8 Jan - Keeping calm and carrying on

'A new year means a new start'... or something like that.

Usually I get so hung up on this 'starting again' malarkey that I simply end up wallowing in a pit of despair before January is out, concerned that I haven't changed enough things in my life yet for the better like I promised I would on January 1st. So, this year I have tried to have a more positive attitude towards things:

The idea of 'a new start' suggests there is something about your previous year that needs changing. that wasn't good enough either for yourself or for others. And while God knows that is true for me in a lot of ways, in many other ways I don't want to start again. In fact I put a lot of time and energy into being more positive, pushing myself, challenging my thoughts, developing new work ethics. I don't want to forget all that happened - the risk is too high to my mental wellbeing! - I want to continue and build upon what I achieved last year.

I have decided that I will, for a change, adopt the wartime motto - the one that has come back into popularity since everyone's finances went tits up - of 'Keep Calm and Carry On'.

I am now 8 days into January and, while I still feel a bit down as I always do at this time of year, I do feel that fraction more able to cope with life. And at the moment, a fraction is like a whole miles worth of progress.