A belated Happy New Year to you! This is my first blog of 2026 and I’ve published it within the first half of January so I still think it’s ok to wish you a Happy New Year. Did you make any New Year’s resolutions this year? And more importantly, how are you getting on with them? If you’ve fallen off the New Year’s resolution bandwagon by now, you’re not alone. The second Friday in January (Friday 9th January this year) is known as “Quitter’s Day” and it marks the point at which people are most likely to give up on their New Year’s resolutions. If you’re still on track with your resolutions, well done!
I made two New Year’s resolutions this year. The first one is in relation to my blog. My aim is to blog at least once every month ie 12 blogs in 2026. Last year, I wrote 13 blogs but most of them were in the latter part of the year when I had a writing splurge. This year, I would like to be more consistent in my blogging efforts and write at least one blog every month. My second resolution is a reading one ie to read 52 books in the year. Last year, I managed to read an amazing 100 books but I’m not sure that is sustainable so I’d prefer to have a more achievable target this year.
Thinking back to my marketing days in the dim and distant past, goals should be SMART ie Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timebound. A goal such as “to be more healthy” is vague but “to walk for 20 minutes three times per week” is SMART so you know exactly if you are achieving it.
But do not fear that you have broken your New Year’s resolutions already. You don’t have to wait until 1st January 2027 to start again. You can adopt a new goal at anytime during the year. After all, as Mark Twain said:
“Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.”
Whether you have a goal to run the London marathon, star in the next series of the Traitors or eat five portions of fruit and vegetables per day, make a start on it today. It’s always good to have a challenge that you can aspire to rather than being paralysed and do nothing. Please let me know how you are getting on in the comments section below.
Lynda
The Author
Lynda Willis lives in Co Armagh and writes blogs about her rambles in nature as well as rambling about topics close to her heart. This year, she is fundraising for Breast Cancer Now so please click here if you’d like to donate.
