Out with the Old and In with the New!

The few days between Christmas and New Year are quite a contrast to the big festive build up.

If you have survived Christmas with the excesses and the exchanging of gifts, and family visits, you will no doubt be exhausted and feeling financially depleted.

For some it will have been an overwhelming success, with fun, laughter and good company.

Others may not have been so lucky, due to family breakdown, financial hardship, ill health or having lost a loved one.

There is a week before we all turn into the next chapter of 2024.

In that week, we will be reflecting on the Christmas we have just had, and looking back on the year as a whole.

Like Christmas itself, the year for some will have been happy and successful, while others may have been experiencing hardships of all kinds.

The new year often gives  us the opportunity to mentally wipe the slate clean and start all over again.

We are all familiar with "resolutions" which take  negative aspects and resolve to turn them into positives, and we all know that in reality the success rate is not high!

However, the theory of turning negatives to positives should not be thrown away lightly. It can be used at any time of the year, and for all sorts of objectives.

Rather than call them resolutions, call them goals or targets.

Start  with small ones and then tackle larger ones. Usually one at a time is enough.

For larger goals, break them down to manageable "chunks" and work through them a little at a time until they are complete.

The new year will unfold just as every year does. There will be ups and downs and X factors which were not anticipated, together with joyful and happy times.

Despite not knowing what is ahead, there is nothing to stop you aiming at what you want and finding a route to achieve it.

Once you start visualising  what you want, it is amazing how little pointers start to appear which  help you on your way.

It may not be plain sailing, but perseverance and a clear picture of what you want to achieve will help keep your focus sharp.

There are countless examples of people who achieve success despite all manner of obstacles and setbacks.

Read about them or find out about them and draw inspiration from them.

As well as being focused, it is also helpful to be grateful for what you have and the help, no matter how small, in bringing your goal closer.

The jury is split on how the New Year should be celebrated.

For many it is just the quiet demise of one year into the birth of the following year. No celebrations required.

Others feel the need to highlight  new beginnings.

The main difference between Christmas and New Year, seems to be the preparation and the build up.

For Christmas, preparations are started months before, and everyone has a plan of where they will be on the day itself. Very few things alter that plan.

New Year on the other hand, is a much more flexible  arrangement, with plans  subject to short term changes and no requirement to join in, so much less pressure all round.

We simply do not know what to expect in 2024, as there are many aspects here in the U.K. and beyond, which may influence our lifestyles.

We naturally hope for peace in a rather unsettled world, and good health following the ravages of the Covid pandemic, but the rest will fall into place and we will make our way through the coming year as best we can.

If nothing else, we can look forward to an interesting year by setting goals and achieving them.

Welcome to 2024 when it comes!