2018 New Year Resolutions: The Bigger Picture

I've always had a bit of a love/hate relationship with New Year's resolutions. It's either a whimsical promise made at the chime of mid-night which instantly falls through, or becomes a crushing burden of an over enthusiastic list of impossible tasks. Yet, there's always a fresh burst of energy and motivation which comes with the turning of the calendar which I'm always eager to grasp. So, how will I try to successfully harness the new beginnings of another 365 days? 

This year's resolutions have been a much different set of vows than previous years. 2018 is a year of goals. In previous years, I've jumped on resolution band wagons and tried to change in drastic ways, subscribing to ways of life which aren't my own. No way was I ever going to go to the gym every day or learn French fluently in 12 months, not only as they're big tasks to undergo, but because my heart was never in it. I'm a firm believer that you can achieve anything you put your mind to, but it has to be personally driven. For me, 2018 is a year of little changes and personal goals which are very specific to my own interests, targets and life situations. It may seem a small and easily achievable list, but I've been conscientious to include mindful tasks which I see to benefit my current situation and won't become a point of resentment. For too many years I've grown to loath my New Year's resolutions as I either loose interest or don't have the stamina or interest to maintain them; resulting in me feeling like the world's biggest failure and almost as if I don't even know myself. Resolutions should be achievable and individual as we each know what will benefit our own rambles through life. And with that in mind, I put together some aims for the year in my new bullet journal which will hopefully become a handy companion for the coming year. 

Notebook from Paperchase 

This year's resolutions aim to enhance my greater goals in life and will hopefully act as a reminder to stay true to what I want to achieve. This very blog is an area I want to nurture, as a platform I am already so proud of (despite its minuscule size). I am proud that my writing is read by others and has stood some tests of credibility. It is also an area which I am determined to improve as I will always love creating content which gives me the buzz of achievement. Alongside that comes my goal to complete my first year of university and to relish in the opportunities of study and academic growth. Both of these resolutions build on the hard work of previous years and surge forward to greater personal goals and the bigger picture of success. These are areas which I believe in, areas which test my skills and enhance my goals for later life - resolutions I can get behind and will never resent. 

With these physical goals are the seemingly smaller personal thoughts and aims towards a bright and realistic mindset. 2017 was a big year with both national and personal struggles which have  undoubtedly caused questions of doubt and despair. With this rollercoaster of a year ending on some huge challenges, the resolution I resonate most with is the goal to be grateful for each day as it comes and to hold onto the ones who are important. The bigger picture of a whole year is never clear, and we can't get a crystal ball to see if we will actually achieve our 1st of January goals, but, we can always draw a breath and take in the silver linings of everyday and everyone. 

I hope everyone has a peaceful and happy New Year and that we each have resolutions we can get behind - even if that is just to have a cuppa every day. 

Laura