Vision 20:20 can light up any year

Hours from now, something strange will happen. As the clock strikes midnight, people around the world will unite in celebration as the otherwise unnoticed transition from Tuesday to Wednesday ushers in another new year. For some, the landmark moment comes as a welcome relief — a chance to bid farewell to the previous 365 days and wipe the slate clean of the stains left by mistake, misfortune or frustration over what could have been.

Fortunately for most, the focus of each impending new year instead centres on the promise of what lies ahead. It is a time of great anticipation and expectation; last year might have turned out to be average curiously like the one before, but as another January dawns, we resolve to be and do better.

Here’s the thing though: when New Year’s Day arrives, nothing changes, not really.

Slots back into routine

When we awake in the morning after a night of cheer, glass chinking and displays of otherwise absent affection towards our neighbours, the reality we face is that January 1 is a day like any other.

Only human nature has led us to assign it special significance. It is the day we pin our hopes on — that once-in-a-year chance to reinvigorate, rejuvenate and even reinvent.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not against it; My issue is this: if you want to grow, improve and advance, why wait all year to seize the chance?

If you want to be a better leader, want to grow your company, or want to make your team more productive, why don’t you start today?

Our tendency to hold off on instigating change until the arrival of each new year is explained by what Hengchen Dai, Katherine Milkman, and Jason Riis call the “fresh start effect”.

In their work published in Management Science several years ago, the three academics describe how temporal landmarks such as New Year, the start of a new month, or personal markers such as a birthday or annual holiday, motivate aspirational behaviour in people.

According to the authors, there are two likely reasons for the fresh start effect.

One is that we like to think we are improving over time and therefore write-off past shortcomings or sub-par performances as the fault of lesser versions of ourselves. The prevailing logic is that if we see ourselves as stronger or harder working today, then we will be motivated to continue the upward trend.

The second explanation is that time-stamped interruptions force us to stop for a moment and take stock. In our day-today lives, we think in concrete terms and get bogged down in details. But new year’s celebrations, birthdays or long-awaited holidays provide the opportunity for introspection and a chance to think in a more holistic and philosophical way about who or what we want to be.

Remember that change doesn’t come just once a year; you can start afresh at any time you choose.

Of course, another new year is almost upon us, so why wouldn’t you use it as motivation for change? And this new year marks a new decade, one that is impregnated with symbolism — 2020 is a term used to express normal visual acuity (the clarity or sharpness of vision). It’s considered perfect vision, because no aids are required to see better.

As you start this new decade, look forward with vision seeing a better you. Join me in making this the best decade of your life. I promise you that is my vision.

The prevailing logic is that if we see ourselves as stronger or harder working today, then we will be motivated to continue the upward trend.