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Happy New Year & Decade - Feeling Inspired?



“It’s a New Day, It’s A New Dawn, And I’m Feeling Good!

(Read time approx. 1 min. 20 sec.)

From time to time we can all use a little motivation and inspiration in life, especially at periods of transition and change, like the beginning of a new year, a new decade, a new resolution or a big challenge. Of course, many of the changes in our life are not so many changes, but cycles; they only start feeling like change when we find ourselves stuck in the transition. 

It’s often easy to get stuck in transition when one year feels like it’s on its way out and the other one hasn’t quite kicked in yet (my birthday is at the end of December, so the end of the year can feel like a big period of change for me). It can be especially hard when trying to motivate myself back into work, or to get up the energy for some physical activity, or even to get excited and optimistic about challenges early in the new year when the days are short and often overcast.

At times when we’re challenged by the prospect of change, it’s all the more important for us to have some kind of motivational road map that keeps us moving forward in life. I’ll often imagine my life as if I am observing it like a scene from a movie, and no matter how hard the situation seems, I encourage myself to become excited about what could happen next. From time to time we can all use a little motivation and inspiration in life, especially at periods of transition and change, like the beginning of a new year, a new decade, a new resolution or a big challenge. Of course, many of the changes in our life are not so much changes, but cycles; they only start feeling like change when we find ourselves stuck in the transition. 

Using a movie plot idea might come across as a little corny, but it really can be a useful technique that allows us to shift the focus forward when we’re feeling emotionally and mentally bogged down or stuck.  

And while we’re at it, of course every good movie needs an uplifting soundtrack, and quite frankly there’s nothing more uplifting than Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good”, with its alluringly optimistic lyrics. I often catch myself singing to myself:

It’s a new dawn,  
It’s a new day, 
It’s a new life for me, 
And I’m feeling good … 

Here’s hoping you smash it in 2020 and beyond!!




Useful Links

Nina Simone
ninasimone.com
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nina_Simone
npr.org/artists/15396720/nina-simone
newyorker.com/magazine/2014/08/11/raised-voice
nytimes.com/2015/06/21/movies/nina-simones-time-is-now-again.html
theguardian.com/music/2018/jun/19/nina-simone-home-national-treasure-north-carolina-recognition-legacy

Feeling Good 
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feeling_Good
genius.com/Nina-simone-feeling-good-lyrics

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