Happy New Month you amazing people.
I love February because it offers us a chance at a new beginning. The truth is any day of the year can mark a new beginning for you. I know 'happy new year' sounds best said in January, however, it’s never too late for a new beginning. There is a tendency we have to only consider starting things at the start of the year. Cue, the person making an announcement they are starting a youtube channel or changing the all-important relationship status on Facebook. It can feel natural that these things should begin at the start of the year, however, it doesn’t have to be like this. February may be your new beginning.
January may have been a blur and you may be a little deflated, no problem. Start again this month! If, on the other hand, things are going great; then double down and start afresh this month too.
A new day, a new year, a new job, a new life, a new relationship, a new start—they all come to us without permission, in the best and worst way. They barge in our front doors with the beautiful promise of second chances and new potential and unexpected opportunity. And they also come with heartbreak, because new beginnings nearly always follow endings. Meet them grateful and optimistic.
This is the beginning.
Almost anything can happen.
This is where you find
the creation of light, a fish wriggling onto land,
the first word of Paradise Lost on an empty page.
Think of an egg, the letter A,
a woman ironing on a bare stage as the heavy curtain rises.
This is the very beginning.
—Billy Collins (from Aristotle)
A quick word about change.
Change can bring about a lot of anxiety—especially change that we didn’t initiate or ask for. And honestly, even when you’re the one who quit the job or chose to leave the relationship or decided to go on the trip (joking, you’re on lockdown) when the pieces of your life are shifting around, it’s normal to feel at least a little out of control.
Here’s how Journalist Deborah Ward puts it in her Psychology Today article, Coping with Change.
But it’s not unusual to feel shocked, overwhelmed, anxious and depressed and even fearful [at the beginning]. Even when we know we are about to face something new, the change can be overwhelming and unpredictable. And it’s this sudden lack of control over our personal environment that can lead us to feeling anxious, while the thought that we won’t be able to handle the new situation can bring on feelings of depression.
I hope this brings great comfort to you, especially if you are feeling less than thrilled at the outset of this new year. You’re normal. It’s okay. If, amidst the poppers and the streamers and the confetti and the champagne, you’re feeling less than sure-of-yourself and about what comes next, you’re not alone.
Because the New Year came without your permission, and it will come again next year, regardless of what you do or don’t do. One of the very few things we can count on in this life is changing seasons.
Change is hard—even when it’s really good for us.
Two things to remember about new beginnings.
There are a few things I think we can remember about new beginnings that can help us manage at least a little of the anxiety.
First, remember the feeling you are “starting with nothing” is simply not true. The idea of staring at a blank page with a blinking cursor, even when I begin to write a new book does not mean you start with nothing. I do not begin with nothing. I come to the page with invisible libraries of knowledge, experience, research, understanding, essence, personality, and voice.
And second, while you can acknowledge the feeling like you don’t know where to begin, it might help to remind yourself that nobody knows exactly where to begin when they’re starting somewhere new. It might seem like everyone else in your life has incredible clarity about their purpose and their plan and their intended outcome in this new season, meanwhile, you’re floundering around just trying to get off your couch—but that simply is not the case.
A FINAL WORD
Start where you are. You can’t start anywhere else but where you are. You can try, but you won’t be very successful. You can spend a lot of time wishing you were someone else, so that you could start from where they are starting, but that will just make you feel badly about yourself and will just become time you later regret wasting. The only place to start is where you are. It makes beginning really easy!
Use what you have. You have resources at your fingertips. We all do. And we could spend a long time dwelling on the fact that somebody else has more resources than we do, or better resources, or that our resources are not what we wish they were, but I’ll be honest: the most truly successful people I have known in this life do not waste time complaining that they don’t have more. They simply use what they DO have and get going.
Do what you can. I’m convinced that one of the main reasons we experience so much disappointment in our lives and burn out before we reach our goals is because we expect way too much our ourselves. We have these crazy ideas about what we can accomplish and then we wonder why we feel like such losers when we can’t do it all. Perfect house, killer career, obedient children, loving marriage, fulfilling sex life. Who has that? Anyone, you know? I didn’t think so. All you can do is all you can do. Stop beating yourself up for being human. You are not a superhero. Sadly despite my batman onesie, neither am I.
Announcements
Non-Exec Director at Salford University
1) I'm proud to announce that I've been formally appointed as the Youngest ever Non-Exec Director/Council member of the University of Salford @salforduni. It's the fastest-growing university in the North West, with an over 48 million pound yearly budget serving over 21,000 students.
My role will be working with executives on the leadership and management of the University, ensuring that adequate systems of control and risk management are in place, and assuring that the University is sustainable and financially viable. Over 150 people applied, multiple interviews so I’m glad to have been selected.
For me, this role is all about bending the levers of power towards justice and standing up for the 32% of people who go to Salford who are from low-income families.
Speaking at The United Nations
2) Please to announce that I’m going to speaking at the Anti-Racism Live Global Digital Experience on 21 March 2021 on the @peaceoneday_official and @unitednations world stage!
I will be joining a roster of some world-renowned speakers including Oprah, Kevin Hart, Michelle Obama and more!
Peace One Day in association with The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) presents the Anti-Racism Live Global Digital Experience on 21 March 2021, the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The broadcast will involve internationally acclaimed artists, actors and prominent speakers
Until next week! Enjoy this new beginning
M.T. Omoniyi
Happy new month to you too Mike! Also congratulations on your new role at Salford university and speaking at the global conference!