So 2023 will be a great year

Worried looks at the new year dominate my Twitter timeline. And several Survey according to only around a third of those surveyed are optimistic about 2023. How sad is that! Rather, we should change our perspective and start the new year with joy and confidence. Because there are enough reasons for it!

Some wonderful quotes are attributed to Karl Valentin. There’s one thing I particularly like: “I’m happy when it rains. Because when I’m not happy, it rains too.” There is a lot of truth in this quote. Basically, it means that optimism is a matter of attitude – and ultimately our own responsibility.

Review: Was 2022 a bad year?

If you look at the year 2022, which is coming to an end, you can very quickly come to the conclusion that it was a negative, even a bad year. The war in Ukraine, the corona pandemic, the economic downturn and higher food and energy prices – enough arguments are quickly found. But is it really like that? Isn’t it premature to talk about a bad year?

If we Germans are good at something, it’s probably criticizing, lecturing and emphasizing negative things. We’re just good at showing where to find the mistakes. And of course we can also explain really well why we are right with what we have to say.

Change of perspective: We’re not doing badly!

In fact, this shows a rather negative and pessimistic attitude. Because if we take a look at all of our lives, we quickly realize that we are basically doing pretty well.

Let’s take things as simple as access to health care, enough jobs, well-stocked supermarkets (and therefore enough food), apartments and houses (that are well heated) or the freedom to travel to most countries: For most readers: inside that should probably be the case.

In addition, most people have a few friends, can afford some convenience or other such as going to the theater, vacationing, or going to the movies, and have a TV, laptop or game console, car, washing machine, and Netflix subscription.

Optimism for 2023: what really matters?

Ok, now the objection naturally arises that these are all material things. Yes it is. Aren’t we determined by whether we’re doing well or badly? Oh, so that doesn’t matter at all? Yes, but then I have to ask: what is the point?

Is it really the Ukraine war? It’s really bad and the images you see in the media are terrible. But in my circle of acquaintances, for example, nobody is really directly affected by the war.

What about the high cost of energy and food? Very ugly, there is nothing to shake about it. But here, too, I have to say that nobody in my circle of acquaintances has anything to eat. Less maybe, probably less organic and luxury food. But nothing to eat? I don’t know anyone there.

Then there is the climate catastrophe, which we are reminded of over and over again. It is also enough for us to look to the future with sadness, especially because the political measures are too few and too small to cushion or eliminate the consequences of climate change. Well, in general we are all affected, of course, but really directly – see above.

It’s all a question of perspective

Far be it from me to belittle the three challenges mentioned as examples. On the contrary: there is a lot to do here in the coming years. However, I am concerned with the question of whether we should be pessimistic about the coming year. And my answer is a resolute “No”!

Because of course everything depends on the perspective. But not only from that. Whether we are optimistic or pessimistic about the future also depends on who and why we compare ourselves to others. There’s a lovely saying, “The grass is always greener on the other side.” In other words, others always have better things, live better, and are generally better off.

What is our goal for the new year 2023?

But we can quickly change this negative perspective if we simply ask ourselves what our starting point is and what we want to achieve as a goal. Only when we have defined that can we draw a clear comparison and determine whether we are really missing something – and then turn this missing into a disadvantage.

I’ll give an example: Let’s just say that I want to do three short city trips in 2023. Then I plan two for February and May and book the corresponding flights or train tickets. Since I want to do three and two are already organized by May, I still have seven months to think through the last trip. Then – and only then – can I take a meaningful look at my planning. But now it looks very optimistic.

From this simple example, I think it is clear that our pessimism often results from a diffuse view of an approximate future. If we looked specifically at the future and looked at it from a different perspective, we would quickly realize that actually quite a lot is going very well for us.

The change of perspective promotes satisfaction

I always have to think of a good friend I was with in Istanbul who explained to me how differently Turks and Germans negotiate in the Grand Bazaar when they want to buy something there. The Turk, he explained to me, sets a price that he wants to achieve in the course of the negotiation. If he bargains the seller down to that price, he is satisfied and closes the deal.

A German, on the other hand, sets a price, haggles until this price is reached – and then, if the seller agrees, does not close the deal because he could have gotten a little more out of it. Instead of being happy about the success of the negotiations, which turned out exactly as he had hoped or wished for, he is dissatisfied with the result. Basically completely absurd behavior.

Setting and achieving goals for a positive new year 2023

What recommendation can I give now? It is best to have precise and clear goals in mind. The next thing to think about is how to achieve this. And then you write down both goals and path – ideally on a piece of paper in the old-fashioned way. And then you make sure that you achieve the noted goal.

When that’s done, you can be happy. Because something great has happened. And of course you can now look for the next destination. What is not allowed, however, is subsequent modification of the original target. You shouldn’t be dissatisfied because you haven’t achieved “more”. Because that wasn’t the goal.

I am convinced that with this attitude, 2023 can only be really good. Because you change your perspective from a diffuse view of any negative things that might happen if we just articulate them properly once, to a clear view of realistic goals, without cheating yourself with subsequent goal changes.

This wonderfully improves our inner attitude and creates peace and confidence – and sharpens our view and our understanding of what we have defined as a clear goal for the future.

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