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It’s that time of year. Christmas is over and all the decorations that came out of the box somehow have to fit back into it. It will be a new year any minute now.

Nothing changes when the calendar flips over one last time. The world around us is the same as it has always been, yet we feel like there is an opportunity ahead of us. It’s a new year. Things can change. All our dreams can finally come home.

So, we make New Year’s Resolutions. We’re not going to lose this opportunity. We’ll take advantage of this shiny new year in a way we never have in all our previous years. THIS year will be different. This year we will keep our New Year’s Resolutions.

Somewhere out there, or perhaps, somewhere living inside your phone, is an author. Let’s call her… Grace. Grace has big dreams, but let’s face it, her life is depressingly average. She could rattle off a dozen things she’d like to change about herself or her life without even having to think about it. 

She knows she needs to lose 10kg. She knows she needs to lose 30kg if she’s honest. She loves to write but it’s so hard to find the time to actually produce a book. She wishes she had more money. She considers herself a religious person but she doesn’t seem to have the time she’d like to devote to that part of her life. When she does have the time, it’s hard to find the energy. Grace has a day job. She really should focus more on her career. And her house? Don’t even let me get started on what’s wrong with my house. Uh, I mean, Grace’s house.

And Grace honestly thinks she has a shot. This year, unlike all the other ears, things are going to change. You know what? In addition to all this, Grace is going to be healthy this year. Because that’s something she can control.

Let’s look at these goals: 

Lose 10kg. Lose 30kg

Write more

Save money

Spend more time on spiritual life

Focus more on career

Fix the house

Get healthy.

Right now, Grace has as much chance of achieving these goals as she does of winning the Lotto. That includes her odds on the weeks when she doesn’t buy a ticket. She has approximately the same odds of achieving her ultimate dream and retiring to a cottage on a beach with a certain stubble-jawed Hollywood heartthrob. She could probably afford to retire now, so long as she didn’t plan on living very long. Persuading the heartthrob may take a little longer.

Over the next five days we’re going to be looking at these goals in depth. We’re going to talk about SMART goals and how we can take steps to actually achieve our goals this year. 

Grace is right about one thing. This year will be different. Or at least, it will be different if she wants it enough.