Why do we wait until now?

It is the end of another year here – I say “here” because I know that for some, it is not the same. But I can only write from within my own experience.

We tend to make a big deal of it being the end of the year in this part of the world “and really, I do not know why. It appears to be a time when we can try, once again, to do better or something. Some of us even make the same false promises to ourselves over and over with the beginning of each new year: I will be a better person, stop eating so much, be nicer to my partner, etc., etc. Sometimes, however, we do make new commitments, and keep them.

But each year end I wonder “why do we wait until now?” Why don’t we make these new commitments, or renew old ones as the year goes on and the time is right? Don’t get me wrong, my finger is pointing at myself as well.

Here are a few examples:

Each month I could say “I am going to learn to do something new this month which will make me a better worker”.
Each team meeting I could say “I am going to do something to help the team be more of a team today”.
Each morning I could say “I am going to better with that kid today”.
In the moment, I could say “I will be connected here”.

Well, you get the point. I am thinking that if we made or remade our commitments like this there might be a better chance that they would not end up being false promises to ourselves because they are made when they are relevant. We are after all a “field of the moment”.

Here is trick I learned once – once was enough – if you make a commitment, make it public. People tend to help you hold on when you are slipping so letting a few friends know about your commitment can sometimes be a supportive thing to do. If you are lucky they will remind you, nag you, harass you and help you do what you said you would do.

And here is something I learned from an early mentor – live your commitment. Embrace it, hold it dear, protect it and live it. Throw it over your shoulders like a shawl on a cold night. Wear it like sunscreen when the sun is blazing, carry it like an umbrella, and wrap it around you lovingly.

As the year winds to an end here in this part of the world, I find myself in a state of gratitude. We have experienced so many good things this year – living and loving together, making new friends, spending time with old friends, watching the sunset while crying, listening to the voice of love.

One might think that with the year we have had, filled with the deaths of families and friends, our own health threats, worries about family and friends, and all that we might end up otherwise. But here we are, today, living in togetherness. How can one not be grateful for that?

So, here is a commitment one can make every morning when the eyes first open – “today I will live gratitude”.

And we can, and should, help the people with whom we work do the same.

Thom