The arrival of the new year often leads to a moment of deeper reflection. Deeper than the usual time, focus and attention we afford ourselves and our lives. And so, what an apt moment to support this moment with some important reminders.

Happy New Year everyone!

I hope you enjoyed the festive season and found a way to start 2023 on a new footing.

As you embark on the next phase of your existing or new projects, whether personal or professional, firmly hold the following statements in mind.

“Your mind is clearest when it operates in alignment with your values and beliefs. Stay close to who you are.”

Whether we consciously notice it or not, little feels as jarring to our being than operating in misalignment with ourselves. Whether your anxiety has increased or your eczema flared up or your thoughts are uncharacteristically chaotic, your mind knows. Listen to the cues!

“Your body is strongest when properly fuelled and rested. Embed healthy routines in your daily life.”

New year resolutions are renowned for not lasting. Not surprising!

It is difficult for most of us to introduce too sudden and too large a change. It is most effective to introduce gradual and small changes that build on each other.

Over the last 4-5 years I lost almost 10 Kg and brought my body fat percentage from 26% to 15%. I’ll turn 50 in 2023 and am at the healthiest I have been since my early 30’s. My secret? Small daily routines introduced gradually over the years, many of which failed, some of which transformed my life.

Some of you have been kind enough to comment on my appearance while visiting me at the office, and asked questions about my health routines. If you also would like to know more, let me know and I’ll write more extensively about this.

“Your heart speaks loudest when allowed to be heard. Make space for your emotions.”

My colleagues Gloria, Krish and I have written in the past about emotional regulation (The Dashboard, Are Emotions Real?, Emotional Intimacy, Are You An Internaliser?, Listening To Yourself, Get Back To Basics, just to name a few) and the consistent theme that emerges from all our inputs, is the importance to learn to listen to ourselves and recognise the signs that point us to what needs to happen in order for us to feel whole again.

Our emotions are like the symbols and the sounds of a car’s dashboard. They are designed to alert us when the system is out of balance and indicate where to best intervene to recreate balance.

If you are interest in more resources on emotional regulation, please let us know what you need and we’ll find the way to support your curiosity.

“Your life is most meaningful when connected. Reach out to your community, be connected.”

A spiritual life is not necessarily a religious one. Spirituality as I like to define it means, “being connected to and in service of something external to and greater than me.” There is an extensive body of psychological research that strongly suggests that life feels more joyful, meaningful and happy when we put ourselves at the service of something other than ourselves.

It matters not how wide your circle of influence may be, the important thing is to find something external to us. This could be as simple as regularly reconnecting to nature in solitude, if you have no immediate access to a circle of others. It could be your immediate family members, if your life mostly revolves around family. Or it could be a larger community of social or professional reach, if you belong to a religious institution, are engaged in some volunteering work or lead a business or corporate team, however large.

Reach out to those in your immediate vicinity, maybe say hello more often or ask a genuine ‘how are you?’ or go all out and provide some kind of resource they need and you have access to. Look around, there are opportunities aplenty.

May 2023 bring us more peace, more joy, more fulfilment and more satisfaction.

Happy New Year!

Thank you for reading.

I base all my articles on real case studies and research findings that are relevant to my work and my clients.