Lucky 13

8 days in and I'm finally writing my New Year blog! Bad Blogger, bad, bad blogger.

First of all, happy birthday to the blog. I didn't know when I started blogging just how rewarding an experience it would be. I have given the page a new name and a new look and I'm looking forward to sharing more of my news and views in 2013. 

Secondly, it was my Dad's 50th birthday on New Years Day. We had a fantastic party surrounded by lovely people. At the end of the night the whole family and some friends caught the tram home. The navy blue and white helium balloons that decorated the venue came on the tram with us, carried by my brother. That is certainly one way to draw attention to yourself on public transport! 

My Dad is an exemplary man and I am so lucky to have his unwavering love, support and friendship. Thank you Dad and I trust you enjoyed your birthday.

The New Year is a time of year I find particularly amusing. For every person on a high of "clean slate" optimism, there are miserable, cynical folk telling everyone how new year is just another day and that no ones resolutions will last. I find both of these groups amusing because I don't think either end up very happy. Those who set ridiculously unattainable goals on December 1st usually crash and burn. On the other hand, the cynical folk spend most of their time criticizing other people and don't generate any form of positivity. 

I think a middle road approach is most effective. Goal setting is important to me and I think most people benefit from setting attainable and realistic goals. I liken New Years resolutions to being the crash diets of the goal setting world, whilst they may have some positive aspects, we all know better than to set ourselves such lofty and extreme goals and are left and disappointed and dejected when failure ensues. 

Like leading a healthy lifestyle, becoming a truly goal oriented and habitually successful goal achiever is much harder and requires a lot more work. Whilst I was taught many times how to plan for success in primary school and high school, the penny didn't drop for me properly until I second year, second semester of my Arts degree. 

It was the constraints of depression that forced me to become a lot more organised and to develop a reliable goal setting pattern. My natural inclination is to have intense periods of productivity where I can achieve a lot in a very short space of time. When I am well I am the kind of person who can start from zero, research and write a 1000 word essay in 2.5-3 hours. 

When I was depressed my energy levels and memory were not functioning anywhere close to normal, so I had to become a lot more organised to prevent myself from forgetting important things like assignment deadlines or appointments. I was forced to break my tasks down into  smaller, more manageable chunks, as I was not getting the bursts of energy I used to to churn through large tasks in single sittings. 

During this time I bought a year long wall planner, a white board and a notepad. I marked out all my assessment deadlines on the wall planner so that I was constantly reminded of the. I also marked the days off as they passed so that I could see how close I was getting to a deadline. I would write out the things I had to get done in the week on my whiteboard, in a far more detailed fashion that would fit on the wall planner. The notepad lived on my bedside table, I would plan the day ahead on it as well as being a handy place to jot things down if I remembered something in the middle of the night, so I would not lie awake worried about forgetting it. 

Being depressed helped me become more resilient. I am lucky to be a person with a wide range of abilities. However, this meant that I didn't have to try much to achieve good results, especially as a younger child and adolescent. If I'm very honest, I was (wrongfully) proud of this. Being depressed made me aware of how much more important your effort levels are than natural ability. It was until I had to overcome low mood, low energy levels, sleep problems and having no interest in things I used to enjoy that I began to appreciate the value of persistence and effort. It forced me to start developing a consistent work ethic.

Being depressed was awful but with the support of my doctor and my family I have come out the other side a more productive human being than I was beforehand. I am now onto my third wall planner and have two more whiteboards!

The new year is just beginning and I have so much to look forward to. 2012 was a huge year and it is difficult to comprehend just how different my life looks now that it is behind me. I am currently in reflection mode, looking back over the things I achieved in 2012, in order to build on that success and address weaknesses through my goals for 2013. I will share them here as I make them. 

I am also preparing myself for another year of major changes, the most pressing being another new uni course at a new uni and a new job. The great man, Dr Phil, says that successful people surround themselves with a nucleus of supporters. I think that is just a way of saying that "no person is an island" and those that do well in life are not afraid to use the human resources around them. Most people enjoy being involved in the lives of their friends and loved ones, successful people (apparently) are those who recognise this and capitalise upon it, rather than feeling the need to do everything on their own. 

I am very fortunate to have a solid nucleus of support people who helped me thrive in 2012 and I hope to be able to rely on their love and utilise their skills to make 2013 great.

My first goal for 2013 is to be a regular blogger. I started out as a once a day blogger, which ended up being too much for me. Over the busier months of the year I really let the blog slip and I don't want that to happen again. I have decided that in 2013 I will be a twice a week blogger and from now on I will post on Wednesday and Sunday each week. 

I have many other goals to do with my study, gymnastics coaching, health and fitness. Once I refine them I will share them with you and welcome any feedback. I would love to hear the sorts of challenges you are setting for yourself, too, if you wish to share. 

I'll speak to you again tomorrow :)