Resolutions and commitments of change are often saved for Jan 1 (or every Monday morning!) Why? Instead of reaching a motivating milestone or a goal, we make change by the date on the calendar. It’s setting us up for failure as the reason for starting isn’t strong enough!

So I’m trying a different tactic, I’m focusing on what I really want, what a lot of us want… Happiness. There is no point and definitely no success in writing that on my New Years resolution list. I’ve made a list with a twist…

1. Where and when don’t I feel happy and why? Start small and start simple with your problem solving

E.g. I do not feel happy in the supermarket, I don’t like the lines, I despise the self service counter that always seems to flash red and boom “attendant required” as I attempt to whiz through my groceries and I feel like the worst housewife when I give up on browsing the shelves and opt to fill my already too heavy hand basket with the same old ingredients for the same old meals.

My solution? I’ve ordered a home delivered meal service for a week every month. The fresh ingredients and recipes are delivered to my door on a Monday. This has sparked my interest again, yes I still love a good spag bol but it’s helping me get organised again.

2. What makes me cranky?

Just ask my husband, he won’t even have to think about it… Lack of sleep, hunger and not getting any exercise (& not necessarily in that order). My plan to fix these?

I’ve created a snack cupboard at work, in the car and at home. Snack size zip lock bags with nuts, dried dates and apples, muesli bars and protein balls. I have joined a  gym and I have scheduled me time at least twice a week. Sleep… That one is harder for me but it means instead of watching mindless television of an evening put sleep first!

I’d suggest the trick here is to identify and plan to correct but not cut out. There will be days I don’t exercise, nights without great sleep but know you have habits and plans in place to minimise the problems.

3. What makes me happy? True positive feelings

I’ve said it before, the beach is my happy place. Not in the middle of the day to lay in the sun with my pale Scottish skin, but in the early morning when it’s cool and quiet. I can’t get there everyday, far from it but even thinking about it makes me happy. Recent research has identified viewing images of your “happy place” is as good as going there. My phone now has this  image as my screen saver… My little piece of meditation each day.

Make your joy a priority, schedule it.

4. Balance

It is unrealistic to think the stresses of everyday life will not at times get on top of us, that my two girls will never have tantrums, keep me awake half the night then refuse the new gourmet meal I’ve made. What I need to resolve to focus on is the balance of good and bad. We all have bad days and I’ve been guilty of dumping these on friends and family and anyone who will listen at times but from here on I will focus on restoring the balance to a bad day or bad week. Take an hour to go for a run even if it means later at night to re-balance a bad day or take a mental health day to fix a bad week. I vow not to let the negative overtake the positive.

So, there it is, my resolutions. I don’t believe you need to wait to Jan 1 and I don’t think they should be restrictive and limiting. I think we should focus on why we make all of the changes we do… To create a better life.

To love your life let’s start with loving your day.

Lauren