New year: What’s the big f***ing deal?

Like many people, I was invited to go places, but I chose to have a lovely lunch at one of my favourite restaurants overlooking the harbour and watch the early fireworks so that I could be home in bed reading by the time midnight hit.

What I have never understood about the significance of a new year is why so many of us, including me, hold off until the 1^st day of the new year to start a ‘new year resolution’. Why wait another day to be the best version of yourself? Why hold back in achieving your goals, losing weight, being more fit and trying something new?

The reality is that most people struggle to keep their new year’s resolutions in place past the first few days. 

For many, 2022 signifies change – at least in a ‘hopeful’ sense. With two years behind us not completely understanding the enormity of COVID on our health, friends and family, and finances, let alone our way of living, it has become abundantly clear that we all have put so much hope into the year ahead.

Steering away from media reports on the ‘doom and gloom’ of predicted economy crashes and housing crisis, I’ve really started to look at life differently.

I’m the driver, and so are you.

What do you want? What do you need to get there? And how are you going to make yourself accountable so that it is not just an idea, but something that you follow through on?

These are questions I have asked myself and the only way I can successfully navigate a goal-orientated 2022 is to write it down.

My questions – answered!

What do I want?

Happiness first and foremost. Somewhere during 2022 I let go of all the worry about what might happen and started living in the present and dreaming about the future. Making smart decisions based on where I socialise and what I do has meant that I have avoided contracting COVID. Yes, my life has been quieter than I would like, but it means that this is one less health issue I have to worry about.

The question of what I want is complex. We often feel as though many things that we want are unattainable and if you are thinking about winning the lottery, you are probably right. Simply I want in this order:

• Happiness: Find ways to continually appreciate the life that I have and what surrounds me. Always remember that I am blessed to live a life that I have designed, travel the world and meet interesting and diverse people.
• Health: It’s simple. Eat well, exercise and take vitamins. Get regular check-ups with my medical team and listen to my body. If I am tired, rest. If I am stressed out, re-think why I am stressed and ask myself “what is the worst thing that can happen?” This helps reframe what is making me stressed and recalibrate.
• Work: Somewhere in the past year I fell in love with work again. I am passionate to kick goals, set a new direction and conquer the world. Doing things better and focusing on setting goals and ticking them off is the first start to ensuring that work is everything I wanted it to be. 
• My team: How can I continually ensure that they are happy and fulfilled? The answer to that question lies in listening and observing. I need to be prepared to put them first and foremost and provide a forum for them to achieve personal and professional goals. They have been incredible over the past few years supporting me when I have been overwhelmed. They have put their clients first and really rolled up their sleeves. I am grateful for the team I have and am putting in place ways to make their lives much better.
• Personal: Setting personal goals is important. While it’s good to say we want to focus on happiness and health, it’s our personal goals that give us that sense of accomplishment. I never want to feel like I am not on a path to accomplish my personal goals.
• Fun: What’s life if you don’t have a little bit of fun. If you are not laughing often then you have the wrong people around. If you don’t get the adrenalin pumping and use your cheek muscles to smile (and hopefully laugh) there is something missing. What I want is to have fun so I am going to. Fairly simple.

We all overcomplicate life too much. It doesn’t have to be that way so we each have a choice. My choice is to take every day and make the most of it. Who’s joining me?