New Year... New You?

                I will go to the gym three times a week! I will follow my dream and get into my perfect career! I will drop two dress sizes!

                New Year is undoubtedly the time of year when most of us are struck by new found inspiration, proclaiming that THIS will be their year, usually after a few too many glasses of prosecco under a firework lit sky at midnight. However, I can’t be the only one feeling more like this:

                I’m not sure what it is that leaves me so cold about New Years Eve, but I’m fairly certain I’m in the minority when I say I have never made a New Year’s Resolution. Not once.

                Perhaps it’s the fact that my ambitions on New Year’s Eve are more tailored to my immediate well being than future goals. Will I be able to make it into a club tonight without paying half my weeks wages in entry? Will I manage to duck away from the creepy drunkards trying to snog me when the clock chimes twelve? Does anyone remember the words to Auld Lang Syne!?

                Or maybe it’s to do with the fact that I simply don’t think sticking to New Year’s Resolutions is all that realistic.

                I’m aware that I’m going to come across as cynical. And of course, I wish you every success in giving up alcohol, seeing the world and remembering to call your Mum twice a week. But I feel there’s a certain symbolism and magnitude connected to New Year’s Eve that just doesn’t cut it once the hangover wears off.

                Now, I’m all for self improvement. In fact, I adore targets, although perhaps because convincing myself that I have them makes staying in my pyjamas until 4pm watching Gossip Girl reruns a bit more acceptable.

                In fact last year I did manage to join a gym. I started applying for jobs and managed to stick to a skincare routine that wasn’t based on the fact that most of my make up rubs off before bedtime anyway. Nothing drastic, but definitely small victories, and totally unrelated to me needing a new calendar. But I think what’s important to remember is that if you really want to make a difference to your life, you have to be careful not to get carried away by the hype of New Year. It’s certainly an inspiring concept, but are you really going to be drastically overhauling your life just because the year on your diary is different? In fact, I think that planning to make changes at the end of December can be a convenient way of putting off things in life that really need addressing.

                So if you have taken on any resolutions good luck to you! But maybe lift the pressure a bit. Focus on one thing at a time. Maybe you can get out of debt AFTER your career overhaul? Or maybe it’s about the little changes. Spending less money on nights out and walking instead of driving everywhere is realistic. Paying off your entire overdraft and dropping a stone in a month? Probably a bit less so.

                So yes, embrace the New Year. Take with you the sense of positivity, and remember your determination to change. Twelve months is a long time, and baby steps, if you stick to them, are a better way forward than flinging yourself at self-improvement manuals like Bridget Jones on speed. Remember you have a WHOLE YEAR to achieve your goals, so let’s make it a good one. Happy 2013!