Change

Well, here we all are at the end of another year. Many of us will be involved in frantic last minute present buying or tree decorating or food shopping. We may be awaiting the arrival of family from far flung places.

This winter season brings, as it does every year, all the emotions that the human spirit is capable of, the nasty and the nice. After Christmas is over we have a few days to think before we reach New Year's Eve and our opportunity to make our New Year's Resolutions.

Each year, many of us resolve to do new things, make changes, take up new hobbies, do more exercise! The problem with so many of our resolutions is that we make the wish but are unwilling to do the work that would bring these resolutions to fruition. After all, it's easy to wish to be fitter after the Christmas blow-out, but it involves making consistent efforts and sweating a great deal - not such an alluring prospect!

I sometimes think that the reason so many resolutions fail to happen is that we are actually afraid of Change itself. A resolution means that we are unhappy about something or that we want to add something to our lives (whether it's a svelte, new body or a new creative talent). But when we change one thing, we may find other things that need changing too and these things may be a lot more central to our understanding of ourselves than merely going on a diet or doing more exercise can fix.

What happens when these things that need changing are those dark corners that we hide from everyone else? After all, we say to ourselves, nobody is perfect, we all need a few flaws to make us human. But what if changing these things made our lives easier in the long run? My major flaw is procrastination. I will put off things that I don't want to do for as long as possible in the hope that they will go away. I will hope that 'something will come up' that will sort the problem out without me having to do anything. It rarely does (sad, but true).

So, some time ago I made a New Year's Resolution that I would try to work on my procrastination - I've got better, I put fewer things off, but I'm still not as good at doing this as I would like. And while procrastination is not a good thing, rushing into things doesn't work either.

So don't be afraid of Change when you make your New Year's Resolutions - accept that some of the things you attempt to do may not happen over night and may take a great deal of effort. Make small, incremental changes in what you do that will lead you to your goal, it often seems easier that way. Remember a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step, but you have to take every step after that as well, something that a lot of people forget!