It’s that time of year again. Baubles, lights and all things twinkly. Whilst you might be counting down impatiently to some well-deserved time off, you are also looking back over the year. Hmmm, in true human fashion you immediately note the things you wished would have gone differently. Your mind also draws your attention -using neon lights- to the things you once again didn’t make happen and therefore remain on the endless to do and bucket lists. There isn’t enough time to make any big changes now, so you conveniently smash it into the new year. Out of sight (for now) and out of mind (not really).
The Every Year Itch
Have a very merry Christmas, but maybe change the chain of events. Is it necessary to go into yet another new year wishing, hoping, trying to achieve the things that you have been wanting to do for so long? To put all your energy into starting a new year’s resolutions list that will be on the bottom of the bin by February? How successful has that been for you previously? And if you’re not sure what your dreams, goals and skills are, or you have lost all faith to find them, is this year not the time to give it one more shot and get them firmly on the map? Everyone is gifted and talented, but it doesn’t always neatly fit in the structures we are familiar with. The great news is the world has changed and is changing still. Humans have endless creative ideas, solutions and original perspectives. Don’t shy back to explore your unique ways, they count.
So many people have an itch; that uncomfortable feeling of forgotten plans, unfinished attempts and a longing to do things differently. Every time the mundanity of life overrules any bright spark of inspiration and before you know it the year has evaporated. In order to make a change, your life doesn’t need a complete overhaul. You don’t need to have all the ducks in a row, everyone informed, every eventuality covered. People make change so much bigger than it is. If you change the position of one rock in a river, the water never again flows the same way. You don’t need to change the direction of the whole river. This applies to life. Do one thing that gets you in that itch territory. Scratch it in any way possible, acknowledge it. Small steps and persistent efforts to discover more about who you are and to give your heart a voice will pay dividends. It doesn’t reap rewards overnight, but you will feel lighter, happier for making what you’re destined to do more important. If you’re unsure of what your itch is, have fun finding out. Broaden your horizons. Read, listen and see things you would otherwise not have entertained.
Don’t press the pause button on life whilst you do everything that is expected of you. Think of it this way. If life was a currency, how would you spend it?
So enjoy Christmas like never before and then enter 2020. Differently. Go after that itch, it’s all yours to action each and every day and don’t go at it alone. I hope my book “The every-year itch” can be your companion on a new road. Don’t just read it, but let it assist you in truly making things happen.
Kirsten de Bouter Shillam is a mentor, speaker and change expert, passionate about bringing out the best in people and teams. She has worked in companies all over Europe, as well as assisting hundreds of individuals to make life and career shifts. Kirsten inspires people to reframe how work works, to do life differently and to tap into their personal potential.
And she leads by example. In the spirit of what she writes and talks about she has designed her own life around her itch for travel and fulfilment while accommodating her own family’s needs. She will be moving to Spain around the time of the book’s publication.