Happy New Year! So What Now?

HAPPY NEW YEAR, and welcome to 2024.

If you are anything like most people, I have no doubt that you celebrated and had all sorts of fun when the calendar changed from 2023 to 2024. As the clock struck midnight and the date changed from December 31st to January 1st, for many people, that small change represents renewal and a fresh start.

It's a time for you to start over and begin again. It's quite refreshing when you think about it. The idea of just being able to start over - that sounds quite nice, in fact.

But let's be real here... Nothing mythical happens when the clock changes from 11:59 pm to 12 am.

Why Do We Celebrate The New Year on January 1st?

I've always wondered why we call January 1st the first day of the year.

It doesn't have any particular global significance on its own. It's not an equinox vs solstice; there are no significant historical events that happened on the day to lock it into tradition. Also, many other religions and areas celebrate their new year on different days.

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, New Year's Day didn't always happen on January 1st. In past years it was March 25th, December 25th, and several other days.

Thanks to Julius Caesar, January 1st was officially established as the first day of the calendar year in honor of the Roman god Janus when Caesar introduced his Julian calendar in year 46.

What To Do Now That The New Year Is Here?

I get so vexed when people say things like oh, just wait until (insert arbitrary date/event/time/etc. here), then things will be different...

Regardless of the date of the calendar, nothing in your life will change unless you change it... It has been time to drop the dead weight and make something happen... The current position of your life is the end result of every decision you've made. You don't need the calendar to be ready on 1/1/2024 to make a change.

Start now; don't wait until midnight, tomorrow, next week, next month, or whatever...You're just sitting on the couch anyhow.

At the end of the day, this thing we call life is about progress! Make a plan, Get up, and get moving. Whether you like it or not, life waits for no man (or woman)!

Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying...
-Andy Dufresne