I know people have been posting about all sorts of things for New Years, from matchy matchy outfits to the parties they went to, the nice places they were, wrap ups of the year, sometimes their most popular social posts, and quite often some sort of outlook for the year ahead. Also, for obvious reasons, there’s been more than a few ‘thank fuck that’s over’ sentiments because let’s be honest, the last few years have been a lot. In so many ways. For so many people.

The only thing i really want to add is this: a few year’s ago I made a conscious decision to try not to say “fuck I’ll be glad when this year is over” because it put all the emphasis on all the shit things that happened. And 365 days is a lot of days. And no matter how bad your year was, it’s almost never exclusively shit. Even if it was just a few minutes here and there, there’s usually been SOME good moments.

(Don’t get me wrong, i still find myself thinking and saying it sometimes, but I do my best not to.)

And also because, at the risk of being a massive party pooper, new year is a construct. It’s just literally not a real thing. The calendar is totally made up. And it’s not even the only calendar going around. So it’s not even the ONLY made up new year.

I find it useful to remind myself of that, not to be a grinch, but because I like to remind myself that:

a) You can reset and start again whenever. the fuck. you want. February 12? Start again if you like. 4pm on any random Wednesday on literally any date? Yep, good time for a reset. Go nuts. Jan 1 is just one day. It’s a neat one, admittedly, but there’s 364 others that are literally just as good. Or 365 others in a leap year.

and b) While the whole #blessed #grateful thing annoys the bejeezus out of me when it’s a bit contrived, there’s usually SOMEthing to be grateful for in the year. And although it’s easier said than done, we do get to choose what we pay attention to. Easier said than done, I know, fuck do I know, but it’s still a choice. And if thinking about all the shit stuff makes you feel shit, and thinking about all the good stuff makes you feel good, I know which one I’d prefer.

Having said all that, I do often describe Christmas and New Year as being a bit like gravity though, because even if you don’t believe in them, you’ll still feel the effects. Whether you buy into them of not, the shops are closed, then the sales are on, the traffic is shit, finding a park at the supermarket is bullshit, people are wearing silly jumpers and those antler things on their heads and telling the usually pretty excellent jokes from those bon bon things. You can’t really avoid it. Oh, and that fucking Mariah Carey song.

It’s actually been one nice thing about social media that there’s been more people talking about how hard this time of year is for some people. It’s nice that that conversation is out there now so people don’t feel like they’re the only ones feeling crappy.

So this, my friends, has been my New Year pondering.

For what it’s worth, I do usually use this time of year to reset for the year ahead, both for myself personally, my own business, and the businesses I work with. The little bit of quiet and calm in the days off is great for that instead of just running around like a chooken with its head chopped off the rest of the time, with no time to reflect or plan or make things better.

(Also for what it’s worth, when I wrote down all the things I wanted to do this year, it was pretty fucking obvious I had precisely zero chance of doing them all, which is a great reminder to prioritise!)

From me to you then, I hope you found something to celebrate when you thought back over 2022. Even if it was just a sliver of goodness in an otherwise shit show of a year. And I hope there are more good bits in the year to come. And that you take the time to notice and appreciate them.

I know as I get older, I’m finding much more joy in much less. (Not less STUFF, fuck Mari Kondo, I’m still a massive hoarder LOL) But more joy in… little things. Like how the rain looks in certain light. Rainbows. How someone’s eyes look when they smile. Having a laugh with a random stranger. Making the checkout person smile. Watching birds in my bird bath.

OK, sure, I still entered that $100million Megadraw Lottery because I strongly suspect there’s also joy in BIG things, like $100 million, but until then, here’s to all the moments.

As the great philosopher Ferris Bueller once said: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

Hope you have some amazing days ahead. Or some days with amazing bits in them.

Be awesome to each other.

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