Yes, every year we talk about it…a new year.

But let me share something that’s freeing. Our “new year” doesn’t need to be January!

Maybe our fresh start shows up in April, when the weather finally warms up.
Maybe it’s August, when school starts.
Or October, when we realize we’ve been living on autopilot and are now ready to move forward.

The truth is…the new year begins whenever we decide to start it.

The new year is that moment when we say, “Enough thinking. Enough wishing. RIGHT NOW is the time to disciple myself to act!”

Not next month. Not “when things calm down.” Not “after I handle a few more things.”

Right now!

And if you’re like me, fear starts to creep in.

“What if I finally do the thing I’ve been talking about…and I fail?”

“What if I look silly?”

“What if folks watch me try and it doesn’t work out?”

So, we hide out in a very comfortable place called “the planning phase.”

We think about it. We talk about it. We set a goal…or maybe just an intention.

We know exactly what would stretch us, grow us, or move our life forward, but we keep pushing it off.

Why?

Maybe it’s because we overestimate our ability to “get to it later.”

And sometimes it’s that very human habit Stoic philosopher Seneca warned us about centuries ago: We’re always getting ready to start. Ouch!

“I’ll do it soon.” “Just not right now.” “After I handle a few other things.”

That has been me, especially with big dreams, like pursuing another advanced degree. Always preparing. Always postponing. Always believing there would be more time.

But time has a way of doing what it does best: it keeps moving, whether we move or not!

That’s why I love what Mel Robbins, author (of ten million copies sold), Let Them, teaches as an interruption to this mad cycle. Count backward - 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 - and move!

No overthinking. No negotiating. Just action.

And then stoic Marcus Aurelius comes in with the “in your face wake-up call.” In Meditations, he reminds us that living like we have endless time isn’t just lazy, it’s arrogant. Why? Because it’s not true.

“Memento Mori.”

You are mortal. I am mortal.
And that’s exactly why this moment matters.

So, I ask you gently…

How many “new years” have passed with the same promises sitting on your to do list?

How many times have you said, “This is the year I’m going to…” and months later you’re standing in the same spot?

We must become while we still can! Not someday. Not when we feel ready. But NOW!

Count backward - 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 - and do it.

Not perfectly.

Just start.

And yes…reluctantly, but bravely, I’ll keep you posted on my own new year’s progress!