Hi Friends,

Time has come to talk about my New Year Resolutions… or rather lack of. Yes, I decided that this year instead of making New Year Resolutions and feeling like I failed after giving them up after a month or so, I will instead make goals and try and achieve those.

Goal number 1:

Work on my own well-being.

As a busy mum of two little rascals, it is sometimes very difficult to make time for myself. This year, I am going to try and incorporate a couple of small steps in order to stay calm and positive and to be happy with myself. Instead of saying I should stop doing something I will try and change it to could. Why you might ask, well as you can see in any small child if you tell them ‘you should be doing this…’ will result in them rebelling against the very idea, while if you said ‘you could’, gives them a choice and most often than not they will do what you are asking.The same principle applies to adults.

I am going to try and walk more, instead of going on 2 trains to get to work, on clear days take one train and go and walk those extra 15 minutes. Its a lovely walk near the water and always make me calm.

In work, I am going to try and stay positive, and let those whispers (your boss is not happy with you or no-one respects you) die. I know that it is only in my head (after years of bullying in work-place I still have insecurity issues) and will try and smile more and do my best.

I will also try and eat more healthily, without restricting myself from treats. One main thing that I am going to try is that instead of reaching for that chocolate when I am tired or frustrated, have it instead at a time that I know it will nourish my soul and keep me happy. I have noticed that if I am upset and I reach for a treat, I eat much more than I actually wanted. Instead, I am going to try and have that comforting cup of tea, the warmth and taste of which always makes me feel better and leaves me more hydrated.

Also, have plenty of prepped healthy snacks in my bag for work time so that I stop eating all of those free chocolates in the office when I get peckish ;P

Continue blogging. As a young girl, I loved writing everything that happened at the end of the day. If I stayed in Belarus I would most likely have become a journalist. Now, blogging gives me an outlet for my emotions and thoughts and the idea that someone will find it useful at one point in their life makes it so rewarding. Blogging also makes me feel calm and doing something that I love (writing) makes me so happy.

Goal number 2

Publish new research in work. This year I will try and be more selective in my experiments in order to publish good publications and get a research grant to become my own boss.

Goal number 3

Follow my passions. 

My two main passions (apart from blogging) are cooking new recipes and photography. So this year, during travelling on our holidays I will feed my photography passion and on weekends as a fun time I will try out new recipes with Alexei (he loves helping cooking).

Goal number 4

Focus more on relationships.

As I mentioned before, one of the people close to me is having a hard time with a drinking problem, so this year I will try and encourage them as much as possible to stay sober, I will make sure to ring and talk to them more often. As they live far away from me, there is not much I can do, but we might visit this person in the summer as well.

Also, one thing that happens when you have kids is that you end up having much less time for a quality time with your other half. So this year I will try and make time, by asking for help minding kids, to have a date night with my hubby at least once a month.

Also, I would like to spend more quality with my kids, showing them the world, playing board games and showing them how wonderful life is.

That is it. These are my goals and ambitions and I will try and achieve those. In order to keep me focused on what I truly want, I am going to make a visual board of all the things mentioned above. I believe that if you see something every single day you will find it easier knowing in which direction you should be heading.

What are your New Year Resolutions? Did you make any?

Glencar Lough, Ireland