It never fails. As usual, I suffered a mixture of excitement and a tinge of anxiety surrounding New Year’s. This happens to me towards the end of every single year. On the one hand, I’m excited about the clean slate and newness, but on the other hand, I dive into this small pool of anxiety about the unknown.
It’s one thing to look back over the years and feel at ease about knowing you survived it. Yay! It’s another thing when faced with a pending future where anything can happen and you don’t know if you’re headed towards doomsday. You know, doomsday doesn’t fit into my schedule this year.
We can also be headed towards some awesome greatness and fun times this year too, right? Yeah!!! Let’s focus on those things instead.
Sometimes when I think about what could happen over an entire year, I feel overwhelmed.
It’s like when you’ve decided to run a marathon. 26.2 miles, as a whole, is a big number. But when you break it down to, let’s say, one mile, 26 times, it’s a bit more manageable.
If I apply this strategy to the New Year, it’s not 365 days. It’s one day, 365 times.
Of course, let’s all hope that day isn’t a “Groundhog Day” movie and we wake up hearing “I Got You Babe” by Sonny & Cher every single morning. By the way, I can think of worse songs to wake up to.
Focus on running the one mile you’re in. Focus on the one day you’re in. I like this approach.
Yes, anything is possible. Yes, anything can happen. Good and Bad. Or, however, you define your experiences.
Instability and uncertainty plague us on a daily, so the best I can do is try and stay present in the moment, and not travel too far down the road with all the negative “what ifs” that weasel their way into my thinking.
Each time my mind wanders into a [insert doomsday scenario here] thought, I try to reel myself back into where I am in that moment. We’re only a few days into 2019 and I’ve wrestled with these scenarios a few times already. There are only a few things I can control, and what I allow to fill my thoughts is one of them.
I don’t know what 2019 will bring, but I can only hope that whatever comes my way, I have the strength and grace to endure it. And that is my wish for all of us.
Thanks for reading.