Happy New Year. It’s ok to not want to crush your goals right now

25 Jan

Happy New Year!

Am I allowed to say happy new year 14 days in still? If like me, you’re still forgetting to swap the ‘22’ for ‘23’ in your dates, then I’d say yes. The ‘newness’ is still ‘new’ for some of us. Despite the certainty of the passage of time, 2023 may still have come as a surprise to many of you. For some, the new year is a time to pause and reflect. It can also feel like a time of hope. People will commonly talk of goals, resolutions, and aspirations looking ahead.

A new year can also feel quite overwhelming.

What is it about a new year that encourages us to conduct this self-audit of our personal and professional lives? What if you have no resolutions and don’t want to crush your goals just yet? We’re bombarded by messaging around self-improvement, productivity, new gym membership and diet regimens. Hold on- 2022 has only just finished! Some of us are still recovering. For some, the new year energy and ‘vibes’ can be exhausting.

This year I set out to have an alcohol and sugar-free January. I lasted a grand total of 48hrs! Alas, Boekenhoutskloof’s bottle of Chocolate Block was my downfall. Unlike in previous years, I felt zero guilt—just a warm, out-of-body amusement at my fickle commitment. Following this early failure, I committed to pause goal setting and instead focus on celebrating the past.

In 2022 I bravely took massive steps outside my comfort zone.

I moved to the USA, graduated with a Masters degree from Harvard, completed two fellowships, joined the U.N. Women’s U.K. delegation to the 66th Commission on the Status of Women, and met Dr Tedros at the WHO World Health Summit. In 2022 I got my PADI and learnt how to scuba dive despite my fear of being underwater.

[Left to right, top to bottom: Me graduating with a Masters in Public Health from Harvard TH Chan; Meeting Dr Tedros, WHO director general at World Health Summit, Berlin; Selfie with Harvard PGSSC good friends & co-fellows( Belain, Rashi, Sarah & Rennie) at World Health Assembly, Geneva; Scuba diving in Tulum, Mexico.]

At the end of 2022, I swapped the board room for the operating room. I returned to training as final-year obstetrics & gynaecology senior registrar after two years away from theatres, clinics, and labour wards. Despite what they said, it was not like riding a bike! I’m grateful to support seniors and colleagues who helped me transition back.

In 2022 I learnt about the importance of community and true partnership. Late Dr Paul Farmer put it perfectly when he stated, “With rare exceptions, all of your most important achievements on this planet will come from working with others—or, in a word, partnership”. In 2022 I made lifelong inspirational friends and professional networks who have indescribably shaped me. I am beyond grateful to have my health and be surrounded by love that supports and grounds me.

In my language, Igbo, we say “Echi Di Ime”, which means tomorrow is pregnant’ It is a proverb which means no one knows what tomorrow will bring. For me, it is a personal proclamation of hope.

So, I guess my message is to set some goals if you must. If you fail, fail quickly, get over it, and start again. But before you start, remember to thank yourself for how far you’ve made it already.

The following year is 351 days away, but a new day is always just around the corner. Anything is possible, echi di ime.