Happy New Year!

Normally around this time of the year everyone starts making new years resolutions i.e. to lose weight, to give up smoking etc. You normally hear phrases such as "This year is going to be my year" or "This year I am going to change and become a different person". The reality is that this happens every new year. There is always a big hype where people are adamant about making changes and are really motivated. However this dies down around February where people seem to forget about their goals and go back to their old habits, therefore not achieving their goals, and when it comes to December the whole process starts again.


This is not a useful tactic at all, it is just a waste of time.  I admit I used to do that myself. I think the problem is that many people do not set their goals properly and end up being unmotivated,  once  this happens you are unlikely to achieve the goals that you set out to accomplish.


There is a useful way of setting goals using the mnemonic SMART 


Specific - you need to specify exactly what you want to achieve, do not make vague goals like "i want to lose weight" be specific i.e I want to lose 1 stone


Measurable - you have to be able to quantify your goal so you can easily keep track of your progress. For example if your goal is to read more books say something like "i will read 3 books a week"


Attainable - When you decide on what your goals are you need to figure out how you are going to achieve them. You need to create goals that are actually attainable and not too far out of your reach. For example if your goal was to learn a new language giving yourself a week to do so is not wise but giving yourself a year is much more achievable. 

Realistic - Your goals need to be realistic. Don't say for example that you are going to lose 10 stones in 10 days because it is very unrealistic. Yes you can have ambitious goals but make sure it is something that you know you can achieve.


Time - It is good to give yourself an appropriate deadline in which to accomplish your goals. This allows you to work towards something and focus on completing it before a specific time. This will encourage you to achieve your goals otherwise if there is no deadline you won't feel the need to accomplish the goal.


Remember that you need patience and persistence to achieve your goals. Don't try and achieve too much quickly or you will get discouraged. You need to keep at it even if things don't go well keep going on. Some of the most successful people failed many times before they were able to achieve what they wanted. One quote I like is "Fear of failure becomes fear of success for those who never try anything new". Don't allow fear, procrastination, laziness, other people's opinions stop you from achieving what you want to in life. Be the best you, you can be and everyday is a new day to work on your goals you don't need to wait till Janauary 1st before you make changes.

Happy New Year to you all and good luck with achieving all of your goals!


Written by Dinah

Why do we celebrate Christmas?

It's that time of the year again where we exchange gifts, eat  roast turkey (or chicken), decorate our homes and give out cards. As a child I used to love Christmas, mainly because of all the customs that came with the celebration of Christmas such as receiving presents and eating a lot of food. Those were the times I had the 'Christmas spirit' which eventually disappeared as I got older.

Growing up in a Christian home I had always believed that Christmas day was Jesus' birthday. That is the reason why school children take part in the nativity play right? or  films about Jesus birth in Bethlehem are shown on TV on christmas day?. For a "Christian festival" it is celebrated by many non-christians and many aspects of the celebration has nothing to do with Christianity at all. For example why do we eat turkey on Christmas day? why do we put up Christmas tree's and decorate it? and how does Santa Claus fit in?  I started to do my own research on the origins on Christmas.

Many biblical scholars say that it is highly unlikely that Jesus was born in December. They say it is more likely that he was born around September. So why do we celebrate Christ birth on 25th December? Well this date has pagan origins in ancient Rome. The Romans used to celebrate the winter Solstice (shortest day of the year) which was used to worship their God Saturn (The God of agriculture) during 17th-24th December. On 25th December they celebrated  the Re-birth of the Sun God Mithras. The celebrations involved  having a feast, merry making, lights, giving presents etc. Sounds familiar doesn't it? This had occured many years before the birth of Christ. Many years later the Roman Catholic Church decided to 'Christianize' this festival and adopted 25th December to mark the birth of Jesus who is viewed as 'The light of th world'.

The idea of Christmas trees are thought to also stem from winter solstice celebrations. In Germany it was normal practice to cut down fir trees and put it in their homes since they believed that it represented life.

But where does Santa Claus come from? well there was a man called Nicholas from Turkey who was a Saint during the 4th century. He was a devout Christian and used to give to the poor and needy and was known to be a very generous person especially towards children. After he died his legacy continued and evolved into what today is the modern day Santa Claus.

Why are turkeys eaten on Christmas day? well traditionally in Britain it was goose that was eaten on Christmas day then in the 16th century Turkeys were introduced in England which eventually replaced the eating of goose. King Henry VIII was cited to have been the first person to eat turkey on Christmas day.

There are some customs we that we take part in in modern day Christmas celebrations that derive from pagan rituals which were practised centuries ago. I'm not saying taking part in these customs are evil but I do think it is important to understand why we do what we do and know its origins.

An important thing to remember is regardless of your personal beliefs, Christmas allows us to show love, practice the act of giving and spend time with those important to us. I hope you enjoy this holiday and we wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!


Written by Dinah