On the first day of the new year I woke up with dragons on my mind. Which is interesting because first of all, I rarely think about dragons - even though I think they’re quite brilliant, imaginary creatures - and secondly, because in 2024 the Chinese New Year embraces the Year of the Dragon. So, with that as my first thought of the year, I feel intrigued and excited for what’s to come!Â
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I must admit though, that the energy with which I entered the new year was more in line with that of a hermit than a dragon. Only leaving the cottage for ski tours, Christmas day and celebrating my birthday. But, it’s been good. Right now I feel new energy bubbling up inside me that I am attempting to hold onto for the rest of the year. And I have come up with a plan for that, but more on that later.
We’ve had so much snow and very, very cold temperatures in our valley and it’s given the most magical views. Going outside feels like stepping into a postcard. The frozen trees shimmer like jewels against the clear blue sky with its branches laden with ice crystals. A true winter wonderland. During our Christmas break when I woke up each morning I was so excited to look out our bedroom window to see centimeters of fresh snow had silently fallen in the dark. Â
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And boy did we enjoy being outside in all this snow. We even went on a two-day xc-ski hut trekking in the mountains in -12*C. Which was parts horrendous, parts thrilling, but overall an adventure to remember. I mean, look at these views. Such stunningness!
All these hours spent outside on my skis gave me a lot of time to think about how I have been spending my time this past year. I always feel like time is slipping away so fast and I find it important to know what I want to spend it on. Â
But while skiing I kept wondering about how we actually decide what we really want to spend our time on? Why do we choose to do one thing and not another? And how can we ensure that the time we have in a day is spent on the things we want to do, instead of being taken up by activities that we don’t care that much about?
What I landed on was that it’s not just about managing our time right, but rather about identifying our true interests. Because when I am well rested and working on something I am genuinely excited about, finding time is rarely a problem. And the way to ensure that next to finding the time we actually spend the time on what excites us most, is to keep the momentum going. And to keep the momentum going we need to create ways to keep the motivated energy high.Â
So my plan for this new year to boost my energy and stay motivated and dedicated to my intrinsic wants and needs is fourfold (if that’s a word):
I identify just a few goals I’m excited about
I list which activities I can do for my future self that would make her proud
I keep track of my effort and the hours I put in the work
I make the effort to stay connected to the positive emotion I want to tap into
If you too find yourself at home this season in need of motivated energy for the new year, I hope you will follow along with me while I carry out this plan. I’ve made a fun cosy-cottage-vibe type of video of the process to boost your energy and motivation and stick to your goals!
I know there are quite a lot of people who quite unmotivated and anxious at the start of a new year. With the pressure of new year’s resolutions and goals you want to reach, a new year can feel quite daunting. Therefore, I really hope that this video will take some of that anxiousness away, and instead help you in shifting your energy towards making things happen for yourself this year and to make your future self proud.
Iris