I keep hearing “There’s nothing magical about January 1st”.

But science says January 1st IS magical and I agree 100%!

Have you heard of the placebo effect? A placebo is anything that seems to be a "real" medical treatment -- but isn't. It’s a "fake". Let's pretend you're in a drug trial. They give you the placebo, but you think it's the real drug. You may respond as if you received the actual drug.

One theory is that your cure was due to your expectations. You thought the pill was real and expected it to work, so it worked as if it was the real deal.

The placebo effect is not caused by the drug itself, but that doesn't make it imaginary or fake. What it does show is the tremendous power of our minds.

So why not harness this power instead of treating it as if it’s imaginary or fake?

Does it serve you to think of January 1st as a fresh start? If it does, then harness the motivation it creates. Then ask yourself how you can replicate the magic of January 1st. How can you make the beginning of every month as magical?

Compassion in Action

Be compassionate in your goal-setting.

Don’t set so many goals you no longer have time to sleep. Too many goals will also zap your motivation. You want your goals to motivate you, not debilitate you.

Be compassionate to yourself when things don’t go as planned.

It’s unrealistic to think you'll never hit a bump in the road on the way to your dreams. Life happens. Be compassionate with yourself when it does.

Your destination is but a tiny moment in time; the real joy is in the journey, so why not make it fun?

Taking it to the Cause

Let’s also bring this compassionate magic to our social justice work. Whatever your cause is, becoming a martyr doesn’t serve it.

So, be reasonable in your commitments and love yourself as much as you love your cause.

In the words of Andre Henry:

No one is passing out cookies to the activists with the most battle scars and the least sleep. A movement full of depleted people is weak. Never forget that sometimes your activist work is to focus on taking care of yourself.

There is a lot of work to do, so let’s treat it like a marathon, not a sprint.

And if you need some help reclaiming the joy in your activism and life, click here to schedule a free chat.