The first day of the year is a good time for resuming anything that you left undone or unaccomplished.

Maybe last year you started with great enthusiasm and high hopes, but over time you lost energy and momentum. Time passed, and before you knew it, your dream or goal fell by the wayside.

When you stop taking action, it can be frustrating and demoralizing. There’s a feeling of stagnation and heaviness. And the thought of starting again takes more and more energy after each moment of inertia.

And when this pattern repeats over a long time, you may lose all will to try again.

If you find yourself in that position right now, thinking “What’s the use? I never make any progress anyway”, I want to suggest to you a reframe that may be more empowering and helpful.

Instead of thinking that you have to “start over again”, try thinking that you are “resuming after a pause”. Doesn’t matter how long the pause has been. Doesn’t matter how many times you’ve paused. You are now resuming.

Resuming is powerful because it gives you permission to pick up where you left off. So you’re not “starting over”, you’re reengaging. Whatever progress you made in the past, it’s still there no matter how long it’s been.

And even if you have to go back to the drawing board and try a different approach, or make a different plan, or change the dream or goal entirely, you’re not starting from zero. You’re starting from where you left off. All the past effort and experience is an accumulated energy waiting for you to reengage.

The other advantage of framing your experiences in terms of resuming is that it gives you permission to pause. Pausing is equally important and powerful. There are times and circumstances when you would be wise to pause. Those who make the most progress are the ones who learn to pause before being forced to pause. If you don’t pause once in a while, Life will hit that pause button for you. It will be inconvenient and unwanted, and it’ll leave you feeling frustrated.

By choosing to pause, you give yourself permission to step back and regroup. You also automatically set yourself up to resume when ready. Let me say that again: you set yourself up to RESUME WHEN READY.

They key to resuming is to do it when you’re ready. Being ready doesn’t mean being perfectly ready. It means being willing to attempt again. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you have to have every skill, all data, the perfect tools, and even a level of confidence or “feeling” before you’re ready to resume. That’s the road to inaction.

When you’re ready to attempt again, you’re ready to resume.