It’s now three weeks into the new year but it feels like week seven of January with four and a half more weeks to go hehe. January is the real December hangover especially if we haven’t pangad ourselves for the new year. Kenyans have even called it njaanuary ( a January full of hunger).
I have no statistics but I feel many of us start waking up from our New Year resolutions (dreams for some) and plans towards the end of January. We become less motivated (and distracted) as the task starts to appear daunting and we doubt if we were being too ambitious about our resolutions. The road is getting bumpier as the new year fades in the rearview mirror. And that’s what differentiates people.
I read somewhere that consistency is what remains when the excitement has gone away. Those who keep moving even after the celebrations have ended are the ones who arrive. Hard work isn’t attractive, just the result of it. I’m noticing now in random conversations that people have less energy than in the first week of the year. More people at the beginning of January seemed to have activated their faith with renewed zeal. We were focusing on the opportunities, ready to put in the work, and full of positive vibes. Now I’m hearing more of the resignation kind of talk, especially the common fodder of Kenyans, our politics. We are so fixated on the endless drama of our political leaders yet most are not minding our business. Or could it be that I’m hanging with the wrong crowd hehe
I have found myself in that space recently and I hate it. Venting about how tough life is. It’s taking the wind from under my sails and I need to be more conscious of avoiding these pity parties. The strange thing is I don’t even realize how I get into them. I just find myself contributing to these talks and I leave discouraged most of the time. Oprah said that if we look at what we have in life we will always have more; if we look at what we don’t have in life, we will never have enough. And to have enough requires a positive outlook. I’m sure for some folks January is short because they are progressing well.
Maybe it is time we introduced – After New Year resolutions. Some sort of New Month resolutions or even mid-month ones if that’s what will keep us on track. Perhaps we need a soft landing after the Christmas celebrities and the hopes that the new year ushers in. Could we be moving from cloud nine to zero too fast? or should we downgrade to a new month anniversary every first day of the month after January? I think I’m losing track here guys I hope you get my point.
Folks just like how we see athletes warming up before a race, maybe January is a warm-up month and we should approach it slowly and not sprint into the year. Does our focus fade away quickly because we have put too much pressure on ourselves too quickly? Maybe the month feels endless because we expected to have achieved a lot this month and this could be just preparation time. Many people overestimate what they can do in a year or month but underestimate what they can do in ten years, said Mark Batterson. Ponder on that for a minute,
I heard on a coaching webinar this week that our energies flow to where our thoughts go. If we get disappointed that things are not working out haraka then our energy to achieve goes down. We stagnate and join a pity party nearby to validate that indeed there is no need to aim high. Misery loves company. Sadly that seals our fate and maybe there was some great thing loading just around the corner.
I got into the new year stressed kidogo. My energies moved into some negative space and maybe that blinded me from seeing opportunities that passed down my street. And you know opportunities never get wasted. They just move on to someone else. Sir God even confirmed I need to shift my mind. In our first early morning meeting of 2024, I read Isaiah 43: 16 – 21. It says, “Forget what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand new. It’s bursting out…..”
Folks let’s forget what happened last year and maybe even what’s happening now that’s eating our motivation. May we be alert for the rest of this month and year. One way is by focusing on what we already have and being present there instead of what’s not ours yet. Maybe when we fully utilise what’s in our hand then something brand new will burst forth, as the Good Book says and the month will end faster hehe
What’s in your hand now?
Great thoughts Lucas