Celebrating the New Year is Stupid!
I know, I know, that’s an outrageous statement! But let me explain.
It is NOT because I don’t enjoy fireworks (the bigger the better, in my mind). It’s NOT because I dislike parties and celebrations (love ’em)! It’s NOT because I don’t face each year with hopeful expectation of what the new year will bring (I do). And, it is NOT because I don’t value opportunities to improve with time-oriented goals (I certainly do). The reason I think celebrating the New Year is stupid is because I think most of us do it wrong.
“Wrong!?” you say. “That’s a pretty strong word, Jon! What gives you the right to say I celebrate the new year ‘wrong’?” That’s a great question. I know I don’t truly have the right to say that anyone celebrates WRONG. At the same time, I think we have completely misunderstood the value of the New Year, and thus we are celebrating it wrong. Let me explain further.
Every 365 solar days, we celebrate the New Year. Many of us will host or attend parties, we will enjoy shouts and other revelry as we bring in the new year. Meanwhile, the vast majority of professionals and leaders will also “celebrate” the earth’s orbit around the sun by setting new goals, identifying new KPI’s, and maybe even setting “New Year’s Resolutions” (which will be promptly abandoned sometime between January 2nd and February 28th). Some of us will start a new work-out or reading schedule. Others will begin to do cold-plunges and prep for marathons. In summary, with the advent of the New Year, we have the tendency to try to become new people: healthier, more successful, more desirable, etc…
I am sure that you can tell from my tone that, while I certainly support growth and progress, I tend to view most of what I have described above as superficial exercises in futility. As someone who regularly writes on growth and leadership, one might expect that I would relish the opportunity to start fresh and leverage the occasion of a new year to become a better person, better leader, better business, etc. And, since most people perceive that the new year is a perfect time to do that, it probably seems odd that I would address this topic with an undertone of disdain. So, let me share with you why I think celebrating the new year is stupid.
THE NEW YEAR IS NOT A MAGICAL PORTAL!
Sure the New Year is, well, a new year. In fact, it’s also a new month and a new day and this year (2024) it’s also a new week (if you start your weeks on Monday). But, despite all of these new time designations, there is no inherent magic that will change us as individuals. I think that many of us view 1159 on December 31st like Cinderella did. We think that the next moment will change everything about us. We truly believe that, when the clock strikes 12, or the ball drops, or the lights go off, we will be a different person: a more disciplined person, a more faithful person, a more dedicated person. We genuinely believe that the New Year will bring a new us! (If you don’t believe me, just ask any sales rep at your local gym or refer to any number of “New Year, New You” memes that will flood the internet in the coming days.)
But, do you know what comes with us into the New Year? The old us. The habits we built in 2023 will follow us into 2024. The character developed in 2023 will be there right along-side us in 2024. The person we were in 2023 is the same person that is walking, shouting, cheering our way into 2024. And despite the fireworks, celebrations, and overall joyous occasion, who we are doesn’t change with the passing of a year (or month, week, and day).
Now, most of you will read this either in the days just before or just after the new year and you may be thinking, “Well, thanks a lot, Jon! What little motivation I HAD to try and make 2024 special is now shot! Way to go! Guess I’ll just go back to the status quo…” If this is you, please hear me when I say that, if that is the message you have received so far PLEASE KEEP READING! I am NOT saying that there is no value in starting new things at the beginning of the new year.
Of course, almost all effective goals have a time component. We have monthly sales metrics, yearly profit goals, and maybe even weekly laundry schedules. So, using the new year as a time-metric is a very useful tool. But, that’s where the value ends. You see, it is not 2024 that is special, it is you. 2024 is simply a period of time to measure how far you have come while the earth traveled 584 million miles (940 million km) around the sun. It is a FANTASTIC metric to compare one year to the next (or the last). It is perfect to use as a discerner of growth or stagnation. But, what it is NOT is a magical portal that will make us better.
