Firstly, I want to say a big happy new year to anyone and everyone that reads my blog. I had possibly my favourite New Years ever, spent in the middle of nowhere in Lincolnshire with all of my mum’s family. It was a weekend full of food, laughs, and walks on Skegness beach: the perfect way to finish a really good year, and to start what will hopefully be an even better one. This is why I haven’t managed to write my first blog post of the year until the 4th of January- well that, and the fact that I have two essays due next Monday which I am frantically trying to write. But anyway, better late than never.

This time of year is always a time of ‘fresh starts’ and ‘new me’s’ and whilst I hate how stereotypical it makes me sound, I would be lying if I said that I don’t get caught up in the feeling of starting a new chapter.

I am someone who always makes  New Year’s Resolutions, and this year is no different. Generally I am quite good at sticking to them (except for biting my nails- I’ve never managed to stick to that one), but I find that I’m always telling myself to STOP doing thing. STOP eating chocolate, STOP biting my nails, STOP being bossy. Whilst I would love to be able to stop doing these things, telling myself I can’t do things makes feel like I’m constantly fighting a battle- as though I am constantly depriving myself. So this year, I’ve decided to turn my resolutions in to goals, and they’re all about things I’m going to START doing, rather than stop. I’ve also decided to be really ambitious- because life’s too short and I feel like I’m too sensible.*

My 2017 goals

1- Start being more spontaneous

I’ve already written a blog post about about how I like to feel in control, and how I have an obsession with planning my life down to the smallest details. In 2017, I am going to try to change this. I want to be more spontaneous, start doing things last minute instead of saying no because I’ve not planned it. It’s not going to change overnight, and it’s going to be baby steps, but life is too short to always be thinking about tomorrow.

2- See more of the world

I am very lucky to have visited a lot of places in my short life so far. This year, I want to expand my horizons. I am currently planning a trip to Fiji to spend 3 weeks volunteering in schools out there. I want to go on a long weekend to a European city that I haven’t been to yet (if anyone fancies joining me on a trip to Venice, let me know), and I want to see more of England- somewhere like the Lake District, or the Peak District.

3-Start taking more risks

I am a very sensible person, and whilst this isn’t a bad thing, it isn’t always a good thing either. This kind of links with the spontaneity goal- I want to start being more adventurous instead of always thinking about reasons why I SHOULDN’T do something.

4-Read more books

I love reading. If I could spend the rest of my life reading books then I would do it without a doubt. I always find I never read as much as I want to though, (except for when I’m on holiday when I get through a book a day), and it’s because I’m either reading uni books, or on my phone. Whilst I have to read books for uni (its the nature of a history degree), and I do not have to spend half an hour scrolling on my phone before I go to sleep. So from now on, I’m going to try and read before I go to bed every night. It will mean I get to read more books, and experts say people who turn their phone off before they get in to bed have a better night’s sleep. So it’s a win-win situation.

5-Cook more

If you’ve read any of my blog, you’ll know that I am passionate about food. I love to cook, but as I am usually cooking for one I often find I can’t be bothered to cook creative things- I end up with chilli for 4 nights of the week because its easy and versatile. So one of my goals is to make more of an effort to cook different, adventurous things more often.

6-Keep blogging and writing

One thing I loved about 2016 was the fact that I FINALLY found the courage to start this blog. I had thought about it for so long, but it was only when I moved out and started uni that I felt confident enough to actually do it. I find blogging about my life and my thoughts very cathartic, and I genuinely love writing posts. I’ve also loved writing for PI media this year too- it feels great to finally be having a taster of what I want to do once I finish university. So this is a big goal for me- I want to keep writing, and keep improving what I write. I’m not bothered about having huge numbers of viewers- I still find it amazing that anyone other than my parents is interested in what I have to say!

7-Stop biting my nails

I know I said I wasn’t going to say I wanted to stop doing anything, but I really do need to stop biting my nails. It’s annoying, it makes my nails look ugly, and it does nothing for my already short fingers. I absolutely hate that I do it, so I am going to try and make 2017 the year that I stop FOR GOOD.

These are all I can think of. Well except for my ultimate goal, which is to always be positive and smile, because life is too short not to. This doesn’t really count because this is always one of my goals, so it’s not really a ‘New Years’ one, but it is something which I am going to try to continue to do every day.

Wishing you all a very happy and healthy new year

Megan x

*Nb- This does not mean I am about to start drinking excessively/smoking/clubbing/cliff jumping/rock climbing. I am still going to be sensible (I think this is built in to my genes), but just sensible with a bit more spontaneity.