Two. Zero. One. Four.

Two. Zero. One. Three. Four numbers that when placed together embody the year has so rapidly reached its end. Once again, we’ve come to that point in the year that is so densely enriched with every emotion and inevitable reflection.

            Firstly there’s nervousness, anxiety, an unsettling feeling of dread… In other words: fear. Fear of removing oneself from the warm and familiar folds of the past year. It is so easy for us to place comfort beside satisfaction and often we find ourselves clinging onto thoughts and habits that our minds have been so instinctively repeating over the past 356 days (or in some cases, many days more).

            But there’s also excitement. Not the fear, but the exhilarating thrills of the unknown. The start of a new year is like opening a present – tearing away the colourful layers of experience to reveal the gift of new opportunities. If you’ve had a few too many all-nighters to cram for an exam or meet a deadline, then how are you going to put aside those 3am caffeine doses and give yourself time to perform at your very best? (I’m working on that one…)

            If there’s one thing I learnt during 2013, it is to take things one step at a time. Perhaps you want the body of a Victoria’s Secret Angel or a set of rock hard abs. Perhaps you want to ace all your exams or score that dream job. Find a new energy source to replace fuel. Cure cancer. End world poverty. But until you ditch your midnight snacking and procrastination habits, and delete that addictive game and your ex's number from your phone, how will you be able to get to where you need to go?

            You know how there are 365 days in a year? Well one of them is already ending. We’ve all made mistakes and that only makes us human. We learn from the past to become better people in the future. So tonight before I fall asleep, I will skim over the four simple resolutions that I’ve made and rethink the steps I’ll take each day to achieve them.

            In the wise words of a man who achieved so much in his time:

‘I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.’

Nelson Mandela

Have a happy new year my dearest readers and I wish all the best to you on whatever it is your plan to achieve this year.

Love,

Julie T.