Here we are, the first day of January, the month that is supposed to fix it all! January shows up every single year with the confidence of a motivational speaker who has never seen your junk drawer…or in some cases…your junk room. We all seem to think January is a button you press to reset the playing field, and unfortunately, it never seems to work that way.
Burned Out?
We expect January to cure burnout. We tell ourselves that once the holidays are over, we’ll finally feel rested and actually be motivated to chase down our dreams. Sadly, burnout doesn’t disappear because the tree is gone and the cookies are stale. You’re still tired. The emails are still there. The only thing that changed is now it’s darker earlier and somehow colder and windier.
Broke?
You just needed to make it to January, and then all your money problems are gone, right? Wrong. I know. It’s a huge bummer. We open our banking app like it’s going to apologize for December and say, “ALL FIXED, YOU’RE RICH.” Instead, it just shows us the damage. January didn’t undo the gifts, the travel, or the emotional support from Taco Bell. January quietly judges us.
What About Love?
How’s your love life? Doing alright in that department? Did January magically fix it? Oh, it didn’t? Well, would ya look at that! We swear this is the year we won’t text our ex, won’t stay in something that isn’t working, won’t chase people who give us nothing. And yet, January is when everyone is lonely, bored, and convinced this time might be different. It usually isn’t. Give it a rest. You’re fine with just a few cats…
Who Really Wants Discipline?
That’s what it really comes down to. Discipline. We all seem to think we will suddenly become early risers and go-getters, and that just doesn’t happen overnight. I’ve had a morning show on the radio for the past 5 years, and I still wouldn’t call myself an early riser…at all.
The Truth About January
The worst thing about January is that we expect January to fix how we feel about ourselves. Like confidence, peace, and clarity are downloadable updates. But growth doesn’t happen overnight, and it definitely doesn’t happen because we wrote a goal in a notes app. (Tried it. Over and over and over.)
January can’t fix us. But it can remind us of something important: we don’t need fixing. Maybe the goal isn’t becoming someone new. Maybe it’s just surviving the month, being a little kinder to ourselves, and laughing when January once again overpromises and underdelivers.
And honestly? That might be enough…