one hump camel wearing a party hat

New year, same week.

The concept of new beginnings on January 1st has always seemed ironic to me. The reason being that, most of the time, last year and this year fall within the same week. And if new year, same week isn’t bad enough, this year we were all supposed to wake up and make life-altering changes on…a Wednesday. 

To be fair, I’m not sure what day of the week feels more apt for the hype, but it’s definitely not Wednesday — arguably the most lackluster day of the week. 

Yet there we were, expected to clean our slates and commit to year-long transformations on hump-day. I’m picturing a Dilbert cartoon: the Pointy Haired Boss leading a prance-line of “new(de?!)” celebrators around the office while Dilbert makes some ironic comment about it only being Wednesday.

Now, don’t get me wrong. No shade to those who genuinely thrive on the allure of clean slates and audacious transformations. I’ll admit I rubberneck and occasionally dabble in the hype surrounding it all; there’s something to be said for the catalysis of social pressure. But zoom out and it feels…forced. Manufactured. 

Here’s the real rub: We’ve turned the New Year into a cookie-cutter moment, a one-size-fits-all excuse for reflection and reinvention. And life doesn’t work like that. Authenticity isn’t about reinventing ourselves on demand. It’s about instinctively knowing when it’s time to grow, pause, or pivot.

Transformation doesn’t require a cosmic signal or a crowded gym. Real growth happens when it aligns with our internal readiness—not because the calendar tells us it’s time. 

So I’m going to get curious.

What happens when we let the calendar remind us of traditional starts and stops, but we trust ourselves to set our own timelines? 

What happens when we reject “calendar-driven transformation” and trade what’s expected for what feels aligned with where we are?

What happens when we listen to ourselves and grant ourselves permission to grow and change on our own terms, whether it’s January 1st, April 27th, or some random Wednesday in July?

Here’s the thing about the New Year: It’s just another day on the calendar. Sure, it’s an opportunity if you want it to be. But making it one doesn’t give it magic powers. 

Don’t get fooled by the hype. Start something new when it feels right. 

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What do you think? Tell me about your 2025 New Year’s experience.

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