2024 - lights, camera, ACTION!

"Mama, I don't know what I'll do when you die, I will be broken, you're the only family that I've ever known"! 😭

OMG this comment nearly made me choke on my mouthful of Christmas dinner. 😟

But believe me, the effect of those words that my boy sincerely spoke to me, not only broke through but smashed a cycle... my cycle of New Years Eve resolution failures. Previously, every single New Year Eve spurred on by fireworks and bubbles, I'd bring in the New Year with a raised glass and long list of resolutions, things that I will achieve by the end of the year. All these well intended goals and resets, are usually well forgotten by the next morning while grabbing sunglasses, pain killers & rushing out in search of coffee & any grease soaked or buttery treat to soak up the alcohol from the night before! Damn my healthy eating regime... lasted 6 hours! 😬Does this sound familiar??

Through Elijah's heartfelt comment at our Christmas table, it made me look at two things, including one immediate physical reaction ... loss of appetite!! 😒

1. Seriously look at my lifestyle, & question what I need to do to live longer;
2. How can I make changes in my life that lasted longer than 6 hours, 🤣 & how can I make them lifelong changes?

Asking these 2 questions also led to my resolve on how to make me successful when it comes to New Years resolutions.

For one, when making a resolution, I need to be emotionally connected to a goal. It must be charged with an overarching promise that not only involves me. Me looking after me, my wellbeing is driven by my passion to live longer for Elijah. Even though I have helped him develop to a young independent man, there are still other life lessons that I need to be able to help him through. I had thought that after 21 years of long service, my parenting days were over! But as mentioned in my first blog here, Oops I'm a parent, parenting is a lifelong career. 😮‍💨

The other factor that I had not thought of is that I needed a strategy for success. In my search for coming up with a plan, I came across this article in the Harvard Business Review Use Strategic Thinking to Create the Life You Want (hbr.org)  

A great read, as it uses the same concept and principals of strategic thinking in business to creating the life you want.

Following these two techniques, surprisingly this New Years was different for me. 😇 I'm now riding my own wave of personal wokeness & my inner guru has been released. 🧘‍♀️I am at peace - I am one! 😜

But seriously, the lesson here is that a resolution is a firm decision to do or not do something, so you have a choice, on whether you do or don't. When you make a resolution, yes it should be about you, & if you also take into consideration your wider community & how the change also affects them it gives your resolutions more value and meaning. Looking after yourself will have a flow on affect to family, friends & even work.

& like any goals you have, there needs to be a plan. These two great quotes prove the importance of planning! You may like to use the strategy that I've shared here or not, but if you’re serious about personal development & growth, then it's really beneficial to have steps in place on how to achieve them:

• “Good fortune is what happens when opportunity meets with planning.” ~ Thomas Edison
• “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” ~ Benjamin Franklin

With any strategies, there will be pitfalls, but have the courage to lean into them and use them as potential steppingstones toward your true personal metamorphosis. Life is full of challenges, & we need to be able to not see them as roadblocks, but resilience builders! 💪

So, this year, as every new year moving forward, I choose to think about what is going to be the addition that I want towards ‘my life strategy’; not seen as a mere tradition, but as a potent instrument for meaningful change. After all, the best strategies are those that kindle a lasting spark within us. ❤️‍🔥

I will leave with another wonderful quote from Roert Greene,

"You cannot make anything worthwhile in this world unless you have first developed and transformed yourself”.

Happy 2024 everyone!

Sofia 🩷