January. A new year and a time of new beginnings. Interestingly enough, do you know the meaning of the word “January”?
The month of January was named in honor of Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and transitions. Janus is typically depicted as a two-faced god, with one face looking forward and the other face looking backwards. This image of Janus is to remind us that he has power over the past and the future. January, therefore, is named after him so that, during the new month of a new year, we can consider our past and conquer it by moving forward into the future.
I recently watched an excellent TED talk on conquering our lives by “writing [our] story.”
“History isn’t just something that goes backwards,” says Brad Meltzer. “History goes forward too. And all those great things that haven’t happened yet, that’s just history that’s waiting to be written.”
So for this brand new year, I encourage you to look to the Roman god, Janus and write your own history. Consider where you’ve come from—consider both the bad things, but also the good things you’ve done—and resolve to conquer your past by moving forward into the future. As Brad Meltzer says, “Dream big. Work hard. Stay humble.”
Oh, and watch the video below!