Life

Why my resolution is to not make resolutions

NEW year, new face on a Friday. As my colleague Marie Louise McConville leaves us all for a while to begin one of life's most enjoyable experiences, motherhood, the start of 2015 also allows me to embark on a new challenge.

A full-time journalist, wife, mum of three young boys (and an everincreasing blood pressure reading as I try to juggle it all within 24 hours), I will be here on a Friday bringing you a flavour of what happens in my life, good and bad.

And as if the column wasn't the biggest thing to be happening to me as I embark on 2015, I'm faced with the annual question: what are my new year resolutions?

Everyone is always so keen to find out a person's plans for changing themselves over the coming year.

Yes, I know it is fab to be able to live life as best as humanly possible.

I recognise it's great to be able to dedicate the new year to being the best you possibly can be.

But, to be honest, new year resolutions don't really factor into my life, and for some years they have been the bane of my existence. Should I really need this annual list to be able to change my life?

Firstly there's the whole process of actually trying to come up with something that's good enough to make the list.

As the Christmas tree comes down, the house is even more taken over by kids' toys and the credit card bill lands on the doorstep with multiple figures not worth repeating aloud, sitting down to write my resolutions is not really a priority.

Perhaps I enjoy my life the way it is right now. Do I need to make the list of changes that people expect, just because it's the start of a new year? Then, there's the actual implementation of these resolutions which is an even bigger task to take on.

One of the most popular resolutions has to be joining the gym, especially after weeks of excessive eating and drinking during the festive season. New members flock to the treadmills hoping to shed those extra pounds but really wishing they were at home tucking into left over mince pies and fresh cream or that last glass of mulled wine.

I know from my own experience, it doesn't last. Within weeks the exercise bikes are left idle and the aerobics classes are half empty. While I am happy for anyone who wants to make 2015 that bit healthier, the question is, will it continue?

You make these resolutions, you break them and by mid-January they become just a bitter memory.

For me, many years of embarking on well-intentioned resolutions have ended up in failure.

So why repeat the same mistake? Instead of making broad and extremely hard decisions to maintain a new year regime, people should focus on making little lifestyle changes.

I try to make small goals in my life, whether it be monthly, weekly or at times daily.

From eating a bit healthier, visiting friends more, and most importantly spending more time with my family, it is these new year resolutions that are close to my heart.

By doing these smaller challenges, I can see past the first few weeks of the new year to an entire 365 days filled with little but important goals worth tackling.

So as the new year begins, my resolution is: to forget them.

Happy New Year everyone, wishing you all a wonderful 2015.