What is a new month to you?
Do you see it as a new set of expenses or an opportunity to start or finish something important to you?
Is a new month, just a continuation of time, and not a new chapter?
I absolutely love the start of a new month. Sure, time is a construct and days can be mundane, but it is the rituals that I associate with the first of the month, that always give me something to look forward to. If you’re interested in how I maintain excitement at the start of every month, continue reading and please, comment your thoughts!
New month Rituals
Please, don’t be alarmed by the use of the word ‘ritual‘. In this context, it is simply “an act or series of acts regularly repeated in a set precise manner“, no candles involved.
- If you are a planner, a writer – someone who naturally enjoys documentation, you may engage in one of my favorite new month rituals – updating a planner, wall calendar and desk calendar. The JOY of ripping out the page of a month that has passed, is truly cathartic. As the new month goes on, a once, fresh, blank canvas feels with your daily scribbles of tasks and reminders, goals and achievements. Subsequently, the cycle repeats. The visual, of a clean slate, makes the “new month” feel all the more impactful.
- Have clear expectations for “first of the monnnnnth”. My clear expectations involve non-negotiables, things that must be done or before the 1st, of every month. When we have static things in our life, meaning they do not change, there is a sense of control and preparation that comes with expecting the expected.
- What do you want to accomplish this month? This is a question I ask myself at the start of every month and I also make it a point to write it down. When the goal is accomplished,
scratch it out! (Last month’s goal, was topay for my post-grad Accounting class. At some points in my life, my monthly goal wasjust to be able to pay all of my bills. The point is that what you want to accomplish can , and will likely, change on a monthly basis. May you find excitement in this! Last month’s goal may not be this month’s goal, because you are steady in your progression and achievements. 🙂
Cheers to September 2022, a time we will never re-live. Make it memorable, set goals and achieve all you can, and always – keep trying. The only alternative to not trying, is giving up.
Discuss!