I don’t usually bring up personal matters and I have never brought up my family, in these articles. But I would like to brag on my wife just a bit because she has recently embodied what I am trying to share in this article. Within the last month or so, she decided that she was not being nearly as physically active in her job as she once was and therefore needed to begin exercising. This was about a week into December and I know very few people who would have taken action immediately.
Almost all of us, if we were to have the same epiphany, would have confidently “decided” that after the New Year, we would get in shape. We might have even had a specific goal of weight (whether weight to lose or weight to lift), or endurance, or something else. But whatever we planned. It would probably begin on January 1st…OK, January 2nd. We’d probably be out late on the 1st. You know, come to think of it, the first week is really already shot, because it is going to be really busy at work, and the gym is going to be packed. Maybe we’d just start on week 2. But, honestly, the gym doesn’t really start thinning out ’til February, and that it probably better anyways, because that will let us focus on all the other goals we have set for January… (am I making my point?)
But that is not what she did. I’m not sure what her exact thought-process was, but what I DO know is the next thing I knew she had downloaded a free workout app, and was downstairs exercising before work every morning. And, when she was feeling a bit sick (I think EVERYONE has gotten the cold, this year), she pressed on and maintained her new schedule. And here is what is cool about this. NOW, when we step into 2024, she gets to bring a new habit, a new discipline, a new person…not because 2024 magically made her new, but because she put in the work to bring that newness to the new year.
Do you want to read more? 2024 is not the solution. You are.
Do you want to eat better? 2024 is not the solution. You are.
Do you want to rest more consistently? 2024 is not the solution. You are.
Do you want to ______ better/more/etc.? 2024 is simply a flip of the calendar. YOU are the one who has to the do the work to change!
So obviously, I do not think that all celebration of the New Year is stupid. By all means, ring in 2024 with great passion and joy! After all, if nothing else making it through 2023 is worth celebrating–it’s been quite the year! And obviously let’s greet the coming year with enthusiasm and expectation of the opportunities that it will bring. But, let’s not make it MORE than it is. It is not a magical day that changes our character or habits. It is simply a turn of the calendar and a new beginning in the mental construct we call time.
So, as we engage this year, when we notice something that may need our attention, let’s not wait until 2025 to take action. Let’s do it today…after all that’s all we truly have! Let’s develop the habits, character and discipline that we want to bring with us into the next day, week, month or even year. And let’s use time for what it truly is: a metric–not motivation and not as some potion that will charm us into being a person that we never put the work into becoming.
Happy 2024 to each of of you! I wish you the very best in your personal lives, your businesses, and all other endeavors!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If SML Consultive can serve you or the leadership of your organization, a free consultation may be booked via www.ServantMindedLeadership.com.
For more free Leadership resources:
– Consider joining our new LinkedIn Group: www.linkedin.com/groups/9349219/
– Subscribe to our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@ServantMindedLeadership
#leadership #growth #development #newyear #2024 #motivation #inspiration #discipline #dedication #character #celebrate #magic
About SML
SML Consultive got its start when the founder, Jon Antonucci recognized a problem in almost every organization: Front-line leaders were failing terribly, and their teams were miserable!
Jon decided to leverage his 20+ years of leadership experience to solve this problem and empower leaders that leave a positive legacy and change the world!
Providing dynamic and engaging leadership tools for leaders who actively work with staff, SML empowers effective engagement with internal clients, fostering a culture of collaboration and impact that facilitates increased employee retention and customer satisfaction.
Real-world solutions are customized to meet the unique needs of the individuals and organizations served, ensuring dynamic impact and the opportunity for leaders to leave a legacy that changes the world—starting with the team and organization they are serving.
Looking for a great leadership development solution for either yourself or the leaders of your organization? Visit www.ServantMindedLeadership.com for more information on how we serve the forgotten leaders and empower them to change the world!
The above content is provided as a free resource from SML Consultive, the global leader in front-line leadership development. For more free Leadership resources:
– Join the Servant-Minded Leadership Group on LinkedIn
– Subscribe to the Servant-Minded Leadership YouTube channel