Monday, January 01, 2024

There is no ‘right’ time for taking stock, but it’s important to do so from time to time

Many people use the New Year as a trigger to set themselves goals for the future. And many people fail by being unrealistic.

Whether that’s you or not, it is vital to take stock from time to time, even if it’s not at New Year.

I often use my birthday as a time to think back over the last year and to wonder what changes I might make or new things I might try in the coming year. Other people choose a quiet time of the year, which may be a public holiday or the choir’s summer break.

Others use the New Year. If you’re an Orthodox Christian, that might be in January. The Chinese New Year is in January/ February. The Jewish New Year is in the autumn in the northern hemisphere. The Islamic New Year falls in differing months each year.

You might fix a specific time each year for reflecting on the past and future, you might do it several times a year, or you might just get a feeling when the time is right.

Whatever you do, it’s important to take stock from time to time. To have some self-reflection time. To check in with yourself to see if everything’s going OK or if you need to make some changes. Have you achieved what you set out to do? Are there new developments that you’d like to initiate? Are you fulfilling your potential? Are you doing your job as well as you might? Are you still having fun?!

Whenever you get around to it, maybe bookmark this post because here are some useful articles that might help the process.

 

Looking forward/ looking back

Setting your goals for the coming year (guaranteed to work!)

Achieving your singing goals for the year: 7 fool-proof steps

What small changes will make you a better singer or choir leader in the coming year?

What single thing will make you a better singer this year?

What would you do differently if you were starting your choir today?

Singers and choir leaders: what bad habits have you got into?

New choir season, new ideas – but how much can you really change?

New year, new plans – how to get what you want

Taking stock – self-reflection for choir leaders and singers

Is it time to widen your musical horizons?

Preparing for a new year of singing: how looking at the past, present and future can help

 

Chris Rowbury


 

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