This is the time of year when we welcome a new year. We stay up to the bewitching hour (or at least some of us do)…and celebrate the beginning of a new calendar year. With new hopes. With fresh intentions, and goals, and dreams. Where we release some of the hurts and pains of the prior year – and strive to begin anew.
Although an arbitrary marker, January 1st does present itself annually as a time to reflect and renew, or begin anew, with a fresh start, a stronger focus, and a new beginning.
And so we are off. At work, we reset the business scorecards, create a new plan, and boldly claim new goals and intentions. At home, we get a gym membership, begin the job search, and clean out the closets.
Yet we often fail to realize this core truth: every beginning requires an ending.
We allow our eagerness to start anew to obscure the reality that failing to integrate an ending into our new beginnings sets us up for failure. All the things we wish to discard or transform exist for a reason. It may not be a good reason or a healthy reason or a reason that continues to serve us, but there is some reason that the “old way” is a part of our present life.
Some examples may serve this point:
- Our sales growth may be stalled because the market has shifted, and we lack the courage to face this hard truth.
- Our productivity may be declining, not due to our people, but due to aging equipment.
- We fail to honor our body with good food, exercise, and rest because, deep down, we don’t feel we are worthy.
- Our clutter may be due to instant gratification from online shopping or a perceived need to “keep up with the Joneses).
The time we spend deeply understanding WHY we are in the place we find ourselves and WHAT is contributing to maintaining the status quo, the more likely we are to be successful in our new beginning.
Beginnings are shiny, untarnished by failed attempts, messy attempts, and inept actions that are part of becoming something new and different. We (or at least I) envision the end point—the completed project, the better life, the amazing outcome.
Yet far too often, we (or at least I) skip over the important work of asking myself these questions:
- What will I have to give up for this to happen? (think time, money, energy, other opportunities)
- What underlying beliefs or rewards will I need to abandon or reframe to make this change?
- What is it about the current state that is serving me?
- Realistically, what will this new beginning require of me?
Here are some examples:
- Your intention is to read more, and so you may have to say goodbye to mindless TV or device time.
- You resolve to say yes more, which means you may have to release the self-doubt that holds you back.
- Or the opposite: You want to say no more, and first, you will have to understand the deeper reasons you say yes far too easily to requests.
When we are clear-eyed about what needs to be let go of, we can begin to understand both what got us to this place and what keeps us here. This enables us to get to the root of the situation and assess whether we are truly desirous of doing the work to get to the new beginning.
Because lofty goals and ambitions and improvement projects are necessary to be our best, it is equally important to create a clear picture of the end-state we are striving for:
- What are the outcomes of successfully achieving the new beginning?
- How will I feel when I am successfully achieving what I set out to?
A familiar quote from Charles Ketting states,
“A problem well-stated is a problem half solved.”
And so, an organization may have to give up some short-term profits to invest in a new product launch. The leaders will have to give up some false bravado that all is well and that they know all the answers and step into the unknown that change requires. They will have to admit that the current state, although not comfortable, is at least stable and that stepping into a new market is terrifying. This action will require courage, resilience, and focus.
Yet, when successful, it will be the move that saves the company and employment that sustains its people. At the other end, they will feel pride and accomplishment rather than failure and regret.
Perhaps a more relatable and common example is the person wanting to begin to be “more healthy.” They will have to give up some time as they switch from fast food to home-cooked meals and spend more time in active pursuits than on a comfy couch consuming TV. They may need to shift the belief that good health is only for the athletic or young to a belief that anyone at any age in any shape can step into better health. And they will have to be clear-eyed that eating better and moving more will require focus and persistence and perhaps some help from those around them.
Yet, juxtaposing the hard reality of their current state with the vision of a healthier, happier self that has an improved quality of life, more energy, and vitality, who feels great most days provides the psychic energy to do the hard work to get to the new place.
You step into your new beginning with clarity by contrasting where you are (current state) with where you want to be (desired future). You know what it will require and you can evaluate if the reward is worth the effort. You will have already identified those gremlins that undermine your efforts and often can find ways to eliminate or mitigate their mischief.
Here are two examples of how this process works for me!
- The idea of “Beginnings” came perilously close to the start of a new “offering” for my business. I envisioned a blog/newsletter series that included a monthly call. A new logo and branding. Perhaps an online course.
While I still love the idea, the big idea became more doable when I sat with it for a few weeks. When I asked myself why I wanted to start one more thing. When I recalled the amount of time and effort and external support I would need to launch a new product/service. And I realized that saying yes to this idea, no matter how wonderful, would require some endings:
- Not honoring my intention to simplify my life rather than complicate it
- Putting an end to my clear intention to work fewer hours
And so, rather than a BIG thing, I’ve set an intention to use my existing blog to talk about how to have success in beginning new things, at work and at home.
- In 2021, I realized that the biggest factor between me and living the vibrant life I imagined for myself was my health. And although I was in reasonably good health, there were some changes I needed to make. For me to BEGIN decades of health, I needed to END some unhealthy habits. I needed to end my love of carbs and begin to eat more greens. I would have to BEGIN to move more and END being curled up with a book or in front of the PC as much.
I also realized that I needed some support, in the form of a health coach who helped me get “smarter”, held me accountable for making small changes over time, and who taught me manageable ways to be more healthy that worked for me and my lifestyle.
And so, four years later, the changes I made “stuck.” I eat better, move more, and feel better.
And so, as you contemplate the new beginnings you are seeking in 2025, I encourage you to ponder the question of endings as well. I’m not saying NOT to begin….or to begin boldly. I am saying that sometimes, asking the sobering question of what really needs to happen for you to fully say yes to the new beginning can enable you to be successful in achieving your goal or intention.
Here are some reflections you can ponder as you begin…
- What are my true inner goals for beginning something new?
- What might be the real costs of beginning?
- What might be the actual, long-term costs of not beginning?
And finally, some shameless self-promotion: Evergreen Leadership has a wonderful group of coaches who can help leaders successfully make the transformational changes they are undertaking. If you’d like support for your new beginnings, reach out, and let’s talk.
