By Keisa Sharpe-Jefferson
As I reflected on the number of people who work hard to create novel sayings for the start of the New Year, I became tickled thinking, “I will not be THAT person.”
However, as I began to write this column, a saying just flowed out of me – “Nothing New in 2022.” Now, of course, this would appear to be an oxymoron at first glance. How is that possible, Keisa, “Nothing New in 2022”, when the year itself evokes change?
I hear you loud and clear and yes, I acknowledge that the turn of the clock at midnight Jan. 1 signaled a brand-new chapter in history and in our lives. We really had no choice in that matter. But, when I tout “Nothing New in 2022,” I’m looking at the whole of our lives and the reality that one item has changed life as we know it for good.
Wouldn’t you say COVID has set in motion a new way of thinking, living and being? Most of you would say “yes” and I would agree.
But what I’ve found through coaching others to successfully navigate change, is that the way we maintain our sense of equilibrium in the storm is to hold onto those principles, people, places and things which represent stability. The unshakable counters the shiftiness.
This is what gives us the balance we need in the challenge. So, although new COVID threats and the New Year usher in change, we can counter any unwelcome effects with the values we know hold steady.
Our intentional action sets this in motion. Here are some simple choices that can make all the difference.
- May we continue to love on our families. Even when in-person visits are just not possible, we can use the benefit of ever-evolving technology to reach out and touch one another. Virtual hugs can provide just as many smiles and warm and fuzzies as the real thing.
- May we continue to value good health and relationships over any job or material possessions. When we feel well, we think more positively. When we think more positively, we can more easily adapt to the curveballs life inevitably throws our way.
We should all:
–Take a day off.
–Get more rest.
–Laugh unapologetically at our loved ones’ jokes (even if they aren’t funny).
–Spend more on a healthy meals full of superfoods.
–Invest more time in the people we value instead of all the material things.
- May we continue to make our mental wellness a priority. When we’re tired, let’s own it and simply take a break or stop altogether. Really, it’s ok.
When we don’t know what to do, let’s own it and ask for help.
And when we’re tempted to feel alone, depressed, isolated or defeated, let’s own it and reach out to a good friend or seek professional counsel or coaching and talk it out.
We must stop suffering in silence.
We must stop allowing our own pride to defeat us.
We must stop allowing fear to paralyze us.
“Nothing New in 2022” speaks to the core of what we already know we should do, but struggle to make happen consistently – placing value on all the weighty things that really matter in our lives.
I firmly believe our value can’t be placed in material things which perish, but it should be placed instead in nurturing ourselves (mentally and physically) and our relationships that we keep with us forever.
This sentiment is nothing new to you, but I firmly ask, will you make a commitment to do this in 2022?
Know that I’m cheering for you and if you need a reset, reach out to me.
I’d count it an honor to help you navigate a successful 2022.
Keisa Sharpe-Jefferson is a life coach, author and speaker. Her column appears on the first and third Thursdays of each month online and in The Birmingham Times. You can contact Keisa at keisasharpe@yahoo.com and visit http://www.allsheanaturals.com for natural hair and body products.
