Get set for the leap year!

As a child, I always felt uneasy with sunset even though the sky would turn out in brilliant colours, announcing the end of the day.

That was the thing - the ending of a day. Something about it made the mood sad; although too young to understand that there would not be a day altogether, there was a sense of missing. At sunset, the lights get switched on, and then there is no more exploration in the garden. And now, it is time to say goodbye to a year.

The opportunities of this year may or may never come again. We will all add one more year of experience to our life and career. And there would also be people who can't wait to start a new chapter and a new year.

That's an opportunity a new year gives us after every 12 months - to have a fresh start. But do we realise we can do so at every sunrise? Because it is all actually a mindset. Each year gives one the opportunity to overcome challenges faced the year before by finding new ways to meet and tackle them.

An interesting aspect is to reflect and see the new people you met and their qualities that impressed you and their traits that you would miss. Now, it gets even more intriguing when you think about why you like and dislike their qualities because we often identify the qualities through us. But the best part is finding out what we learned from them. Not to compete, but they could enhance your understanding of life and your own path.

You know what else? We realise that we could also be on someone else's list, and now we can wonder about what could be the descriptions that would be projected under your name.

Another topic to ponder is the beautiful moments you experienced, places you visited, authors and books, and people you will miss.

A significant thought process is to identify the aspects we are going to leave behind as we say goodbye to 2023. From habits to attitude, we have to do our homework and plan to execute it in the first month of the new year, so eventually, it becomes part of our characteristics. Don't worry. There is no copyright on characteristics. That is the beauty of life - we can make all the changes the day we realise we want to be better than yesterday.

One major understanding we must indulge in is the need to prioritise. As the air hostess tells us, we wear the oxygen mask each time we fly and then wear it for the child. In the big picture, only if we can provide for ourselves can we contribute to the world.

But you know what is exciting? This is also the time to set goals for next year. Remember, we keep getting asked what are your short-term and long-term goals. Now, this weekend, we can ask ourselves what we want to achieve in 2024.

And what is special about 2024? It is a leap year! We will have one more day in February to make it special. So this coming new year, we will have 366 days to ponder and thrive, be strong and enjoy leisure as well while accomplishing achievable goals.

And so we just have to find our own ways to make February 29th, the leap day, special as we would have to wait another four years to have that day again.

Our understanding of time through hours, days, months and years might be man-made. But the sun and moon rise and set for us to number the days. They maintain their path, and so does the North Star. The Polestar has guided mankind for centuries, and it symbolises direction, guidance, stability and purpose.

Great qualities to imbibe, don't you think? The Polaris has helped so many sailors to navigate to their destination. But you could also be the North Star in others' lives.

According to the business community, the North Star implies a company's definition of its purpose, its products, its customers and potential acquirers.

And then you could be a North Star friend who makes others feel at ease so they can be true to themselves.

So the priority ought to be finding your true self and then being the North Star. And keep shining! Go ahead, take a leap!