So, a new year is upon us! I know that 2020 has been, and will be, rehashed many times because it is possibly the craziest year that any of us have experienced as a worldwide phenomenon. Bushfires, pandemic, riots, port explosion wiping out a city, elections in New Zealand and the United States, pandemic vaccinations, the list goes on and some on those things are not yet resolved. Depending on who you are, and where you are, your perspective will be vastly different.
The new year, however much it is simply a human concept, is a really good time to reset. Now, as with all good theories, I have had some input from other sources. “Start with Why” is a book by Simon Sinek, very readable or listenable, which talks about how successful businesses work. I also recommend the Maker’s Yearbook, a organizing diary which gives you tools for business planning in creative fields. Both of these, plus advice from various sources in my circle have helped me to understand how to organize my creativity but I think that there is much to be said for them however you operate. If you work for someone else and you want to just get the most out of life, in both your work and leisure time, then it’s worth going through this process.
I think that the best way to start this off is to think about why. What I mean by that is, why do you get up in the morning? Why do you enjoy your workplace, or your creative choices, or the place that you choose to live? What makes you tick? I enjoyed teaching in a classroom, for instance, because I loved organizing lessons, demonstrating and promoting creative thinking in maths and art, and seeing the joy when something was learned. There were aspects of my job that I did not enjoy but those parts were why I stayed there as long as I did and also why I eventually moved onto other pursuits.
The next question is what do you dream of achieving? Brainstorm, mindmap, be free and write down what you want to do! From this point, group your thoughts and think about how you can achieve some or all of your dreams this year. This means that you need to make a monthly, quarterly, and/or six monthly plan and then think about the steps that you should take to get there.
It’s actually quite an exciting couple of hours which you can spend doing this and have to think big and think positive. Whatever you do about it, it has the power to change how you go about everyday life. You can use it to bolster your every day thoughts, start changing the way that you work or the way that you think about work, join a group of likeminded people – in person or online, depending on where you live, or whatever you choose.
Whatever you do, I wish you a very happy new year and hope that we have a more peaceful and joyous 2021.
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