New year, new you
To make 2021 better, we must envision a positive outcome and commit to a strategy
It’s been a tough year.
Like me, and perhaps like you, many people are glad to say good riddance to 2020. It will be remembered as a year dominated by a worrisome pandemic that brought about sickness and death, political chaos that divided our country, and personal difficulties that included job loss, eviction and separation from family.
Now that we have waved farewell to a year of endless challenges, let’s put the negative feelings, events and attitudes behind us and move into this new year filled with hope and promise.
Yes, 2021 will be a good year. Let’s make a commitment to ourselves – that this year will be filled with good feelings, positive outcomes and much-needed breakthroughs. With two COVID-19 vaccines now being distributed across the country and a third to follow soon, let’s consider them a beacon of better times ahead.
But to get there – to make a better, happier, more positive new year our reality – we must think it, visualize it, work it and strategize to make it happen.
That’s what I believe. It’s also what motivational executive coach and trainer Angela Anderson, PH.D., advocates. “Last year was unprecedented. It was not like any we have ever experienced,” says Dr. Anderson, also the international bestselling author of Now What?! Get OVER Yourself and MOVE!
“As you continue to navigate through the challenges and adjustments of our new normal, it may be difficult to focus on what you hope to gain in 2021. But I challenge you to reserve at least a fraction of your mental capacity to invite wonderful possibilities and positive intentions into your life. The mind is so powerful. Many of the things that exist in the world today began as an idea, a thought.”
That’s an interesting thought in itself. Does that mean we can “think” our way into happiness or a new job or past a bad relationship? Perhaps not all the time, for such changes need specific actions on our part as well. But a positive thought can be the first step.
In her book, Dr. Anderson discusses the power of pushing past the mental obstacles that she says we all create when we find ourselves in difficult situations. “Difficulties come, but they also must go,” she says. “Focusing on the problem is what we naturally do. Focusing on the solution is what we must train ourselves to do.”
She adds that adopting a positive mindset doesn’t mean that we should ignore obstacles or pretend they don’t exist. It simply means that we must intentionally dedicate our energy, actions and thinking to navigating the challenges with the expectation that a breakthrough is inevitable.
I can relate to what Dr. Anderson advises. Her comments led me to reflect on a talented young man who encountered setbacks at the prestigious college where he was excelling. He ended up back home with his parents but rebound with a dream job. However, that job disappeared due to the pandemic. Yet he maintained a positive outlook.
A week or so before Christmas, he stopped by the office of a potential employer just to make sure they had everything needed for him to be considered for a job. On the spot he was asked, “Can you start Saturday?” That same week he also received an acceptance letter from an excellent university close to home and was recipient of a financial windfall he had not anticipated. It was a great week for this young man.
I am also reminded of the message that my pastor sent out in his annual holiday letter. “For far too many, this world now seems to be a very dark place,” wrote Rev. Anthony D. Henderson, pastor of Beulah Baptist Church in Orange Mound here in Memphis. He continued that today people are stricken with “grief, sickness, shattered dreams, unfulfilled expectations, war, hatred, political unrest, persecution, financial insecurity, homelessness, hopelessness and despair – all of these and more.”
He went on to say that people also are forced to deal with the “pandemic, loss of lives, loss of jobs, homeschooling, wearing of face masks, social distancing, unable to visit relatives and friends in nursing homes and hospitals, Black Lives Matter protests,” all of which have contributed to the “intense darkness and shadow of death” that people feel today.
“But there is hope!” wrote Rev. Henderson.
Hope is defined by Merriam-webster as “desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment.” Hope signals positive thinking. Many people find comfort in their religious beliefs. In fact, I think it’s good for all of us to pray, meditate or find some way to address the psychological and emotional impact the past year has had on us. And we should know that it is normal to feel down sometimes and wonder what lies ahead. Yet, we must maintain or establish a hopeful and positive attitude as we move forward.
There is exceptional power in a positive attitude. Research shows that being more positive can help bring about positive outcomes. Without a doubt, it enhances your performance on your job and other endeavors, but a positive outlook also can enhance your family and social life.
To maintain a positive attitude, there are several things you can do. Stop grumbling, especially about things over which you have no control. Stop worrying about the “what ifs.” Focus on doing your best where you are today, and plan steps for your future. Surround yourself with positive people who support or share your aspirations. Make time to exercise, for working out activates your body’s endorphins, which are responsible for making us feel good. And be grateful for what you have today.
As we move into 2021, we can’t just dismiss or forget the challenges of 2020; but we must appreciate and benefit from the lessons we learned.
“Our view of the world is forever changed,” says Dr. Anderson, the motivational executive coach. “We may hold on to family a little tighter. Hopefully, we will value time differently, recognizing that time is the ultimate gift. Hopefully we will challenge ourselves to move forward in a way that celebrates the collective win for the benefit of all.
“Realistically, it has been a challenging year, but I know that better lies ahead,” says Dr. Anderson. “As a matter of fact, in my mind, I am already there.”
The power of positive thinking cannot be denied.
Lynn Norment is a Memphis journalist who previously was an editor and senior writer for Ebony magazine. She can be reached at normentmedia@gmail.com.