I love clean slates and new beginnings. The blank pages of a brand-new notebook, turning my paper calendar to the next month, New Year’s Day, the moment the wheels of the plane touch the ground on landing, Sunday night. All of these times feel full of possibility. What will I write? Who will I meet? What adventures will I have? Where will I go? What will tomorrow bring? I get excited about what is possible and what the future holds.
As we start 2022, many of us are thinking about the future and what this new year will bring. Some of us have resolutions and some of us have trepidations. Some of us have hope, some of us have fear, and many of us are tired.
It has been a long journey to get to 2022. At least this year I steadied myself against the magical thinking that got me into a quandary last year. What I mean by this is that I was relatively shocked when we made it to 2021 and things didn’t ‘magically’ get better. Some part of me wanted to believe that if we just made it to New Years Day 2021 that the stress of the past year would all be over and we could get a fresh start. Simply because we arrived at January 1st, we would be ‘safe’. I was legitimately disappointed when it didn’t happen.
In addition to thinking that getting to a certain day will make things better, we also use magical thinking in an attempt to bring good luck or to ward off bad luck. We knock on wood when we don’t want something bad to happen and we cross our fingers when we hope something good will happen. We make a wish with birthday candles or a wishbone, we don’t walk under ladders because it brings bad luck, we have our ‘lucky’ keychain or item of clothing that brings us good luck.
These are all examples of Magical Thinking which Britannia.com defines as:
The belief that one’s ideas, thoughts, actions, words, or use of symbols can influence the course of events in the material world. Magical thinking presumes a causal link between one’s inner, personal experience and the external physical world.
Magical thinking usually involves doing things that we know, deep in our hearts, won’t actually affect the outcome of something. The question is why do we use it?
I’ve been ruminating about this idea the last week as the clock turned and 2022 arrived. I think that we use magical thinking for comfort, to make us feel like we have some measure of control, and to help us manage things in a world that feels unpredictable.
Doing, saying, or having something “magical” can help us feel empowered, even when deep down we know we can’t control the situation. It can help reduce stress, boost our confidence, and give us hope that things will turn out for the best. Sometimes it’s a way to connect. For example, every time I sneeze and someone says, “bless you,” it’s like a little affirmation of ‘I see you’ and “you matter.”
Magical thinking also involves believing in possibilities which I embrace. My brand-new notebook, my new calendar page, the new year, the plane touching down, Sunday night. All those things bring me comfort and motivation. I also realize that without action on my part, all of those things will stay just “things.”
If I don’t write my ideas in the notebook, say yes to events on the calendar, engage with new opportunities, and take action towards the changes I want to make, then my ‘magical’ things will stay in a world that I cannot truly access. These things will not be used for comfort, hope, or motivation, they will instead, disappoint me.
In addition to “magical thinking,” there should be an equally important emphasis on what I call “pragmatic thinking.” Pragmatic means that you look at things in a way that focuses on the practical aspect of a situation.
In pragmatic thinking, you don’t need a certain day of the year to make a change. You can decide to give yourself a fresh start on a random Thursday afternoon if you want. You can create that new moment or starting point anytime you choose, just by using the power of your mind, setting your intention, and then taking action. You do not have to wait.
You don’t need to rely on your lucky outfit to get you through a tough interview or see a certain number in your bank account to affirm your worth. You also do not need to look to others to determine your success. There is a place inside you where you can access an unwavering belief in yourself, solid self-confidence, and a true sense of your worth.
Your efforts, your actions, and your peace of mind are better indicators of your truth than what you wear, what you earn, and how successful you are by society’s standards. Believing in yourself more than believing in a “thing” helps give you confidence and motivates you to take action.
I’ll be talking more about magical and pragmatic thinking on the next episode of my podcast Get Big Out Loud. I hope you’ll join me Monday, January 10th at 11:00 a.m. Mountain Time at TransformationTalkRadio.com or watch it on my Facebook page at Facebook.com/knutsonspeaks/. Previous episodes can be found by searching “Get Big Out Loud” anywhere you listen to podcasts.
As we enter into 2022, I hope you strike a good balance between magical and pragmatic thinking. That you give yourself a chance at new beginnings all throughout the year. That after you knock on wood, you also take thoughtful, tangible actions towards your goals.
If you lose your lucky keychain I hope you carry the confidence you need in your heart. If a certain day arrives and things don’t magically change, I hope that your unwavering belief in yourself allows you to keep going anyway.
May you find the magic you are seeking inside yourself…and bless you, knock on wood, crossing fingers, and Happy New Year!
