What is it about New Years Resolutions that get people so excited? If you want to make a change in your life why wait until Big Ben dictates a change in year? I’ve never really been someone to buy into the “New Year, New Me” commotion, instead I seem to muddle on in the same old manner as I always have.

I have, this year however, decided to break with my tradition  and put a list together. Yes, yes, I know I’ve already missed the January 1st cut off date to make these official New Year resolutions (I’ve always been on the slow side) but these aren’t just things I want to do for the next few weeks and then forget all about them, these are things I want to do and continue to do as for as long as my life allows…

Here goes:

Adventure

Travel as much as possible and absorb everything from the experience that travel brings.

I’ve been lucky that my parents love to travel, and have instilled the importance of it in me by taking me on great trips since I was knee-high and each summer holiday hiring a house somewhere for the eight week duration so we could get more immersed in a different way of life. The world is such a big place and there is so much of it I am yet to see that I want to continue to explore new places forever.

I have a couple of things on the horizon already booked, but there are so many more trips I’d like to take, including simple day trips or weekends within driving distance of home. I also want to get better at organising myself financially and making plans for long-haul travels to exciting new destinations and I would like to perhaps live somewhere else too to get a proper sense of another country and it’s culture. I want to get as many stamps as possible in my passport!

If I visit countries I deem better than the UK and see lives I envy, maybe I can learn to improve my own little world in someway. If I visit places that aren’t so great then I hope they will make me more appreciative of my life back home. Travel to me, is far more than just seeing sights, I truly believe its a discovery not only about the world around us but about ourselves too.

Do Things For Others

Whether it’s spending time listening to a friend, helping a family member with something, or showing random acts of kindness to strangers, I’d like to make more of an effort to do things for those around me.

I try to do little things where I can, and treat my friends and family relatively well but this is something which can always be built on, be it seeing a little gift they may like, sending a random joke I know will make them laugh or just picking up the phone now and then instead of texting to have a proper conversation and see how someone really is.

I’ve often said I would like to do something for charity other than stick my loose change in a pot every now and again but as yet I’m not sure what. I might not be able to give much financially but I do have some time to kill and want to look into how perhaps I can donate a little of that instead. I know I’m not going to set the world alight with what I do but as a certain supermarket advert says “every little helps”.

Waste Less Time 

We all waste time to a certain degree and that’s not always a bad thing. Going forward though I’d like to be more in control of where my time is going and put it to a more constructive use.

I’m not going to make myself feel guilty for slobbing out on the sofa and reading a book, as sometimes doing just that is exactly what my body craves after a busy day, but I am going to try and capture my time a little better overall.

I often find myself saying yes to doing things I’m really not that keen to do and it’s often not only a burden on my free time but on my wallet too.  I am going to try and place more value on my time and learn to say no to people and things that do not interest me. Time is our most valuable commodity and I think I have until now giving it away too freely so going forward I really want to ensure I spend it with people I care for doing things I enjoy.

Headstands and Handstands

So, this is more of a childhood goal! For as long as I can remember I’ve been a cart-wheeler, it seemed to be my preferred mode of getting about the school playing field when I was a little girl, but being able to do and hold a headstand or handstand is something I never quite  mastered.

Growing up I was tall for my age, I’ve never had strong arms, and my center of mass was always out of wack which caused me to topple over almost as soon as my legs kicked up into the air. To me, headstands and handstands represent ultimate strength – it makes me think of real yogis and rugged climbers doing a one-handed stand on the side of a mountain top or something.

I’ve already got a good jackknife going so even if my best friend has to hold my feet over my head, I am going to give them a go and if I master them it’s safe to say I’ll be doing them into my 90’s.

So there we have it, I’m pretty happy with this list, it feels good to write them down as real goals.

In my opinion there’s no real sense in putting together a few pie-in-the-sky dreams that will just make me feel bad at the end of the year when I’ve not accomplished them, so I feel it’s best to stick to things I’m already really motivated to accomplish. Everyone knows the only New Years Resolutions worth having are the ones you’re actually going to keep!

Sophie x