A Happy New Year can start – and end – anytime you wish. At any point in time when you are looking – and ready – for a fresh beginning. Clarity, reflection and yes, even resolutions. A New Year can even be a revolution if you do it right.

For me, September has long been the de facto start of the – or a – New Year. No big stretch of mental gymnastics required – most of us associate September with the beginning of the school year. Our own, way back when, and then our kids and other children sprinkled in our lives.  First day of school pictures… my three boys always posed in front of the pine tree in our front yard. Excited… nervous… fresh haircuts and new backpacks full of possibilities.

Fiscals often coincide with the school year beginning.  New goals, targets, taxes to be paid, and supplies to be purchased. Ahhh… school supplies…. the fresh smell of colours as you crack a new box of crayons… but I digress….

I won’t try and convince you that September is the only New Year.

I love celebrating January 1st. Now.

I didn’t notice it growing up.  So many modern milestone moments had those darn pagan roots to avoid tripping over.  And so, much like birthdays, Thanksgiving, Mother’s Day, and on and on… the New Year for me was simply another day. No celebration, although it did have a different smell somehow.

I have helped countless businesses celebrate their anniversary, birthday, new location, business start, or acquisition.

Helpful Tip – No one but you actually cares when your actual date of incorporation or grand opening was. 

Well, maybe your parents, if yours is a family business.

So – pick a date that feels right and own it. Make it close if you want. I promise, no one will check. The actual date and number of years in business matter more to us, as business owners. That’s because we are reading the label from inside the bottle. Customers are much more excited to hear what they get – discounts, freebies, hot dogs – as they help you celebrate your… whatever. If you’ve already been open for months, that’s not a problem if the deals are good and they know who you are.

But I will give you a challenge. Ready?

Grab a paper – not your laptop – and a pen you like. And think about this last summer. And this September New Year we are in. Breathe it all in.

Now, write down what you didn’t do, summer-specific, in the past three months that you wish you had.

I’m not asking you to make a huge Dear Diary moment. Jot notes are fine.

  • Did you go for a bike ride?
  • Did you eat your favorite flavor of ice cream, in a cone, outside in the heat?
  • Are you starting your September routine feeling organized because you spent time organizing?
  • Did you make sure all the junk in the storage room was tossed?
  • Did you detail your fleet of vehicles?  (not a poke to do it yourself – but did you ensure it was done!)
  • Did you do the stuff that would leave you feeling great about what comes next?
  • Was the staff picnic all it could be?  Please don’t tell me there was no staff picnic…

What do you wish you had done in the Glory of Summer 2026 that remains undone?

You should easily get to 10. Fifteen is probably more honest. It is, after all, an entire three months we are talking about.

Now, fold your paper, put it in an envelope, write May 15th, 2027 on it, and file it.  If you can’t paperclip it in an old-style paper day timer or calendar on your desk, tack it to your bulletin board, tape it to your credenza, or use a magnet (funny ones are allowed) and put it on your fridge.

Make next year better. Doesn’t that simple act of planning to do better, more, faster, and stronger get you excited about real-life possibilities?

Embrace celebrating and planning for what comes next by laying a foundation based on what we wish we had done. Don’t belabor it.  Just plan to do more.

Maybe next May, you will find out you’re lactose intolerant and not be able to indulge in your favorite ice cream.  But you will have a glorious moment of remembering why you wanted to.  And a moment of decision to determine what you might possibly replace that want with.

Your birthday – that’s another New Year.  You go to sleep blissfully familiar with your age and then wake up in a weird netherworld of a larger, impressively daunting number. Anniversaries too… a brand New Year of being together. When dating, time is often measured in weeks or months… then suddenly years and decades.  The same with babies… they are weeks old, months old, then suddenly years. Relationships, babies, businesses…

All worth celebrating. All craving our attention, all insisting we do our best.  And when we forget or miss or simply can’t do everything we hoped, let’s take a second and decide. What were those things?  Oh yeah… This year is going to be better.

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