Many of us take advantage of this time of year to start new things, stop old habits, work towards new stretch goals, or aim to improve ourselves in some way or another. For me, it is dry January (which I do most years) but also and for the first time, this year I am trying Veganism for the whole of January. As a meat-eater that feels quite a monumental leap and trust me, it has taken a lot of time researching and educating myself leading up to 1st January. Although I am only on Day 2 (!) I do feel much safer knowing what I can and can’t eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and what snacks I can have on the bad days - so I am armed and fully prepared with the right ingredients in the cupboards, a full plan in my head, and lots of preparation in terms of menu ideas and recipes.

I know that we are all much more likely to achieve our goals if we make them realistic and achievable so I have only set myself a month. If I had told myself I was turning a vegan forever, it would have felt a much more overwhelming aim and one I suspect I would fail to achieve. Now, I am safe in the knowledge that it is only 31 days and will then review how I feel about my future eating habits once I reach February 1st. Make your goals achievable and don’t over-promise - if you do, you are far more likely to set yourself up for failure and that never makes anyone feel good.

Planning has also been critical to my success, as it is with any of us. If we think about the “how” and put everything in place in advance, we massively increase our chances of success.

But the biggest and most helpful element for me though, and always has been in every goal I have ever set myself, is to know my “why?” For example, when I trained for an Ultramarathon (don’t be too impressed, it was a walking Ultramarathon, not a run!), whilst at the same time struggling horribly with the painful condition in my heel known as Plantar Fasciitis, I had to keep reminding myself why I was doing it. We had received a huge amount of very generous sponsorship pledges from friends and family for a phenomenal cause and I had to keep reminding myself that that was why it was worth pressing forward. So if any of us waiver with our New Year goals and resolutions I strongly recommend tapping into the 'why'. Why do you want to achieve this goal(s)? What made you aim for it in the first place and what does achieving it bring you? What will success look and feel like and what does that bring to your life? I know my reasons for trying Veganism are strong enough to keep me going if or when I struggle (particularly when cooking familiar foods for the rest of the family), and I know from working with so many clients on their goals that the overriding key to success is to regularly draw on your ‘why?’

So be realistic with your achievable goals, plan and prepare your ‘how’ and regularly remind yourself of your ‘why’. Good luck and enjoy the great sense of achievement when you achieve want you are working to achieve. Enjoy every bit of your success!