It’s just about that time of the year that people start lighting up their cigarettes again, Virgin Active tags get ‘accidentally’ left at home (five days in a row), foul language creeps back into your vocabulary and eating take out once again becomes a reality. You know the time…it’s when the New Year’s resolution haze starts to lift. You realise that the weight of expectation to actually fulfil your resolution is just not worth the effort.

Here’s the thing though. It totally is! Whatever promise you made to yourself just before the stroke of midnight on 31 December 2011…whichever state you were in at the time…it is 100% worth the effort. The thoughts you had were designed to make you a better person. No one ever resolves to get fat and sink further into debt!

“Why do you make New Year’s resolutions? It’s pointless and no one ever lives up to them!” This (or versions thereof) is quite a common topic of conversation in December. I’m often encouraged to not put pressure on myself at all and avoid making a resolution altogether. And while I understand that the ‘tradition’ of the New Year’s resolution has become somewhat of a ‘Valentine’s Day’ routine, I see real value in setting distinct life goals and…for that matter…trying to stick to it.

You’re setting yourself targets in which to improve your life and the older I get (cough), the more I’ve come to learn how important it really is to ‘work’ on the things you’re not happy about instead of sweeping them under the carpet. Because by the time you’re my age, that carpet starts to resemble a molehill and, if left unchecked, will probably grow into Table Mountain! It’s human nature to ignore things that make us uncomfortable. Like that ugly smoking habit that’s been bothering you for years, or the way your chest heaves after the elevator to your front door.

So my advice to you to get through Hump Month January and push on to finally meet your resolutions:

• Set targets for this year if you haven’t done so yet.
• Keep a diary of your daily/weekly efforts, it’ll force you to reflect on your progress and keep you goal at the forefront of your mind.
• Set targets, i.e. after month 1 I want to run for 5km, after month 2 – 7km!
• Treat yourself! Haven’t smoked in a month? Use the money you didn’t spend on cigarettes to buy that bag you’ve been eyeing!
• Talk yourself up…go on, brag a little! The best thing about people who follow through is that they have a right to be proud of themselves, so share the good news and tell everyone who will listen how much weight you’ve lost, no matter how irritating it makes you, you deserve it.

There is absolutely nothing greater than the feeling you get after working hard to achieve a personal goal. Your life does get a little bit better when you can tick off meaningful resolutions. Imagine yourself in December 2012 a debt free, non-smoker, 10kg’s lighter! If you’ve managed to achieve even one of these in the last year, or something you find meaningful, share your story with others in order to give them some encouragement. I’m sure someone you know could use some help during this Hump Month of January. Give them a push, hell drag them through this month if you absolutely have to, but get them on their way to finally sticking to their New Year’s resolution.

Wise hat off.

Follow me on Twitter @MissGailis