In 5-4-3-2-1….
The beginning of the year always brings with it this sense of urgency. Every year we are encouraged to make new years resolutions to start anew and start fresh. We set the goals, and go head first into the new year saying this year will be the year and then… nothing happens. We get to feeling behind that we haven’t made progress and then we start “shoulding” ourselves.
That’s what happened to me this month. I felt like I was already behind in the goals I had set for myself and that there wasn’t enough time to get everything done. I spent quite a bit of time in December planning and dreaming about what I want my 2026 year to look like. In setting goals for the month of January, I had written down a goal to take one action everyday towards the things that I want. When I re-read that, I relaxed and remembered that I have enough time to complete the tasks I need to complete.
Why at the beginning of the year, why are we expected to grow, ramp up and start fresh?
“Growth and change don’t happen immediately.” - Sarah Faith Gottestiner
A flower in all her beauty doesn’t rush to bloom because we want her too. We should be allowed to grow at our own rate. If you love setting New Year's Resolutions, don’t let me yuck your yum… keep doing you.
I’ve been getting back into a creative routine working through a January creative challenge called 31 days of Creative Resilience from artist Carolyn Yoo. Everyday is a different prompt, and all you need is a sketch book and pen. I was working on a drawing prompt called the 5-4-3-2-1 drawing method. This particular drawing prompt is a play on the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding method.
The prompts are name:
5 things that you can see
4 things that you can touch
3 things that you can hear
2 things that you can smell
1 thing that you can taste
January 9 Prompt by Alexandra Cole
In working through the prompts, I realized that I had slowed down enough to notice what was around me. It created an awareness for the items I had lying around my house. I found myself just focused on one task at a time. Being present with what I was doing and did not feel a sense of urgency.
In yoga, we practice to create awareness in our bodies, moving through the poses one at a time.
We all feel a sense of urgency at the beginning of the year to get everything done as soon as possible. It’s okay to be where you are, take small actions and get ready to bloom in Spring!
