Showing Up Without Advantage

Working in the middle..

I felt no new energy entering 2025.

I did not set any new year's resolutions as well. Yes I decided some daily habits that I'd follow (this article is not about goals v/s systems).

I preferred this because I related so much from an idea by James Clear discussed in his well known book Atomic Habits.

He ultimately argues that we associate our happiness to the achievement of the goals we set. And when we fail to reach those goals at the end of the year, we feel greatly dissatisfied and unfulfilled.

I have experienced this year after year.

At every year end, I'd remind myself of the goals I promised to achieve, that'll bring a radical change in my life and then feel the sorrow of not reaching them.

But this is also the nature of change. It takes place slowly and we maybe don't even notice it sometimes.

It happens - 1) when you dedicate yourself to something you've been avoiding, 2) when you keep putting efforts and let compounding do its work.

But all this does not prevent us from setting goals for the new year, because the idea of setting goals is so tempting.

It's widely praised on the internet and you're flooded with all that kind of motivational content at the year end.

It makes you strongly believe in yourself (what you should) but also deviates you from being realistic.

Let's understand it in detail.

The Enticing Advantage

What's so special about the new year?

Realistically, it's just about earth completing a revolution of the sun, re-reaching one of its positions after circling around the sun.

But you always feel a fresh energy that fills you up with excitement for the new year and provides you a desire to make the year great.

This all happens because of the “fresh start effect” (let's not get into its science, you can always look on the web).

It's important to understand that this energy exists at a psychological level (or an imagination level). You can't capitalize it just from fantasising about it.

You've to give it a meaning, a direction, a utility.

Yeah, you may be at your peak productivity at the start of the new year, but it's not always going to be like that.

The time will keep moving ahead, taking us in the middle of these time frames we've made for our convenience. This will be the phase of real growth. When you're working raw. Without any psychological advantage.

So it's better to make it your responsibility to act after the high of that “fake drug” (fresh start energy) is over.

It, then, comes to learning to work in the middle with an optimum amount of energy and maintain that zeal in the times of difficulty.

Here is how I'll tackle it.

Working In The Middle - The power of looking back

I used to underestimate reflecting back because I always used to think that ruminating about the past is a waste of energy. “Live in the present" was instilled in me.

But reflection is different.

Reflection is about analyzing and learning from your decisions. And understanding their consequences.

It's not about judging yourself for your actions but empowering yourself to do better.

Frequently reviewing your actions and remembering why they matter and also knowing their costs if not accomplished will help you keep progressing.

Tracking is always an option for you to visualize your progress and stay on track.

This will also help you become more resilient as you're constantly correcting your mistakes and constantly pulling yourself to the right path.

Ultimately, reflection is about learning from the past and tweaking your actions in the present.

I refuse to go back to the old me. I am becoming a better person using my experiences as lessons. ~ Unknown

Final Thoughts

I said it.

I hope you keep making progress on your aspirations without any gifted psychological edge and also learn to self fulfill your zeal.

If you got any value from this newsletter, consider sharing it with your friends.

Happy New Year!