Editors Letter – ‘It’s time to get serious’

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]here’s nothing like that final count-down, the crossover into a new year. As the clock ticks over slowly but surely and you clutch your loved ones, your thoughts immediately turn to the next chapter.

Once the lengthy messages of goodwill have been sent, firework displays turn into dying embers and you hop into your bed sheets, the wheels and cogs in your mind begin to whir. This year will be different. Those vaunted New Year’s resolutions will last more than a few weeks and you’re determined you’ll stick to all your targets.

Short-term goals, long-term plans ­you’re convinced you’ll do them all

Short-term goals, long-term plans ­you’re convinced you’ll do them all. “I’ll hit the gym”, “I’ll be more mindful of oth­ers” or better yet, “I’ll stop drinking for a month, it’s detox time.” Here’s where the problem lies. Watching social media feeds plastered with promises of the same ilk quickly becomes tedious.

Hank is in the gym running a lung-bust­ing 10K for Facebook. Rosie, meanwhile, is easing off the rosé and cheesecake as of January 1, instead opting for some wa­ter and grapes – as seen on Instagram of course. The feed is unending and insufferable. It’s quite clear New Year’s goal setting in the minds of many has become something of a novelty; targets are being set for the sake of a trend.

It’s quite clear New Year’s goal setting in the minds of many has become something of a novelty; targets are being set for the sake of a trend.

Having said that, once you step past the pursuit of likes and comments, goal-set­ting is essential. Be it at the turn of the New Year, or on a blistering summer’s day, creating a set of concrete targets never goes amiss. To quote DJ Khaled with aplomb: “It’s one of the keys to success”‘.

The hazy rose-tinted glasses of New Year’s Eve celebrations encourage us to quite simply set ourselves goals for the sake of it, rather than draw on genuine in­trospection. You’re encouraged to take a quick peek at your laptop screen, flick through a mag­azine or watch the television and then fi­nally set out your vision, Pinterest board and all.

You’re encouraged to take a quick peek at your laptop screen, flick through a mag­azine or watch the television and then fi­nally set out your vision, Pinterest board and all.

It’s not completely wrong to seek some sort of external motivation, but what we must remember is that, at the end of the day, goal-setting of all types is a completely personal process. Understanding what you want to achieve over the course of the year or in general can’t be manufactured or picked out from a trend – it has to come from you.

Similarly, resolutions shouldn’t be completely commodified; it should be something you genuinely want to do based on what you actually NEED to do. That makes it much easier to achieve.