That is how I am starting 2025. Non conformist, following no rules, setting no goals, and definitely trying not to give myself a hard time about anything. This time of year SO many people are caught up in the “new year new me” movement. Vowing to make all kinds of changes to their lives. Unfortunately a lot of these goals we set ourselves are either impossible to achieve, or way out of our control. So instead of setting ourselves up for success, we take the first step down the road of certain failure.

If I have learned anything over the years, it is “life is 10% what we do and 90% luck”. Maybe not quite as drastic as that, but the desire to do something is one thing. Having the means and opportunity to, is something else. That is not to say, don’t have ambition, don’t set goals, don’t dream of success. Of course you should have aspirations in life. Just keep them realistic, and don’t be too hard on yourself if things don’t go to plan.

For me, last year was fantastic, horrific, terrifying and exciting just to name a few of the feelings I felt. Jan we were warned of redundancy, March it was confirmed, May we were let go. June I was accepted into the Brigade, August I started training, Oct I passed out and Nov I went solo.

During that time I lost weight, gained weight, trained hard, ran a record distance, didn’t cycle enough, put on too much weight, felt a bit crap for it. Learned new sleeping patterns, survived on 5 hours a night, then rediscovered sleeping for 9-10 hours. Fought off germs, maintained strong mental health.

2024 also saw me reassess friendships and acquaintances, recalibrating my focus to pay more attention to those who I have reciprocal relationships with, and distance myself from one-way relationships. I made some great new friends starting my new job at the Brigade, and while focused on my own personal development, realised I expended too much energy on others.

I really do feel a much stronger person starting 2025, certainly compared to how I went into 2024. I know what I want, I have focus, intention, and drive to achieve. I have no goals as such, just things I would like to achieve if at all possible. The journey starts mid Jan with the surgery, that alone will start a chain reaction of changes in my life, hopefully all for the better.

I am mindful that I want to get out on the bike more this year, purely because I know how positive it is for my mental health. Speaking of mental health, I am set to do a course this Jan to become a Mental Health First Aider. Something that I have wanted to do for a while now, but find myself in a fortunate position and the right mindset to do finally.

In short, this year is about me! Making myself stronger mentally and physically, making myself available for others who need some support, and just need some guidance to make life better for themselves. I want to do so much, but at the same time know life has its limitations, so I am going to keep it real. A little list in my head of things I want to do, which will change as time passes. But nothing I would commit to paper or the blog.

Have fun, be healthy, be authentic, care and share. That is about the sum of my goals for 2025. How about you?

Thanks for reading, and here’s to this year being the year of the least “low mood” entries for me on here ever.