A time for new beginnings?
Hi there!
I hope 2026 has been kind to you so far. Personally, I've felt like January has lasted several months, but we're nearly there. The days are getting longer and a little brighter as the weeks go by. And the new beginnings of Spring are getting closer and closer.
In fact, you can celebrate the Celtic start of Spring on the 1st of February, on a day we call 'Imbolc'. It marks the start of a new season and the return of daylight to our lives. Imbolc was traditionally associated with new starts, which was this month's theme over on WorkLifeSpark, our online personal development community.
The perfect time for a fresh start
After the dark, cold and (relative) deprivation of January, February seems like the perfect time to begin again. If you've been attempting to make some kind of personal or professional change since the start of our new calendar year, you may well be feeling a little disappointed about how it's gone so far. Maybe life got in the way - either workload, caring responsibilities, illness or something else. Your gut response to this perceived failure might be to give up, abandoning your change project completely.
I'm here to tell you that it's always possible to start over - in fact, you can achieve a short boost to your motivation by giving yourself a fresh start. In a recent blog post, I outlined the benefits of the Fresh Start Effect. It doesn't need to be January 1st, or Imbolc, or Lunar New Year. It can be any day of the year!
By establishing a line in the sand, using a temporal landmark, you can put past failures and setbacks in the past, and start afresh. However, I also recommend implementing this fresh start with the 3 R's:
- Reflect: Have a think about the last few weeks and consider what got in the way of you achieving your desired outcomes or sticking to your new plan. How much was out of your hands and due to changes in your environment? How much was due to how you originally put your plan for change together? How much was due to how you thought and felt along the way? Reflection can provide valuable clues about how to make your next change even more successful.
- Recalibrate: Using the insight from your reflection phase, consider what you can change about your approach. Did you take on too much? Were you unrealistic about what could be achieved in a short period of time? Did you neglect to consider how outside influences might knock you off course? Use this information to adjust your approach by scaling it back, adjusting your time-frames, building in coping strategies, or leaning in to support mechanisms like social accountability.
- Be Realistic: A fresh start can give you a temporary boost in motivation, setting you off on a positive change journey. But it doesn't magically change who you are as a person, or imbue you with limitless willpower or focus. It's simply another chance to succeed. Be realistic about your qualities, resources and responsibilities, basing your approach on how life is - not how you wish it were.
Can you make fun a habit?
Regular listeners of the podcast may recall I discussed the impact of fun in our lives with Dr. Mike Rucker back in Episode 173. Mike wrote the excellent book 'The Fun Habit', which explores the roles of happiness and fun in our lives. While seeking permanent happiness is an unhelpful and potentially toxic goal, building fun into our lives is both achievable and good for us.
I'm delighted to share that Mike is going to be the guest for our next quarterly 'After Hours...' session on March 5th. He'll be answering WorkLifeSpark community members' questions about fun and its role in our lives, and sharing some evidence-based approaches to making fun an everyday habit.
As with all our 'After Hours...' sessions, it's members only, and the recording will only be available to WorkLifeSpark members. The good news is that you can sign up today for free! Simply visit https://www.worklifespark.com/sign-up and then head to our Events page to RSVP for the event. Members can send in their questions for Mike ahead of time, which we'll cover while streaming live.
Mike is an excellent science communicator and really brings the topic to life. I hope you can join us!
That's all for this month - thanks for reading!
