is an illusion, as we experienced those previous years, this year being another confirmation of how little we can influence.
All we have is our adaptability and resilience. Thinking about myself those resources are pretty drained and I need to use the holidays to refill and recharge.
When we take good care of our resources, we still have no control about external factors. We can be politically active, environmentally aware and act accordingly, but the feeling of not being able to substantially influence the course of events leave us with a sense of resignation, tiredness, sadness or even depression.
However, we can still be agents of change, we are in charge of our own personal development.
This time of the year invites for intro- and retrospection, and it helps to make a short list of what went well, what was achieved and learned, but also taking into consideration the things which were not yet accomplished and failures. The biggest learnings lie in our mistakes, as we all know!
I personally find it comforting that I can take influence, I can decide for things to change, even though these possibilities might be limited, depending which standpoint you take - being a determinist or believing in free will.
To me, both is true, certain traits are defined, but I can still act on them, grow on them or even endeveour to change my reaction to them.
In a time of crisis, it is important to remind yourself of your agency, of your self-efficacy. Think about what you would like to see evolve or emerge in the New Year, take the time to truly reflect and describe how the change will feel and look.
what will you feel?
where will you be?
how does your change look like?
which associations do you make with that change?
what kind of support do you need to make the change?
how will the change be noticed by others?
what will you say to yourself when you have achieved your change?
which small steps can you take today to initiate the change?
You can make a moodboard, a list, use post its, or a more refined strategy, the most important thing is to not loose hope and to trust in your own abilities. Recharge and take care of your resources, get help when you need it, nobody has to do it alone!