling of the year coming to an end. Halloween is over now, Christmas is approaching and January is only around the corner. We will suddenly be thinking about what we will do differently next year.
Another year almost gone by. Have we achieved everything we wanted to?
January gives us a psychological clean slate with New Year’s resolutions, but we don’t need a new year to start living differently. We can fall into the January mindset that the new year means a fresh start, new goals such as changing jobs or careers, the year that I will start that business, join the gym, exercise more, eat healthier, improve my relationships, travel more, start writing that book and finally do all the things that we’ve been putting off. It could be anything. Then all the sales and discount offerings will be presented to us. At the start of the year, it feels appealing to have a gym membership, fitness plans, do a course and book a few holidays.
There is nothing wrong with having goals and ambitions.
The question we could ask ourselves is: What if we didn’t have to wait until January?
The bigger and more reflective question to ask is: Am I actually living the life that I want to have?
Goals are important, providing direction and motivation, but they aren’t everything. A person can achieve all their career goals, earn great money, get promoted and still feel unhappy, exhausted or disconnected from their life. They can achieve a lot of success with their work but rarely see their family. They can possibly be blinded by their own ambition, chasing the next milestone without stopping to take a moment to appreciate where they are. They can always be climbing to reach the peak of the mountain, never stopping to admire the view and scenery around them.
Over the years, I have taken more time to embrace solitude, appreciating and being grateful for what I have. I have a loving family, friendships that keep growing, good health, new relationships establishing on both a personal and professional level, and a career that brings me fulfilment, meaning and joy.
I also have a business that I can develop each day, a supportive group of people around me, opportunities to travel, freedom to make choices and the mindset that I have the ability to learn something new. My own definition of success has changed and so has what I want from life now.
What are you most grateful for this year?
Taking time to appreciate what we have can also change how we look at success and what we want from life.
We can change the direction of our life if something is no longer working or feels aligned. We also need to be mindful that everyone's circumstances are different. They might not have these things, or might not even want them. We don’t always have to be wanting more from life. We don’t have to feel dissatisfied with what we already have. You can be grateful for your life and still want to change parts of it. Gratitude does not mean that we have to stop growing or become complacent. We can appreciate what we have while still having ambitions for what we want to change, experience or achieve.
The problem with waiting until January is that we can convince ourselves that we will start later. When things calm down, I will start. When I am less busy, when the children get older, when I earn more money, when I get promoted or when I have more time. Before you know it, another year passes by and a potential opportunity could be missed. You are left wondering, where has the time gone and how am I still here?
The distinction here is that you are not asking, ‘Did you achieve what you wanted?’
Instead, you might ask: ‘What are you waiting for?’
Motivation doesn't last forever and can fade away fast. In January, we can feel motivated and ready to go. After a while, the gym no longer feels exciting, the diet becomes difficult to keep, the course you said that you would do gets pushed to the side. The new routine becomes inconvenient and the job search becomes more exhausting. Change is difficult to sustain. We often do not make the time to understand our patterns, thinking and behaviour. When we start making deliberate choices and taking small actions, it is easier to make progress and focus on the end goal. We don’t have to completely change our life before January. The important thing is to simply get started.
I have become more conscious of appreciating what I have rather than putting unnecessary pressure on myself. We all have two months left in the year and don’t have to make drastic changes to improve our life. We don’t have to have it all figured out. Take time to reflect and be grateful for what we have. Make time to think about what matters to you and understand why something isn’t working or is no longer of interest to you. Prioritise what you want more of and what you will no longer tolerate.
If you want to change something now, just get started and don’t wait until you get to January. Just remember that gratitude and ambition can exist together.
