52 Reasons to Write a New Year Resolution List

My diary says it, my weekly posts confirm it and my calendar clearly states that this is in fact week 52 - and what an incredible feeling it is to reach this landmark.

52 weeks ago I sat at my parent's house, toasting the end of one year and the start of another and wondering to myself how I had let another year roll by without accomplishing anything.

It was that feeling of disappointment that spurred me on to do something about it.  Don't get me wrong, I have overhauled my life several times over and could write a stack of books on each life changing event, however this time it was different.  I wasn't getting married or having children, I hadn't lost anyone close to me and I certainly wasn't rebuilding my life following a ten year stretch of abuse at the hands of a husband - nope, I'd done that and worn the t-shirt already.

I didn't really need a lifestyle change, I was perfectly happy being a single mum to my three amazing children - granted, if Johnny Depp did come calling I wouldn't have said no!

I ran my own successful business doing a job I absolutely loved, working for myself, choosing my own hours to fit around my family.

I was fortunate enough to have a welcoming and perfect home, my kids were happy, safe and bright, my parents were an incredible support and my friends were the best any girl could wish for.  So having said all of that, what on earth did I want to change?

Truth be told - I wanted to change 'me'. 

My life was just how I wanted it but under the surface I still had dreams and aspirations.  Goals that I set myself year after year but never actually saw through to the end - writing my book/s, going to night school to learn a new skill, learn a language, be more artistic, read more...

So as I toasted the New Year with my children and parents I made the decision that 2013 was going to be different - I WAS going to accomplish my resolutions, but how?

The answer was simple.  I had always tried to accomplish everything pretty much overnight which of course was far too overwhelming - even for an avid list maker like myself.

I broke down the year into bite sized chunks - 12 months = 12 challenges. 

But what challenges did I want to add to my list?  I spent a few hours daydreaming about what I had wanted to achieve over the years.  Weight loss, reading, enjoy more family time and do more exercise all sprung to mind immediately, as did 'stop procrastinating' and write your damn book!

Slowly my list began to take shape.  It was then I realised that if I truly wanted to succeed I would have to step outside of my comfort zone and commit to this challenge.  The only way I could think to do this was to start a blog and record everything that happened on a public forum.

I had never written a blog in my life so on January 1st I signed up to Blogger and following the simple wizard I set up what would be my online home for the next twelve months.

Little did I know that that first post, 52 weeks ago would be the start of something amazing.  Or that I would have shared my resolutions, the highs and lows, with nearly 10,000 readers across the globe.  I had to learn along the way - I read other people's blogs and got involved in their discussions, they each taught me valuable lessons on how to keep going and how to stay confident and believe in myself.  It became apparent to me that I needed to write a weekly post if I wanted to maintain the momentum, as my mentor's were doing. 

My simple list of 12 challenges to be accomplished in 12 months then became 52 challenges!  I split each of my challenges into week's, this of course had a greater impact as I could break a particular goal down into even smaller, more attainable chunks.  My month of 'exercising more' became four separate events - cycling, wii, skipping and walking.  I ended up doing more than I had originally expected and I ended up looking forward to the next week's challenge.

So what top tip's can I show you that helped me to reach week 52?

• Make just one change each week and you will also be able to stick to your resolutions. 
• Celebrate your accomplishments and learn from your set-backs. 
• Start small and you will achieve big things.

The most important lesson I learnt this year was how easy it can be to -
'Dream it, Live it and Become it'.


What's on your Resolution List for 2014?


Stop by next week to look at the highlights of 2013's Resolution Challenge - but don't think that this is the end...

...'start small and you will achieve big things' - my Resolution Challenge continues next year as we all make 2014 our best year yet.

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