Phase Hitchin

Out with the old, in with the new

Kieran Murphy -


Happy New Year! 2018 is here and there are many things to look forward to over the next 12 months, here are just a few:

  • Commonwealth Games
  • Fifa world cup (perhaps England will make it out of the groups stages!)
  • The Royal Wedding (awaiting my invite)
  • Avengers: Infinity War
  • The Great British Bake Off (I'm told this is very popular)
  • 1.5 days of good British summer (a bit optimistic)
  • Birth of my second child (this list is not is priority order!)

There may be many other and different things on your list, whatever it may be I am sure that we all have things we hope for and things that we would happily leave back in 2017.

New Year can be a great time to think about what you want to leave behind whether they are habits, outlooks, experiences or that bad haircut as well as things that you would like to pick up, improve or reestablish such as routines, bucket lists, boundaries or old friendships.

Every year I try to set out my resolutions, priorities, hopes; the things that I am working towards over the coming 12 months. I am a big believer that if you write these down you are closer to completing than most other people, who have the intention but it does not move to action.

So where do you start? How do you make these things a reality and not just pie in the sky? Here are Kieran's top tips!

1. Power of three.

I am sure like me you could probably think of 20 different things you'd like to change, however by choosing 3 it gives an achievable amount to focus on. You can write a second list with the others so that once you've achieved a goal you can add another!

2. Make them specific.

Writing that you want to read more, get fit or learn a new language (fill in the blank) is all very good, but how many books would you like to read? What would being fit look like to you? What language would you like to learn? When you make it specific you begin to make it achievable, something you can ficus on and reward yourself when you get there!

3. Share them

Share your goals with someone you trust and will keep you accountable. Some days it will be difficult, you'll feel like giving up, but if you have someone who is going to ask you how things are progressing, then you are more likely to keep at it! Write them down and keep the goals to hand. I often blu-tac them to the inside of my wardrobe, keep a screenshot on my phone and pop it into my task list.

These are just three simple ideas and encouragements, hopefully they will inspire you to be proactive, make a change and see 2018 as an opportunity to make a difference!

Check out some other top tips in this Telegraph article

My three goals:

  1. Read the Bible in a year
  2. Create 3 new family traditions
  3. Improve my VO2 Max (fitness)