I am not here for January New Year’s Resolutions this year. I love a Plan and a Vision more than most, but not yet. I feel I am gathering something more important first so I am taking it slow for a few more weeks.

This is not natural for me: I’m one of those polymathic, multi-passionate, naturally curious people with big Oldest Daughter of a Single Mom energy, and hella Capable Lesbian energy – so much that my ability to DO is annoying even to me sometimes. To resist it, I have to make extra decisions: NO I will not start another project unless I shut something down, no I don’t actually want to manage a land project, no I will not rush myself to launch something I want to shape more first. 

I feel something is brewing – in me, and obviously in the world – and so I am a YES on taking notes, gathering intel, clarifying assumptions, and experiments to listen deeper. There’s a big cycle that’s wrapping up for me and I want to hold it with care before I bounce to a New Me in the New Year. 

I don’t think that January is the month to start new endeavors.

It is a time to start data collection and experiments so that later you can start things.

Don’t use a new budget in January… Do start tracking your income and expenses so that you have useful data to make decisions from.

Don’t cold launch a course or project… Do start talking to the people who you want to collaborate with and start reflecting on what you’ve learned from them and your past endeavors.

Don’t rush into planning every detail of the next 12 months… Do due diligence to discover opportunities that are emerging: new people, new places, new ideas, new problems.

January is a great time to reflect.

Fact: we don’t learn from our experience, but from reflecting on our experience. So: 

• what’s true for you today that wasn’t true a year ago? 
• What new evidence is in front of you right now? 
• What’s a story that might be familiar but is no longer sitting right? 
• What’s possible today that wasn’t before? What’s not possible, that was?

The gift of January is its continuing restful patina. The more gos I have round the sun, the more sense it makes to go with the season you’re in whenever possible: Restore in the winter, to bloom in the spring. 

I hope this new calendar year finds you gathering your strength. Looking around with clear eyes. Taking note of your people, your resources, and your power – you likely have more of all of these than the world of market capitalism would lead you to think you do. 

Here’s to your data-gathering and intel-building.