Tuesday, January 02, 2007

New

What really makes January 1 different from December 31? Think about the global buildup; the parties; the resolutions; the coverage; the hype; the hope…

How many times have you said, “See you next year!” while really meaning tomorrow or next week at most? (A quick aside—I had trauma over this as a child: My parents went out to a New Year’s party and said, “See you next year!” – I freaked.) And then when you did reconnect you had this feeling of disconnection. Like it was 12 months later or not – maybe it just felt like any other Monday or Tuesday.

It’s all a question of beginnings…

What really constitutes a beginning? For some, it’s a birthday or the New Year, as determined by your religious beliefs; for others, it’s the fiscal year; maybe it’s the day your pants finally fit after a determined diet; how about the day you finally start your nonsmoking regimen or the day you really feel good afterwards; how about the birth of your first child, or first grandchild (like I just celebrated!). All of these are important beginnings…but are they new beginnings?

What is a new beginning? Is it an oxymoron? Isn’t a beginning new by definition?

To bring this full circle, I ask, is January 1 a new beginning, a beginning or just another day in a long cycle of days that measures our progress, or lack thereof?

Now you know some of the thoughts that consumed me as I sat holding my new grandson and thinking about what the world would be like, one day, when he held his first grandchild…

So I decided to focus on beginnings for the next couple of weeks and see what you think and where it takes us.

So let’s begin…

“The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are.”
Seneca

And there you have my first thought for the New Year and my opening salvo on beginnings – new or otherwise.

January 1 is no different from any other January 1, or any other month for that matter if you haven’t decided to move ahead.

Entitlement; complacency; privilege; smugness; contentment and self-righteousness are the banes of anything new, including new thinking or new beginnings.

Stay where you are, or decide that you won’t and make new things happen…then every day can be a New Year…

Your “new” thoughts?

Posted by David on 01/02 at 12:35 PM
(5) Comments • Permalink

  1. Yes, "new beginnings" is redundant. As redundant as "the time is now." "New" is whatever isn't "old" yet! For example, being 50 years old is "new" to someone who just turned 50. But for that same person, being 30 is not "new," it's..."old."

    Posted by Gib  on  2007-01-02 19:43:51

  2. I think the phrase "new beginnings" acknowledges the fact that we've had thousands of previous beginnings, some of which never came to the desired conclusions. New year is usually a time to "start over", like with a clean slate. Of course it's completely psychological, the new year can start on any given day for all I know... Anyway, happy new year...

    Posted by Dan  on  2007-01-03 08:49:00

  3. To me "new beginnings" is a phrase that denotes a positive shift in attitude - a different path to tread and a different approach to life. A change in attitude that helps you grow as a person. Therefore new beginnings can happen at any point in time.

    Posted by Lisa Cook  on  2007-01-03 10:18:03

  4. I love new beginnings....

    Posted by David Sable  on  2007-01-03 13:33:06

  5. Something inherent in all beginnings (new or otherwise) is that something else had to end. Sometimes we get so caught up in the shiny and new that we lose track of why we decided that previous "thing" required an ending in the first place. Remembering the old can often help us establish the best course of (and maintain motivation for) our "new beginning" - whether it's a shift in business model or simply a determination to stick to a healthier diet.

    Posted by dawn moser  on  2007-01-05 17:40:53

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