24 Dec

getting a head start on my restart

I’ve always, always loved new beginnings. New weeks, new months, new years… and how much better when they start on a Saturday! But, new year’s day has always been a bit of a struggle for me. I’ve been up too late, probably had too much wine; hangovers and bacon sarnies are not exactly the best state of mind and body for a clean slate. This is why some people say you should start your new year’s resolutions on January 2nd instead. But that’s no good for me. It feels just like any other day. I’m not saying I need to wait 364 days for the next go round, but… it’s just not special enough to count.

I thought of starting everything last Friday. On Thursday I finished work for the year, and next year I’m moving to a new role, so it was a good time to draw a line. Except it didn’t quite work, what with all the late nights and bad food and my use of the don’t break the chain method of alcohol consumption. Yeah, not so good.

What I think will really work is Christmas. It’s  the reason for all the craziness in December, then you get a day or two when your routines are interrupted, you eat too much, and then it’s done and everything goes back to normal. Isn’t that a great time to start afresh? Plus this year we’ll be in Ballarat, returning home on boxing day and I always feel fresh and ready to get to it when I’ve been away. So, it seems perfect.

So the next question is what do I want to have as my restart? What do I want to focus on? I do not want to make the mistake of having 57 different resolutions, one for each thing I’m unhappy with. I’ve thought about a lot from 57 different angles and the overarching theme is pare down. Get rid of clutter, whether it be in my house (stuff!), my days, my body or my mind. For most of this year I’ve felt like I’m enveloped in confusion. I need to regain clarity and focus, and I can’t do that with all this mess around me, inside and out.

What about you? Do you look forward to the new year as a chance to make resolutions, or is it just another turn of the calendar? How do you do with them? And what are you hoping to achieve in 2013?

2 thoughts on “getting a head start on my restart

  1. I like the whole ‘fresh start’ of a new year, but I tend to think of setting goals for the year ahead rather than making resolutions. I’m still working them out for 2013

  2. Ooh, setting goals sounds much more positive than making resolutions (which I kind of expect to fail). I’ll try to think of them that way too.

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