Yes, it is that time again … time to “ring the bell”!
The holidays are officially over. The Christmas tree has been placed at the curb for pick-up. The decorations are packed away in the attic. The new calendar reads 2015. So, it’s time to get back to business, right?
WAIT … hold on a minute! I am not ready for the New Year just yet. Let’s slow down a bit. Does this sound familiar?
For many of us, the New Year seems to have arrived early this year. And while we are struggling to catch up, time continues to march on. Last night, I attended my first networking event of 2015, and you could see it on many of the attendees faces, the dreaded “holiday hang-over”. Their thoughts were clearly somewhere else, not on business. To be totally honest, I was right there with them.
Why is it so hard to get started up again after the holidays?
There are a number of contributing factors to the holiday hang-over that make it difficult for us to get started up again:
- Stress from the year-end push for new business,
- Holiday planning, parties and extended activities,
- Over-indulgence, poor diet and lack of exercise,
- Holiday travel, weather changes and sickness,
- High expectations set for the new calendar year.
When you add all of the above factors together, you can readily see how the transition from the old to the new calendar year can take its toll on us, both physically and mentally. And why it is so hard for us to ring the bell right after the holidays.
The ringing of the bell is symbolic for a variety of reasons, most notably as a ‘call to action’.
This year I have added a new element to my work-life routine, 10-15 minutes of daily meditation, to help me stay focused, energized and in turn, ring the bell throughout the year. I would encourage you to adopt a similar approach. Add something new to your repertoire to help you find your happy place, achieve your goals and keep going when faced with adversity or difficult challenges.
If you are finding it a little hard to get off the couch, out of your PJs and back into the swing of things to start the year, then get out there and find your bell and ring it, and make 2015 your best year ever!!!
Enjoy the journey!
John
COPYRIGHT © 2015 John Carroll