Essays · New beginnings
Painted illustration: a young woman calmly pulls one small brick from the base of a huge pyramid of loose stone bricks in a misty meadow at dawn.

How to Start
Something New

Illustration: AI-generated for tomshayan.com

A new year, a new month, a new Monday — the perfect moment to start. And then, a few weeks later, the motivation is gone and nothing has changed. Why does that happen? And is there a way to start that actually works?

I started working with people at nineteen. First reading cards, later healing and energy work. When I wonder how it happened, the answer is simple: I wasn't afraid to try, and I didn't overthink it.

Acceptance comes first

When you want something too badly, you create so much inner tension that it blocks you instead of moving you forward. "I have to do this so that…" keeps you stuck.

Here's the paradox: when you give yourself the right to be who you are, flaws included, it becomes much easier to change.

When you think about change in harsh, all-or-nothing terms, you send yourself a simple message: "I don't like myself." Your inner self hears that and refuses to cooperate.

Don't change — improve

So I use a simple trick, with myself and with clients. Replace the word "change" with "improve".

"Change" always carries a judgment — usually negative. You're going from bad to better. "Improve" says: what's here is already good, and it can be even better.

You improve things that are already good. That small shift makes your inner self want to help.

You improve things that are already good.

Don't do it alone

One of the biggest mistakes I see is trying to improve yourself in isolation. "Once I've sorted myself out, I'll get back in touch with people." That only deepens the loneliness.

"I don't want to burden anyone with my problems," we say — and then feel the world doesn't understand us.

The people around you can give you far more than you expect. Their support and love can dramatically speed things up. Ask for help. Use specialists when it makes sense — if you want to lose weight, see a dietitian rather than trying the next miracle diet a friend swears by.

When you feel supported, you're not carrying everything alone. And that love simply… heals.

The one thing to start with

Whatever you're starting, I wish you, above all, acceptance and joy in who you already are.

The rest will fall into place.

Tom Shayan
Tom Shayan
Clairvoyant, healer
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