Recently, we celebrated a new year. Did the symbolism of the clock striking midnight leave you feeling as if the new year will be different from the last year? Are you looking ahead with hope and prosperity, with goals and aspirations, with renewed optimism and determination? Or will 2023 be the same thing again, a repeat of the past, or the last couple of years, especially as we continue to grapple with the uncertainties of the coronavirus and all the variant strains?
If you chose the former, you might associate the new year with Pokémon’s ‘Ditto’, who has a unique ability to transform. Although a new year may not be able to improve your life, it is an opportunity to start anew and make small, attainable goals.
Different could mean setting different boundaries, establishing different priorities than you had in the past, different as in another unit of time to chronologically make it through the various experiences in our lives.
If you chose the latter, much like Patrick Swayze’s character in the movie ‘Ghost’ where ‘Sam’ uses the word ‘ditto’ to state that which was stated before, ‘ditto’ can be used to show you share the same sentiment, or agree with something, that was stated by someone else.
You likely agree with the sentiment that 2023 might be a repeat of the past.
But just because someone thinks that one year will be much like the one before doesn’t mean it’s a terrible thing. Maybe the previous year was the best it could’ve been. Maybe, you realized personal or professional success, strengthened relationships, conquered fears, and achieved goals; maybe you pushed yourself to reach for and grasped the proverbial brass ring.
As was with Janus, the Roman god of beginnings, you can either go back to the past or move forward to the future. The choice is yours.
While conducting research for this article, I stumbled upon a variety of different interpretations of the word ‘Ditto’. Everything from my intended interpretation, as stated above (used to express agreement with a statement instead of just repeating the same opinion), to the name of a dog who loved to dig in the dirt. There’s ‘the Ditto effect’: Putting an end to team burnout and empowering individuals to live a life of freedom, or how ‘ditto’ has been written into the lyrics of more than a song or two.
Ditto isn’t just about what we feel when we aren’t sure about something; it’s also about trying to (re)ignite something with an internal passion, especially when you have nothing to lose.
So, whatever the new year has in store for you, different or ‘ditto’, greet each day with purpose, longevity, peace, prosperity, fortune, and personality.
____________
2023 is the (Chinese Zodiac) year of the Rabbit. Jacqueline Biollo is a strategic optimist who once loved a pet rabbit named Thethuthinnang (Watership Down). And although she’s not a huge fan of the word ‘ditto’, choosing to share her own sentiments even when she agrees with the sentiments of others, she did appreciate the theatrical performances of Patrick Swayze, Whoopi Goldberg, and Demi Moore, although not necessarily in the movie Ghost, but rather, in Dirty Dancing, Sister Act, and Indecent Proposal, respectively. Jacqueline looks forward to building on the successes of the past year(s) and making a difference in the lives of many in 2023 and beyond.
Photo by Blue Nail Negatives
