Out with the Old, in with the New

Starting the new year by reflecting on the past

We all have our own way of starting the new year. Some of us plan out their year completely, others have new years resolutions (some that succeed, some that are forgotten within the next 60 days), and some of us don’t believe the new year gives a fresh start, life just goes on.In reality, for all of us, whether we view January 1st as a fresh start or not, life does go on. For me today meant starting off with several new years resolutions, including 1 hour of cleaning the house, 1 hour of exercising and last but not least, writing this blogpost. It also included letting go of 2 pairs of shoes that I haven’t worn more than twice in 2023, but I wanted to keep because of a sentimental value I felt they held to me. So how do we let go of the old in order to start with the new?

1. Being grateful for what you’ve received
As weird as it may sound, it’s ok to take time to think about the special moments of the past, reflect on those moments and what they have meant to you. More importantly, to find a place for them and be grateful to have had a pleasant experience. For me, these two pairs of shoes where two pairs of GaryVee’s. Both of them worn out, one a size too small, the other a size too big. But, I wore them with pride. They where part of my entrepreneurial journey, I wore them to get my first big clients, I wore them during the opening keynote of the Social Media Conference Suriname. For those memories, I’m grateful.

2. It’s ok to let go
There is no reason to keep dwelling on the past. In reality, those shoes their time had come. Like I mentioned, I rarely wore them in 2023 anyway. But it was hard to let go. In life we tend to hold on to things because of fond memories. Sometimes memories that we don’t want to let go. Sometimes because of a memory we find is unfinished, but the opportunity to finish the memories has long passed. The question that comes up, is it worth holding on to something if it limits us to go forward? Even if it is something as small as making space in a shoe rack.

3. Hold on to what you value
Letting go doesn’t mean that we forget. It is completely ok to let go. Even better, letting go allows us new experiences. That’s why we never really let go of past experiences. We always carry something along, how small it may be. When used right, past experiences help us better prepare for the future. As a creative mind, I decided to keep several elements of the shoes that I felt had some value and I would be able to incorporate in a future art project, without the shoes keeping up the space on the shoe rack.

So, to start of the year, some questions for yourself to think about:
- What experiences from 2023 and the past in general are you grateful for?
- What part of those experiences do you value most?
- How will you incorporate that value to your life in 2024?

Tan bun,
Jean-luc