Collectively, 2020 has been a rough year for us all. Our lives have jumped from the 20th to 22nd century in what feels like overnight while we all live in defense of the deadly Covid virus. Everyone is exhausted by these massive changes and would love to press “restart” on their lives at the beginning of the New Year.
For many the new year or new calendar brings a perceived “fresh start”. Many use the energy of the new year to motivate or drive the opportunity for a “new life”. Many believe that simply turning the calendar dial that you can forget the troubles, mistakes, or “could have should have would have’s” in their past and start again with a “clean slate”. For many, a fresh start implies letting go or moving forward without having dealt with past. But the thing is, you cannot erase the past and often resentments in the past can fester.
Now imagine a fresh start with curiosity as your teacher. A “fresh start” with curiosity allows you to openly identify, understand, and learn from outcomes of lapses in judgment, miscalculation, or mistakes from a place of growth and improvement and not shame or guilt. Curiosity’s application to your mindset, communication, and actions in your 2021 “fresh start” allows you to move forward with a reconciliation and acceptance of the past to build a better future.
There is a tremendous amount to examine during 2020’s bumpy ride- resentments, hostilities, and changes in our homes, communities, workplaces, and country. There were unprecedented levels of shouting, name calling and threats, ghosting, cancelation, isolation all lacking conversation. By using curiosity one can understand our collective differences and find ways to bridge bridges and connections to support our differences.
Underlying layers of aggression, arguments, and anxiety can be deconstructed with curiosity. Curiosity can be used to understand and learn hard lessons about our mindsets, words, and actions and, hopefully, lead to corrective actions like apologies, reunions, re-connection, and re-engagement with people that we love. With curiosity, one can rebuild respect and trust and begin to participate in uncomfortable conversations. And in this process, one may discover that we have more in common together than apart.
