Keeping Early January Energy
Why early January energy is really about perspective, not motivation
I’ve fallen back in love with this stretch of the calendar.
Late December. Early January. Janus time.
I’ve written about it before, the Roman god with two faces, one looking back, one forward. But this year it’s hitting differently. Maybe it’s age. Maybe it’s responsibilities. Perhaps being wired as a helper for so long makes it easy to forget the experience itself, in favor of the outcomes.
At my best, people have described me as having a kind of boyish joy. Not naive. Not unserious. Just genuinely energized by the work and the people and the possibility of things turning around.
Somewhere along the way, that joy can get crowded out by scorekeeping.
Did I do enough last year?
Did I miss something?
How fast do I need to make up ground?
Culture does not help. Dopamine everywhere. Instant feedback. Everything is framed as urgent, critical, existential, and unprecedented.
And yet.
There’s something beautiful about this season. My birthday is January 9th. Capricorns are the best. I won’t apologize for that. But what I really love is that everyone becomes a Capricorn this time of year.
New year, new discipline.
New plan.
New gym membership.
Strong convictions.
Tickets already bought.
Diet started yesterday.
