Today I read in a newsletter, that studies had shown: the 3rd Monday in January is the most sad day in the year – it’s Blue Monday today …

Many circumstances seem to confirm this view: dark and grey season (at least in the Northern Hemisphere); the bright (and also not so bright) and vivid but impermanent memories of recent seasons gatherings, cocooning and cuddling – more and more replaced by the hectics of day-to-day business and the revelation, that the guinea pigs treat mills haven’t stopped; the first experience of failure after New Year’s resolutions is undeniable. … Not to forget we have all around the globe arrived in the 3rd year of the Pandemic, with tremendous impact on mental health conditions and heavy setbacks caused by the Omicron variant of the Covid-19 virus – I had some personal setbacks caused by this in recent weeks, indeed. Last, but not least, say it with The Boomtown Rats: I don’t like Mondays ….

Well, to make it cristal clear: this Blue Monday story is a myth! The same newsletter from where I took this “fact” confirms, that this was a marketing fake: activate needs in order to promote any type of consumer goods to find distraction from sad feelings.

I simply want to direct our inner attention for what are main questions to find back to our inner North Pole. How to define goals with more sustainability and how to follow the way of happiness? We all know, that happiness is not the destination to reach out to (like if …, then …), but simply to experience it as a compass to flourish on the way, right?

Here are 9 Question-blocks, based on the 9 domains of wellbeing rooted in the Gross National Happiness building blocks (have a look on other articles tagged with Gross National Happiness, a paradigm of development created in the small Himalayan kingdom Bhutan), which can help to identify your inner goals for the New Year – either for your personal development or for your professional goals in the sense of what you really – and I mean really – want. Find it out through journaling, in a 10-days-morning meditation, in conference with your family or in the goal-setting-meeting with your boss.

Lean into the wave of life and ask yourself to find direction – and please notice: no one judges you. It’s good to identify blind spots and bias, but it is more than legitime to think big as well as small!

Living standard

How are my needs fulfilled to ensure a secured livelihood for family and myself? How can I influence for improved life standards, change habits and circumstance for a life in balance with my needs?

Ecological Diversity and Resilience

What are behaviors, habits and patterns in my day-to-day activities which may damage the vulnerable ecosystem at my home, in my town, country or even on the whole planet? How can I drive an impact within my circle of influence for more ecological sustainability?

Cultural Diversity and Resilience

How do I feel connected with the purpose of the ecosystem, which drives my professional and my individual actions? How can I contribute to an open minded culture, in which creativity and diversity enables a future minded, maybe even spiritual vision of life and work?

Vital Community

How do I feel embedded in the “We”-context of my life and / or at work? How can I flourish with my social skills in healthy, relaxed and genuine relationships in family, with friends, at work and with like-minded communities?

Time-Use

How do I spend my time and how does this match with my physical, social and mental needs? How can I influence consciously my schedule to ensure the motto of “Carpe diem” ?

Health

How do I feel physically and in which extend am I aware of my physical health status? What are measures within my individual circle of influence to improve and stabilize my physical health status?

Education

What are skills I wish to master? How can I learn new skills and contribute to a vital inner and outer growth mindset in my smaller or bigger context?

(Self-)Leadership

Do I feel fit for leadership if confronted with ambiguity, complexity, challenges, conflicts, work tasks, expectations from my boss, my team, my company, my partner, my kids? How can I ensure smooth decision making, responsibility and future-minded productivity not driven by my ego but with (self-)awareness?

For the first inventory you can draw the 9 dimensions in a circle, connect them with lines and paint 5 circles for scaling from 1 (=doesn’t look good at all) to 5 (I’m completely happy with it). As an answer to the 1st question in each category above, place a point on the scale on the lines. In the end you connect the dots and get a picture – and you can think about how to redesign the topics where the dots are very low, close to the center of the circled scale.  Then you get a outlook, a target image, in order to achieve the highest scale unit within the most relevant categories in your life as close as possible to happiness and wellbeing.

I wish you a good start into this year – and don’t forget: Lean into the wave and always realign your crown! This Monday also goes by quickly.