The Year of the Snake: A Time to Shed the Past and Move Forward

I’ve always believed that a fresh start isn’t about flipping a calendar page—it’s about recognizing the moments when we can reset, refocus, and move forward with purpose. What I appreciate about the Lunar New Year is that it gives us a chance to reset. The start of the year can feel rigid—filled with resolutions and expectations—but life rarely follows a perfect plan. Maybe January didn’t go the way you expected. Maybe you’ve already hit setbacks. Or maybe you’re still figuring out what this year should look like. The Year of the Snake is a reminder that progress isn’t about speed—it’s about knowing when to move, when to adapt, and when to let go of what’s no longer working.

In the Chinese zodiac, the snake represents wisdom, patience, and transformation. Unlike other animals that rely on force or speed, the snake moves deliberately. It observes, adjusts, and acts only when the moment is right. And when it grows, it sheds its skin—not because something is wrong, but because change is necessary. That’s a powerful idea: growth isn’t about discarding the past, but about evolving beyond it.

There’s a well-known myth about Nuwa, a half-snake, half-human goddess who saw the world fall into chaos when the heavens cracked open. Floods rose, fires spread, and the land itself began to collapse. Nuwa could have panicked. She could have focused on what had been lost. Instead, she focused on what could be rebuilt. She found a solution. She gathered stones to repair the sky, reinforced the earth, and brought balance back—not with brute force, but with intelligence, adaptability, and patience.

It’s a story that resonates because we’ve all been there—faced with unexpected challenges, navigating uncertainty, trying to figure out what’s next. And when things feel overwhelming, the best path forward is often the simplest: focus on what you can control. Take the next step. Adapt where you need to.

The Year of the Snake is about moving forward with purpose. That might mean letting go of an old habit or mindset that’s no longer serving you. It might mean slowing down and being more intentional with your choices. It might mean trusting that the right opportunities will come, and that transformation doesn’t have to happen overnight to be meaningful.

So if the year hasn’t started the way you hoped, there’s still time to course-correct. And if you’re already on the right path, this is the moment to commit to it fully. Either way, progress isn’t about rushing—it’s about making smart, thoughtful moves.

This year, let’s take a lesson from the snake. Let’s be patient. Let’s be strategic. And let’s embrace change, not as something to fear, but as something that moves us forward.

新年快乐!