Words that caught us: A New Year's relationship check-in gives us a chance for renewal and reinvigoration

 


After the anticipation and the count down,

After the cheers and the fireworks have died down,

What exactly does a New Year mean to you?

 

Of course, the calendar is just a concept,

Like many others we’ve invented,

To help us make sense of the world,

And our existence in it.

If you slept through the count down,

And woke up to your usual routine and grind,

You are in very good company.

There many who don’t buy the glitz and rituals,

We have conjured up around the New Year.

 

But whatever you believe in, or don’t,

A New Year can be a good time to recalibrate,

Renew, realign, revitalize and refocus our lives,

Towards something better.

But for that to happen,

We have to take time,

To check-in, with ourselves.

 

What brought me most joy in the last year?

What am I grateful for?

 

What was the most challenging thing last year?

What helped me get through it?

What did I learn from this?

 

What do I need to let go this year?

What distracted me the most last year?

What took away most of my energy last year?

 

How would I describe myself right now?

What kind of person am I becoming?

Is this what I want for myself,

And for my loved ones?

 

In hospitality, the check-in process is very critical

To the overall guest experience.

That’s the time we get to ‘see’ you,

To ‘hear’ you, and ‘understand’ you.

The connection built during this process,

Creates trust, friendship and loyalty,

That endures the stresses

Of momentary shortcomings.

It’s the backbone on which we build the future

Of the relationship.  

 

And so, the key question,

As we begin the New Year,

Is whether we've set aside some time,

To check-in with ourselves.

Have we taken the time,

To strengthen the backbone

Of our relationship with ourselves, and others?

The risk of not doing it is, of course,

Missing more of what we missed, omitted,

Got wrong, or neglected, last year.

 

Change is deliberate.

And so is growth and progress.

 

Have you checked-in yet?

 

*Reflection inspired by Marriage Minute from The Gottman Institute dated 4th January 2022. 

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