This past Monday, in addition to celebrating Martin Luther King Jr Day, was also Blue Monday, a term dreamed up in 2005 by a UK marketing team to get people traveling.
Blue Monday, according to pseudoscience, was calculated to be the most depressing day of the year.
I don’t know about it being the most depressing Monday of the year. Some argue it’s the day when the post-holiday blues and exhaustion from the stress of the holidays begin to catch up with you.
Maybe. Maybe not.
You don’t have to buy into the idea.
This past Sunday, while I was passing away time at church, I drew a cartoon peacock. I chose the peacock for my animal guide for 2023 in conjunction with my word of the year, Present.
The peacock’s vivid colors and willingness to brandish them with pride is the energy I would like to embrace in this new year.
As I drew the cartoon, I found myself feeling rather blue about how it was turning out. It was only recently that I began to draw again. It was also my first attempt at capturing the essence of the bird.
It didn’t go so well, and I was embarrassed.
Friends noticed me drawing during the service, and I had the choice to make whether I brandish my creation with pride or keep it safely tucked away where nobody could see it.
I opted to show my cartoon, and I was pleased to receive my friends’ appreciation.
“I didn’t know you drew. It’s so good to see,” commented one friend.
I swallowed my pride and confessed I was a little embarrassed by what I had created, then I shared other drawings in my sketchbook.
Sometimes, it takes a little extra courage to share what we are creating before we’re ready to show it off. I’ve often discovered, though, when we share our progress with friends, they receive it well and give us the encouragement we need to keep moving forward.
This year, I want to embrace the spirit of the peacock. Its natural beauty inspires me to let go of how things should be if they were imperfect. Instead, I can accept and share things as they are. Expect more of that as the year progresses.
Shine brightly!
Stef
Golden Nuggets
Golden Word: step from German stapfen “step”, from PIE root *stebh– “post, stem; to support, place firmly on” Example: Her initial, awkward steps led to later success.
Golden Quote: You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.
– Martin Luther King, Jr.
Golden Speech: Great change comes with small steps (Full 9:17 | Clip 10 sec) At 15, Mansi Mehta runs a foundation to educate girls from marginalised background and advance her dream of a literate country
Golden Term: Worksheet is a type of working paper used as a preliminary step in the preparation of financial statements.
Golden Statistic: 80% of people who made New Year’s resolutions begin to wane around the second Friday of January, aka Quitters Day. (Stava)
Golden Tip: Don’t give up… You can always start again. And again. And again.
Golden Question: What small step are you taking today?