Here we are at the brink of a New Year.

The place where resolutions are made and vision boards crafted. You’ve got your SMART goals at the ready and your OKR’s lined up. You’ve got three different planners, two journals and a customized note pad prepared for greatness.

But what if you’re not actually ready?

What if behind all of the things we use to plan, plot and maneuver, we’re simply not ready to move?

I’m not talking about pretending the calendar isn’t changing. What I mean is that the calendar will change whether you are ready or not. The day will turn to night and then day again, without any input from you whatsoever. The calendar will move, but you don’t have to.

This has been a really tough couple of years. Like, really tough, unprecedented even, and maybe you’re not where you thought you should be or could be according to your master plan planner.

I’m here to tell you, you’re not alone.

All of the SWOT analysis in the world can’t push you if you’re not fully prepared to move. If you’re too damn exhausted and mentally pickled, it’s time for a little grace. You don’t have to keep spinning. 

Pausing is not “lazy.” It’s emotionally intelligent. 

You can stop, and breathe deeply. In your quest for world domination, you’re allowed, without justification or explanation to anyone, to pause and be kind to yourself, even if you can’t measure, quantify or create a metric around that pause. You deserve it.

The calendar will change and at the end of the day, New Year’s Day is just that, another day in what will be a month, in a year, in a decade, in a life, in a journey. And on your journey, it is worthwhile and sometimes necessary to pull over the damn car, turn off the GPS and have a snack and a juice box. 

Bounty and accomplishment await you. This turning of the page will undoubtedly allow you to create and build, and learn; to craft and fail well, while achieving all of the things you imagine.

When you’re ready.

LB Adams is the Founder of Practical Dramatics, headquartered in Charleston, SC, providing interactive, theatre-based communication skills training.  She is the author of The Irreverent Guide to Spectacular Communication, available in paperback, ebook and audiobook.