A wish for the new year

I hope you recognise that your relationship with yourself must be a priority. Happy new year!

“And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” -Sylvia Plath, The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath.

Anyone with half a brain cell can tell that I’m screaming “hell yeah!” as I read these words by Sylvia Plath. How have I managed to find comfort in the works of someone who lived over 50 years ago is beyond me, but I’d like to believe that I’m a fan of her courage to be this vulnerable with the world. She wrote about her fears, her troubles, her mental pain, and to me that shows bravery, especially at a time when women were meant to be polite, docile members of society. So of course the quote resonates with me- everything is worth writing about if we have the courage to. And writing requires so much courage. Another quote by another great writer sums up my feelings accurately (um why can’ I say these things myself, how am I ever going to be a great writer?)

“Writers don't write from experience, although many are hesitant to admit that they don't. ...If you wrote from experience, you'd get maybe one book, maybe three poems. Writers write from empathy.” - Nikki Giovanni

Empathy is a great thing, it helps me reflect on human experiences in a way that helps me connect with them easily. For me, writing is less about perfection but more about my willingness to explore my feelings, and share those feelings with you so that we feel a little less alone.

Sit with the pain, discomfort and unease

Sit with your feelings, especially when you see the getting in your way. The self-doubt, fear of failure, high standards of perfectionism that stop you in your tracks? Question them- why do you feel the way you do?

So much of what we do today is focused on the finished product. Everything that we wish to create, anything new that we want to learn, something as simple as a hobby that we want to get back to, everything is questioned - will I be good at it? And if I am good at it, how will I monetise it? What if we shifted the mindset? What if I told you that this year, let’s promise ourselves that we will stop obsessing over perfect outcomes, and will let our work do the inner work for us- would you join me in this pledge?

Procrastination isn’t laziness, there’s a reason we avoid doing our work. A good question to ask yourself when you find yourself procrastinating endlessly-

What emotion are you steering clear of when you find yourself avoiding the work?

For me, it’s those high standards of love and labour that I’ve set for myself that it’s very easy for me to ignore the effort it takes to show up every day. Most of the work that I did in 2024 revolved around breaking free from this mindset which led me to feel trapped in my own life. I’ve spent a lot of time this year trying to believe that I am worthy of creating something meaningful in my relationships and at work, and am also worthy of being recognised for it.

Here’s the good news- it gets better. It gets worse again but it gets better. Again. Ebb and flow. Life comes to us in waves. 2023 was a tsunami, 2024 felt like the sea was finding its calm again and I hope 2025 is filled with those gentle, warm waves where you bob up and down with no effort at all.

As we end 2024, remind yourself that

• Taking a break is part of the process.

• Rest isn’t a sign of failure.

• You’re not a machine, and creativity doesn’t come on demand.

• Celebrate the fact that you’re showing up, that in itself requires courage.

• You deserve good things. Go to the mirror, and say it again, and again, and again.

You’re allowed to take messy, small steps. You’re allowed to create something that’s not quite there yet. That’s how you grow-not just in your work but as a person too.

You’ve got this.

Happy new year! Cheers!