Time to take stock?

Traditionally January is deemed the time to take stock of your life and start creating the changes you'd like to see in the future. But of course you don’t have to wait until the New Year to make a new start because every day is a new beginning.

Now that the end of this year is drawing to a close maybe it's an opportune moment to ask yourself whether you, your relationships and your life are in good shape? I am possibly assuming that everyone wants to change something but perhaps you are perfectly content with your life and are fortunate enough to have it just the way you want it to be.

Every year millions of people make resolutions only to find that they are usually broken by the second week in January. The origin of making New Year's resolutions rests with the Babylonians, who reportedly made promises to the gods in the hope that they would earn good favour in the coming year. They often resolved to get out of debt; I guess not a lot has changed on that one.

Technology often plays a huge part in the pledges we make to ourselves on January 1st, with people declaring that they will cut the amount of times they text people; even reducing the number of friends they have on Facebook.

New Year, new job? Research from jobs website Monster.co.uk discovered that a third of workers were prepared to stay for more than a year in a position they disliked with 15 per cent admitting they had been discontented for 18 months before beginning the search for a new direction.

Rather than making loads of declarations how about contemplating your personal hopes and dreams. Write them down in a note book so you can focus on what you want to achieve then you can tick them off the list when accomplished. Change one small thing at a time and don’t set yourself up for failure by choosing unrealistic, unattainable goals. Make space for treating yourself with patience and compassion; there is no hurry you’ve got a whole year!