ALTERNATIVE NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS

Who are you kidding? How many times have you made the same New Year's resolutions that don't even make it to the end of January? It's time to stop Googling ‘gym memberships' and rethink the whole approach by making realistic and achievable goals.

For a start, stop focusing on the negatives. So many people focus on changing something they don't like about themselves. Sure, a lot of people could do with drinking less alcohol or improving their fitness, but if you focus on what will make you happy instead of beating yourself up, you're much more likely to succeed.

If you feel like you want to lose weight, for example, try focusing on cultivating a healthier lifestyle a little at a time. Set a goal to drink more water, try a new exercise class with a friend or cook a new recipe instead or ordering a takeaway. Give yourself time to genuinely improve your well-being little by little, and focus on the positive outcomes of this instead of any negative feelings you have about yourself.

Stuck for ideas on what to do in 2022? Here are some suggestions:

This may sound like an easy one, but if you set yourself a goal of reading just one new book instead of 50, you're much more likely to complete it. Change it by reading one book a month or a week (depending on how much you read), or by picking an author you've never heard of or a genre you've never read. Keep a record of what you read, whether you enjoyed it and what you thought about the author. You'll open yourself up to new experiences, authors, genres, writing styles, characters… the list goes on.

Work doesn't feel like work if you love your job! Aren't you bored of working the same job that has you counting down the hours to the weekend from Tuesday? You deserve better. Find your dream job and count down the hours from Saturday until you return to work!

Open yourself up to meeting new people and making new friends. This can be through a Meetup group, an exercise class, through socializing with friends of friends… any way you want. A lot of people get stuck in their comfort zones and don't open themselves up to new experiences, including meeting new people. You can learn so much from a stranger, and make new friends!

Push yourself. Go on an adventure. Go travelling. Do something new! You'll have the experience of a lifetime and you'll be so glad you did it. Sure, it's scary, but that's how you know you should do it.

Are you looking for a new adventure? Come and work in a job you love, meet new people and step out of your comfort zone (And make sure you read a new book on the plane to your new destination).