What’s it going to be this year? Will you loose weight, get fit, learn that language or travel more? Perhaps this is the year you’ll finally quit your job to become a travelling circus performer or visit that restaurant you’ve always wanted to go to?
New Year’s Eve marks the end of 2018 and as the bell tolls to welcome in 2019, another 365 possibilities await before us. Without a crystal ball, no one knows what’s going to happen, whether we’ll keep any of those resolutions passed the 2nd January, but there are many ways we can set ourselves up for a successful and happy new year. A little bit of time and space can help you welcome in 2019 with a positive attitude and perhaps even a little bit of excitement for what’s ahead.
Take your time
Don’t feel pressured to concoct a New Year’s Resolution to begin on 1 January, give yourself some time to get back into a routine after the holiday season. In 2018 I couldn’t think of a resolution in time for New Year but come February I realised that I needed to focus more on building a meditation habit. I spent some time thinking about what I wanted to improve in my life and I decided to subscribe to Headspace and haven’t looked back. I’m sure if I’d made this resolution at the start of the year I may not have had as much success, but by taking the time to think things through slowly I’ve created a new habit which makes me feel better and one that I’ve managed to stick to.
Are you sitting quietly?
Finding time to sit quietly and reflect on the previous year can be a valuable place to start. What were your resolutions for 2018, and how did they work out for you? Resolving to start a diet on 1 January when the cupboard is still full of Pringles and dips from the festive season is not exactly setting yourself up for the greatest of successes. But reviewing your current diet, cutting back a little and researching some new recipes on Pinterest may be a little easier to stomach. If you know that each year your healthy eating plans fall by the wayside the second you start back work, try looking at things a different way. Maybe eating better at home (breakfast, dinner and weekends) is the best place to start. Once you notice how successful you’re being in these meal options, you may feel more motivated to increase your healthy lifestyle into lunches and snacks.
Why?
With almost 80% of resolutions failing by February, it’s important to understand why this resolution is important to you. This helps along the road to success, the important elements to creating good resolutions is aligning them with who you are and where you want to be.
In my case, I had dabbled with meditation for several years and I knew the benefits of its application, but I couldn’t find the time to make the habit stick. Realising that I felt better when I meditated, my sleep was more restful and I found it easier to manage negative influences in my life were all massive reasons why I decided to make this a habit in my life.
Accepting reality
My resolution was to meditate ever day, but as I moved through the year life got in the way sometimes. Since February I have missed 3 days and I’m ok with this because my goal of meditating regularly does not have to be every day. I’ve had to learn to be realistic about things and accept that meditating every single day is not always possible or practical.
Onwards and Upwards
So, this Hogmanay I will not be making a resolution. Instead I’ll be finding some time to think about how I can improve myself in 2019. I do want to be fitter, eat healthier and be the best version of myself, but I don’t want the pressure of potentially becoming another statistic of a failed resolution. Instead, I’m going to take my time and consider carefully what I would like to achieve in 2019, before making a plan that I know I’ll be able to see through.
What ever you decide to do, resolution wise, I hope that you have a wonderful New Year.
Yoga by Gillian 