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Dear friends,
I hope all of you had an opportunity to take a break at the end of 2022 and are as well as possible. This time of year, with cold weather and short days, can feel challenging. For me, it is not a natural time to make resolutions or feel motivated. I feel out of sync with the culture- everyone is packing the gym or setting out to maintain their daily meditation streak, and I just want to read in bed with a cup of tea.
When I think about my professional development, I feel the same January ennui. This year I am taking the radical stance of leaning into it. I won’t be making any professional resolutions or reflecting on my career goals. No vision board or manifesto for me! Instead, I plan to simply do my work. I know that all of you reading this post are passionate about your work and care deeply about your professional missions. Many of you have put significant thought into how to manage your time and energy most efficiently, as I have. I hope you will join me in deciding that in the dead of winter, what you are doing is enough. There will be time to immerse yourself more broadly in your field, identify your next career steps, and strategize about how to get there. If you don’t feel it right now, that is fine. Be where you are and move the work forward.
At this time of year, I think a lot about how our calendar is a construct. The Hindu calendar that is my family heritage celebrates the end of the year in the fall, as does the Jewish calendar, among others. Our natural rhythms may not align with the dominant system of time and date that are imposed on us. Instead of forcing ourselves into an ill-fitting mold, we can choose to be in harmony with what our minds and bodies need, giving ourselves space to rest and restore during the winter months. This idea feels new and scary to me, as it might to you. Doesn’t that mean we should give it a try?!
I am eager to hear whether you try a January recharge and how it goes. As always, please share widely and, if you are so inclined, sign up for the blog here. Keep in touch and do share good news so I can amplify your successes!
Warmly,
Urmimala