On Reinvention

‘Since the Babylonians nearly 4,000 years ago, people have been making New Year’s Resolutions. Of late, they’ve become something to mock and are essentially considered these annual idealised promises you make to yourself that you know, deep down, you’ll never keep. It’s cutting out carbs and joining a gym, vowing you’ll write a diary entry every day, telling yourself (and others) that you won’t buy any new clothes this year, or that you’ll finally start saving. You might say that a sense of excitement for the upcoming year has been, well, subdued lately, given all the hope for 2021 after the nightmare of 2020, and look how that’s turned out. Still, I can’t help but feel that the desire for reinvention still exists. Perhaps even more so? After all, the shift in cultures, work habits, and priorities has led to people I know quitting jobs, moving cities, starting new hobbies, and letting go of old hang-ups.’

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You can read the full column here.