• April 04, 2023

How are you treating the new year?

The new year is in full swing, and everyone is doing business as usual. And with that, email communication is abundantly flying around! Earlier this year, I couldn’t help but start noticing a “strange” thing people type in their emails…

Generally, when people communicate around the beginning of a year, they’ll often start by saying, “Hi Anna, I hope the new year is treating you well.”

I’ve seen it many times. It seems like a common practice. I’m sure you’ve seen it in emails, too or even used it yourself. I, for one, can definitely stick up my hand to say: I’ve used this phrase in the past.

“I hope the new year is treating you well!”

Earlier this year, I met up with a friend, and as I greeted him, I also thoughtlessly used this phrase. I said: “Hey, I hope the new year is treating you well”.
At that moment, the friend replied, “Actually, I’m treating the new year well”. I nodded, smiled and continued the conversation as usual, but his response stuck with me.

Later when I had a moment, I replayed this part of our conversation and, in the process, reevaluated what this phrase means.

When I looked, I realised that “I hope the new year is treating you well” meant that I was passively waiting for the year to treat me in a certain way. Sitting there, staying with my fingers crossed – hoping for the best. Not knowing if the year will be good or bad and simply waiting to see how the year will treat me.

But this is simply not true because we are the ones who make the decisions. We are the ones who are driving and steering our life in a particular direction.

You may also enjoy reading my Stop wishing; start doing! hearticle!

You have both hands on the wheel

So if you are in the driver’s seat of your life, how can the year be treating you in a certain way? You are in complete control of your own life. You have both hands on the steering wheel! So how can something “dead” like “the year” command where you’re going?!

I believe this phrase should change to: “Hope you are treating the year very well”. I say this because you are not the effect of whatever “the year” decides. You are the one who decides.

And so, the next time you read this phrase or someone tells you: “I hope the near year is treating you well”, – go back at them and say: “Listen, actually, I am the one who is treating the new year in a fantastic“.

Love, Anna