A Note From the Resident Overthinker
Note 026
I was watching a commercial recently and the woman said something about it being the new year.
And then she paused and said…
“Well, for some.”
And of course, my overthinking mind said:
Hmmmm…she’s right.
Because technically, we’re in August.
The new year was seven months ago.
But if you’re a parent, a teacher, have school-aged children, or simply grew up with the rhythm of the school calendar, you know exactly what she meant.
August feels like a new year.
Back to school means new schedules.
New routines.
New routes.
New bedtimes.
New mornings.
New activities.
New responsibilities.
New clothes.
New school supplies.
New everything.
One minute you’re sleeping a little later, eating at random times and wondering what day it is…
And the next minute somebody is standing in the kitchen at 6:15 a.m. asking:
“Where’s my Chromebook?”
Suddenly, everybody’s calendar has appointments, practices, meetings, assignments and places to be.
And that’s when I started thinking…
Maybe we should stop waiting until January to start over.
We get so caught up in the idea that January 1st is our one official opportunity to reset.
New year.
New goals.
New planner.
New workout routine.
New budget.
New everything.
And then life happens.
By February we’re negotiating with ourselves.
By March we’re tired.
By April we’re wondering what happened to those goals.
But here’s the thing:
You can create a new beginning whenever you need one.
And maybe August is a pretty good time.
The second half of the year is sitting right in front of you.
You can look at what you’ve accomplished so far.
Look at what didn’t work.
Adjust.
Start again.
Change the goal.
Drop the goal.
Create a completely different goal.
Whatever makes sense for your life now.
Maybe this is the season you finally get your finances organized.
Maybe you need to revisit your budget.
Start saving.
Pay down some debt.
Learn something about investing.
Maybe it’s time to get your physical health back on track.
Start walking.
Get back into your workouts.
Cook more meals at home.
Finally make that doctor’s appointment you’ve been putting off.
Maybe you need an emotional reset.
Spend less time scrolling.
Create some boundaries.
Get comfortable with your own company again.
Maybe it’s spiritual.
Maybe you need to reconnect with your faith, pray more, journal, read your Bible or simply create some quiet time.
Or maybe your reset is much more literal.
Clean your house.
Open those curtains.
Open the windows.
Declutter the closet.
Clean out the pantry.
Organize that drawer you’ve been avoiding for the last three years.
You know the drawer.
We all have one.
Sometimes getting your physical environment together helps you get your mind together too.
And that’s what I love about these little seasonal resets.
They give us a visual signal that it’s time to shift.
We see the back-to-school commercials.
The school supplies hit the shelves.
Fall clothes start showing up.
The calendar changes.
And something in us says:
Okay…let’s get ourselves together.
Maybe that’s the universe’s little reminder that you don’t have to wait for January.
You don’t need Monday.
You don’t need the first of the month.
You don’t need January 1st.
You don’t need a birthday.
You don’t need some perfectly planned moment where everything suddenly makes sense.
You can decide today that you’re entering a new season.
And if you’ve had a rough first half of the year?
That’s okay.
If your goals changed?
That’s okay.
If you started something and stopped?
That’s okay too.
Give yourself some grace.
Take inventory.
Keep what works.
Release what doesn’t.
Adjust the plan.
And keep moving.
Because there are still months left in this year.
A lot can happen between now and December.
So maybe August isn’t the beginning of a new calendar year…
But it can be the beginning of a new chapter.
And I’ll take that.
A Note for Today
You don’t need a new year to start over. Sometimes a new season is all the permission you need.
So if you’ve been waiting for your sign to reset…
Maybe this is it.
Happy New Year.
Well…
For some. 😂
Until the next note,
Your Resident Overthinker