Have you returned from the holidays with a head full of new project ideas? September is usually the time to unpack and return to our workers uniform, which includes schedules, companies, and routines that are a little more strict than what we experienced during the holidays. Once we break that ice, however, it is time to tackle the new course. It doesn’t really matter if you work, study, are retired or unemployed – for everyone, the month of September has a halo of new beginnings only comparable to the one felt in early January.
For many people, it is time to put into action all that has been hovering in their heads during the last weeks, months or – if their pace is a little slower – years. Will I sign up for the gym? Will I quit my job? Will I finally start refreshing my level of another language? Will I leave my partner? Will I go to therapy? Will I go on a diet? Will I move into a new house? Will I try to get pregnant? Will I talk to my team about the brilliant ideas that have occurred to me so that we can start working a little better?
The projects can be very transcendental or refer to things that aren’t as important in everyday life but that also have a direct impact on our wellbeing. Some of them may simply be a first step towards major changes. Be that as it may, if you feel like it, if you think it’s the moment, if there really isn’t anything stopping you… the moment to start these projects is always now.
Do not keep planning. It’s important to think things through, but in the end life is real: at some point, you will have to go from dreaming and planning to actual behaviors. Once you have contemplated your thoughts in your head for a while … you should make a decision: either leave that idea “in the fridge” for later (that is, leave it to rest without overthinking it), or you discard it (it’s definitely not the time, it never will be and it’s a crazy idea anyways) or put it into action! Getting caught up in your thoughts is tempting, but it is not living for real.
Do not confuse spontaneity with impulsiveness. The former has to do with your flexibility and ability to adapt to a changing environment, the latter can create problems if you use it as a guide in making big decisions. Sometimes it is worth thinking a decision over for one more day and then taking action. Jumping right into it is not the same as hurrying into it.
Be patient. Some projects are complex and require an entire strategy, preparatory steps, even detours (for example, changing jobs or thinking of starting a new life in another country). These are long-term journeys and it will take time to achieve satisfaction or concretion. Others simply depend on overcoming laziness and doing these projects in a “yes or yes” manner (for example, however long it may be taking you, signing up for English classes basically consists in going to or calling the academy and literally signing up for English classes. That’s it. If there’s more to it, they’re probably just excuses (the same happens with f making an appointment to see a psychologist).
Give it a shot for yourself, try it out! Sure, you’ll probably have more chances to turn that dream in your head into reality, but why not now? Take advantage of the fact that vacations are over and a new chapter is beginning. Connect with that part of you that is open to life, that allows you to live differently, even provisionally, try other ways to improve certain conditions of your life.
Get organized, there are projects that require a clear strategy, crunching numbers or researching certain things. You will need to spend some time and maybe consult with people who can inspire you, give you ideas or, who knows, save you from undertaking something that really does not suit you.
In any case, if at the end of your vacation you feel that September is, once again, a maze of great ideas that never materialize, reflections that have no end or frustrations that come from bad decisions or mishandled expectations, it is good that you plan to consult with a professional. Psychologists can help you clarify your ideas, explore your motivations, and allow you to shape the ideas that can give you a better life.
