So 2016 was good for some, bad for others. Whatever way you look at it, it was an eventful year, and one that will bring big changes for 2017.

But what about you? Have you made new years resolutions? Betcha did. Gonna cut back on Social Media? Get 600 points in your exams? Loose half your body weight? Get a boyfriend? Ditch the bad one? Go visit your Nan more often?

Lets get real, making big, way off plans for the new year never materialise. And when you give up, you will feel bad about yourself, and consider yourself a failure, and want to eat more cheesecake.

There’s only one long term plan that you should make this year, and its this.

I will take care of my mental health this year, talk about things that bother me, and ask for help if I need it.

If you do this one thing, all those other things will follow, because you will have the head-space to focus and take on new challenges. Lets be clear, setting goals is very good for you and vitally important, but why not set yourself small daily challenges instead of big giant way off in the distance challenges. This is an activity that we do at our workshops, picking goals and breaking it down into smaller steps. For example, if you want do well in your leaving cert, what can you do today? So, commit to doing 2 hours study today, and you’ve made a start. If you miss a day, stop wasting energy beating yourself up and start again the next day.

Every day is a fresh start with zero mistakes and endless possibilities. Let’s get stuck in.