The Roman God Janus (who the month of January is named after) is usually depicted with two faces: one looking back, and one looking forward. Janus was, amongst other things, the Roman God of Beginnings, Endings, and the God of Gates, Doorways, and Passageways.
January – the doorway, or passageway- into a new year, is therefore traditionally a time for looking back, and likewise looking forward: reflecting back on the past year in identifying highlights and things that went well, and looking forward to the year in front of us, perhaps setting aims and goals for the year, or even a New Year’s Resolution or two.
Positive Habits
One of the habits I’ve sought to get back into since the start of the new year (having slipped out of it over the last few months) is the process of daily reflection. It’s a fairly simple process and takes but a matter of a few minutes at the start and end of every day. It’s a strategy I read about in the book ‘Flourish’ by Martin Seligman, the founder of the Positive Psychology Movement.
We tend to think too much every day about what goes wrong, Seligman proposes, and not enough about what goes right in our daily lives. Of course, it’s good to reflect on things that don’t go well; doing so, after all, helps us to learn from them and avoid them in the future. However, people tend to spend far too much time thinking about things that go wrong than is helpful or healthy. And our relentless focus on negative events tends to lead us, inevitably, to negative feelings: anxiety; worry; fear; sadness; regret.
To combat this, Seligman proposed the very simple task of spending five minutes every day writing down three positive things that went well during the course of each day. It could be something to do with our professional lives, or our family life, leisure pursuits, or anything more general; whatever it is, it’s about focusing on the positives.
I have found it very helpful to spend that brief period every day reflecting on what has happened during the course of my day, and seeking out the positives rather than dwelling on the negatives. And having received as a very thoughtful gift from a colleague a ‘Gratitude Journal’ this Christmas, I’ve really valued the opportunity to focus not only on Seligman’s What Went Well, but likewise spend time in gratitude for all the many good things that are a blessing in my life and my work, and to look forward to what each day may hold. It’s a simple exercise, but I’ve benefited greatly from it so why not give it a go?!
A New Coat for the New Year
Every year, I look forward to the opportunity to don my rather eye-catching red silk jacket, a beautiful and very generous gift from a former pupil back in my days as a boarding housemaster. Without fail each year, I’ll don the jacket to celebrate the Lunar New Year and join in a cultural celebration that traces its roots back some 3,500 years to ancient China, signifying the end of winter and the arrival of a new year.
2025 is the Year of the Snake – also referred to as ‘little dragons’ – their shed skin (the ‘dragon’s coat’) signifying good luck, rebirth, and regality.
As we marked the celebrations this week here at Oswestry School, it was a reminder once again of that important process of reflection and resolution, determinedly shedding the skin of that which is best left behind, and embracing the new year with hope, positivity, and renewed energy.
Journeying into a New Year
So, as we embark upon a new year, we can look back on the past year with gratitude for all that has been good in our lives, and look forward to all that is to come with a sense of positivity and optimism, and indeed each day reflect on all that has been positive, and look ahead to what is to come. The journey we traverse is never entirely straightforward, and no matter the plans and route-map we might have, life has a tendency to throw us an obstacle or two along the way. However, with our eyes firmly fixed forward (and the occasional glance back…) we can journey onwards with gratitude, companionship, and hope.
Wishing one and all a prosperous new year ahead!
Peter Middleton 