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Mind States January 2008
New Year New Potential
by Marlene Buffa
We spend January 1st walking through our lives, room-by-room, drawing
up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to
balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives...not
looking for flaws, but for potential.
—Ellen Goodman
Throughout history, people have kept track of time. From the Aztecs to
Caesar, history showed us various attempts to make sense of time. The Roman
Catholic Church’s revision of the Julian calendar, put into use in 1582,
still exists as our current model. Julius Caesar, in his vast range of
abilities, developed a calendar that made sense with respect to the tropical
year. In spite of his best efforts, modifications since his first calendar
formula included adding July (for Julius) as the seventh month and August
as the eight month to pay homage to yet another reigning Caesar. This resulted
in September as the ninth month (instead of the seventh as indicated by
the prefix Sept-). October (originally the eight month, hence Oct-) moved
to the tenth position, November from ninth to eleventh, and December from
tenth to twelfth. We seldom think about month names and their Latin-root
significance, but rather correlate the months themselves with relevance
to our celebrations and traditions. This year, when the ball drops at Times
Square in Manhattan, New Year’s Eve celebrants will make their mark all
over the country. In a long tradition of using the New York ceremony as
a benchmark for other cities, we can look at other ways to welcome change—for
ourselves.
A New Year Ahead
On the first day of the New Year, we put up our new calendars and don’t
really concern ourselves with Januarius, the Roman god of doors and gates.
Rather, we take a moment to reflect on the transition of time. A gate
opens forward or backwards, allowing us to look in either direction,
and the New Year reminds us to reflect on the past while looking forward
to new opportunities. When you look at your fresh, uncluttered calendar,
you see the possibilities of the time to come. The symbolic new calendar
also reminds us that we “ran out” of the last year and, as much as we
want to cling to the old, it no longer exists.
Like last year, many things about us no longer exist and we move forward
whether we want to or not. It’s true that you will never be five years
old again, but the real joy you feel in life stems from your life experiences
and movement through the years. Once you’ve grown away from behavior and
adopted new outlooks, you’ll never again find that former part of yourself
stuck in old habits and thought patterns. The clean slate of a fresh calendar
presents itself to you not only on New Year’s Day, but also on the other
364 days of the year as well. Every day offers new beginnings, new opportunities
and new experiences for you!
Goals and Planning
Motivational speakers, time management experts and other leaders in the
human achievement movement advise us to create goals. Whether at regular
intervals or with a long-term list, written goals provide us with a focal
point of what we strive to accomplish. Your annual, quarterly, monthly,
weekly, and daily goals evolve over time and change as you grow throughout
the year. Not merely resolutions, defining your goals allows you to articulate
what you want in small nibbles as well as in a bountiful feast of possibilities.
Take time to review your goals from the last year, too. Did you accomplish
what you wanted to in 2007, or did your resolutions fade away soon after
you made them?
Keep Moving Forward and Celebrate the New
We’ve all heard “Time Marches On” in quotes and songs. Reflecting on the
good and positive aspects of the prior year serves your impetus for forward
movement. If you focus on the negative elements in the year you just
left behind, you’ll certainly attract more of the same for the coming
year. Something in your life changed last year. Take a look at where
you started and how far you progressed. Find areas where you learned
valuable lessons about what helped you or hindered you. Be thankful for
all of your experiences for bringing you where you are today and keep
moving forward.
To reinforce positive results, celebrate your efforts of the past year.
Nothing inspires you more than to rejoice in your progress and acknowledge
that this past year fostered your growth and offered you a little more
wisdom. Allow yourself the luxury of looking backward through the door
of time to see your movement and growth. Then, turn toward the future to
embrace all you hope for in the fresh 525,600 minutes coming your way.
Happy New Year!
Marlene Buffa finds practical spirituality around every corner and seeks wisdom through the observation of life’s inner relationships. Sometimes playful, sometimes poignant, always thought-provoking, her writing inspires readers in meaningful ways. For more information, visit www.wordsofmind.com.