Wishful Thinking Works: Create the life you really want

Even if you love your job, you may still be experiencing some form of back-to-work-blues this morning. The holiday rush, combined with overindulging in all things fancy and edible; mixed with late nights, early-rising kids, long-staying relatives and a long weekend to enjoy it all – may have left you feeling a bit overwhelmed at the thought of heading or being back to work today.

Not to worry, you’re in good company. Much of the world is feeling exactly the same way. To help combat the back-to-work-blues, I have developed a novel approach rooted in ancient teachings.

The Archetypal Return

You are passing through an emotional and mental threshold as you rise and return to the world outside your door. After 2-4 days in your cozy cave and weeks of holiday and social activities and demands, you are once again on your own. Embrace it!

I suggest starting the day by picking the attitude and archetype that suits your current mood or mindset. Carl Jung, a famous psychologist in the early 20th century, popularized ancient archetypal roles and took them quite seriously; I’m suggesting a much lighter approach for today, in fact I call it Archetype-Light.

There are many Archetype-Lights to choose from: hero, warrior, wizard, goddess, damsel, mother-earth, trickster, sage, explorer, guardian, adventurer, detective, cowgirl, philosopher, angel, devil-may-care, etc. Select the one that sounds the most appealing at the moment to you, and then act accordingly throughout the day.

We’re not talking long-term – adopting an Archetype-Light approach is an imaginative way to make your passage back to the “real” world as relaxing as possible. You can start your day as light and as airy as mother-earth by sipping lemon water and nibbling on nuts, or you can feed the warrior within and begin your day with lean meat and eat it off the tip of the knife you use to cut it! The choice is yours, and since we are only type-casting for the day, throw caution to the wind and create the persona that best describes how you feel or who you most want to be, and blend it with:

A Sense of Adventure

Go for it. Decide to take a chance in the New Year and let your imagination run wild. Exercise your psyche and your soul.

A Sense of Drama

You can choose to push your blues aside and dive into your new persona using all your creative acting abilities, or you can choose to wallow in any lingering grogginess and grumpiness and craft your actions around being the best post-holiday Scrooge-like creature imaginable. No matter which option you choose – revel in the details and the drama by immersing yourself in your character.

A Sense of Humor

Make it fun, even if you only ended up laughing at yourself. Pose as your persona when no one is looking or perform for the amusement of all around you. Pretend your scarf is your wings or the wind blowing through your hair, or transform your tie into your shield or the launching pad for all your super powers. Your cellphone can become your transporter and your car can be a chariot or a gilded carriage. You decide.

I have decided to be a goddess/angel for the day – I’m a Gemini so I responding to the whims of twins. I started by turning my many gratitudes into gold, so I feel rich and wonderful. Keeping in character, I’m sipping and enjoying only the most delicate beverages and the most delicious and diminutive portions of food under the most elegant conditions, which include a glass of sweet, freshly-squeezed tangerine juice with rich dark chocolate on a holiday napkin at my desk! I’m wearing a two-tone scarf woven of the memories of my family and friends in the States and my new family and friends in the Republic of Georgia, who after much holiday revelry in very different locations on opposite sides of the globe, are sharing in the same cultural phenomena today – the back-to-work blues.

Enjoy your journey!