“Every year you make a resolution to change yourself. This year, make a resolution to be yourself.” – Gail Salz
The New Year is a time for new beginnings. You know the annual drill – fix your flaws, polish over your rough patches, and “start fresh”.
I recently came across a word I had never seen: “kintsugi”. That word reminded me that beyond looking at new beginnings, the New Year is also an invitation to reflect on what we’ve experienced, endured, and learned.
Kintsugi is a Japanese concept that offers a different perspective – one that celebrates imperfection and honors the journey of growth.
The word is translated as “golden joinery” – it’s an ancient Japanese art of repairing broken pottery in a way that highlights the cracks instead of concealing them. Rather than discarding something because it’s no longer perfect, the concept encourages us to see these breaks as part of the object’s history, as scars that add to its beauty. The broken pieces are lovingly joined with gold, silver, or other precious metals, becoming a new form of beauty that is stronger and more resilient than before.
Of course, kintsugi is more than a pottery repair process; it’s a mindset, and the philosophy extends beyond pottery to our own lives.
Every year brings with it a blend of challenges and victories, some moments we want to forget, and others we’d relive a hundred times over. When we think about our lives in terms of kintsugi, we begin to see that even the hardest times contribute to the whole of who we are. We don’t have to hide our scars; instead, we can honor them as parts of a story that has made us stronger, wiser, and more compassionate.
Think about the moments in the past year when things didn’t go as planned. Perhaps there were personal hardships, professional setbacks, or lost relationships. Each of these experiences leaves a mark, and while we might be tempted to try to erase those marks, kintsugi encourages us to see them as golden seams. The cracks in our lives – the missed opportunities, the mistakes, and the pain – do not define us as “broken.” Rather, they make us human, full of layers and depth, each of us with unique patterns.
In the spirit of the New Year, we often set resolutions to become “better” (whatever that means), or to erase certain aspects of ourselves.
But maybe this year, instead of looking for ways to fix what we perceive as flaws, we can embrace our unique patterns, and try to understand that every break, every scar, holds meaning. It’s not about fixing ourselves; it’s about recognizing the beauty in our resilience, respecting the lessons each crack has taught us, and appreciating how they’ve added to the masterpiece of our lives.
As you step into January, take a moment to reflect on your own “kintsugi” moments. Rather than hiding them away, ask yourself how these experiences have made you stronger. Imagine those parts of you filled with gold – your wisdom, your patience, your hard-earned insight – all visible, all valuable.
The New Year often urges us to focus on the future, but kintsugi reminds us to value our past, to carry forward all the beauty that has emerged through life’s imperfections. In the year ahead, may you see yourself as a work of art, cracks and all, filled with the beauty of resilience and strengthened by every experience.
Happy New Year!
