A New Year and Some Goals

There are many ways to bring in the new year. In the past, we have done the house party, crazy music festival, night out on the town, quiet night in and even watching the lights in Paris. This year, we celebrated by going on a big camping trip to one of the most beautiful places in the world. 

New Chums Beach, Coromandel

Just down the road, across an estuary, over some rocks and through the bush was New Chums Beach. By just I mean approximately 30 minutes. With its clear blue waters and the spectacular scenery, it is no wonder that it is voted as one of the top 10 beaches in the world. 

Opera Point, Whangapoua

When the weather wasn't at its best, we went for a bush walk through Opera Point which ultimately led us back to more stunning beach views.

Opera Point, Whangapoua

There was also down time (a lot of it actually) where many a crossword was completed and, of course, discussion about everyone's resolutions for 2015 took place. There was the obligatory "I will quit smoking" and " I will be more fit" which no doubt pops up every year. 

Whangapoua Beach, Coromandel

Coming up with resolutions is hard and sticking to them is even harder, especially when they are vague. A good trick is to have specific goals in mind so you have a better idea of what success looks like. Instead of saying "I will go to the gym", how about "I will work out for 30 minutes, 3 times a week"? This provides a target and makes it easier to see whether your are meeting your goal.

Another is to break each goal into smaller, more manageable chunks so it is easy to track your progress -something I have been doing for my engineering projects to make them less daunting. 

In total, I have 5 major categories (Financial, Lifestyle, Fitness and Well-being, Projects and Career), each broken down into sub-tasks. With that in mind, I thought I would share some of mine with you:

1. The only debt I will have by the end of 2015 shall be the mortgage
2. I will aim to bring my own lunch to work at least four times a week
3. Instead of going to expensive restaurants, I will entertain at home more often
4. I will listen to more new music
5. I will aim to cycle a track at least once every two weeks
6. I will take more care into what I wear to work - that is, no jeans unless it is casual Friday or I am going to site for a whole day

Looking out from Opera Point

So that's a little insight into my goals for the new year. Hopefully points 2 and 3 mean that you will see many more recipes for 2015.

What are your goals for this year?