Kicking Off the New Year

Of all the New Year’s Eve celebrations around the globe, my favorite tradition takes place in Tokyo Japan. As midnight approaches, thousands of revelers gather in the courtyard of Zojoji Temple, a structure built over 600 years ago. The more modern Tokyo Tower looms over the temple’s intricate tile roof and glitters with all the pizzazz of its original model, the Eiffel Tower. All lights are extinguished as the anticipation-filled crowd chants the countdown in sync with an electric clock. Finally, midnight arrives and the celebrators are illuminated as they simultaneously release thousands of translucent balloons. Traditionally the balloons are sent airborne as a form of prayer for peace and happiness; however, each balloon is unique for attached to its string is handwritten notes containing individual hopes and wishes for the New Year. Consider this: what aspirations for the New Year does your balloon carry?

We are now more than a week in to the New Year and the cheer from celebrating has most likely worn off; but we can still approach 2011 with the same enthusiasm that we felt at the stroke of midnight. We can make this year unlike any other. It all begins with positive thinking and self leadership. Mick Ukleja and Robert Lorber apply this concept best in their book “Who are you? What do you want?”

“Self-leadership, then, consists of the thoughts, behaviors, and strategies that help you exert influence over yourself…Self-leadership—the ability to lead yourself—requires confidence to act on your values, no matter the consequences.”

Regardless of the ups-and-downs that the upcoming year may bring, we can remain true to the goals we have set for ourselves. We can do the things we have always wanted to accomplish instead of putting them off for yet another New Year.
The fleeting period of New Year’s Eve may be the only time that we pause to consider where we have been and where we are going. Discomfort can arise from focusing on what has prevented us from moving farther toward our goals. How much ownership must we take for the inhibiting circumstances that have caused our present realities? It is much easier to glance back at our successes without taking the time to acknowledge the challenges we overcame to achieve them.

By looking to our past we can develop our self-leadership practices by recognizing our inhibitions and negative thoughts. Then we can make the choice to discontinue the destructive patterns. More importantly, forgiving ourselves of past mistakes aids us in moving forward. We can honestly assess who we really are and what we truly wish to accomplish in the near future. Clarifying values, developing positive thinking, and acting on behavior strategies all are results of reflecting on our lives. Through this reflection we are resetting our path to success by counteracting inertia.

Think of the thousands of balloons that float all the way to the tip of Tokyo Tower and beyond. Just as the final destination of those balloons is unknown so too is the outcome of 2011 for each of us. It is up to us to ensure that as we send our hopes and dreams afloat, our aspirations never leave our grasp.