Just Do It!
Is it too late to say Happy New Year? Of course not! Allow me to wish you good health, happiness and an exciting and fulfilling 2017. May it be all you hoped for, and may all your resolutions come true.
On that note, I’ve decided it’s not too late for me to declare my resolution for the year. So brace yourself – here it comes.
My resolution is the same one every year, and can be applied to almost every situation. It’s a cliché, borrowed from an advertising slogan, but it fits. If ever I were to have a tattoo (unlikely), it would say this, but without the tick: Just Do It.
‘Just Do It’ is the only resolution I need, but I need to remember to stick with it. Self-esteem issues, procrastination and sheer, unadulterated laziness get in the way too often, and I end up in a cycle of the same old everything. I know. We’re all the same. But if I can at least start every year with my positive pants pulled up high then I might see some results.
Here’s the joy of ‘Just Do It’ – it doesn’t matter what ‘it’ is. The main regrets I have from my first 50 years on this planet are of missed opportunities rather than mistakes made, so this year (as usual) I’ll be trying to be brave.
‘Just Do It’ can apply to big changes at work. Accepting the role as editor of Connect, the magazine for Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd, was terrifying but has proved to be immensely enjoyable and fulfilling and I had a great year in 2016 dipping my toe back into broadcasting waters with regular slots on Radio Scotland. The fear I felt when accepting both roles almost caused me to turn them down. I don’t like being pushed outside of my comfort zone. But I did it. My comfort zone has expanded and I love the new challenges each magazine issue or radio programme presents.
It can apply to fitness and sporting challenges – in February I signed up with a personal trainer and for ten weeks was bullied into shape. I didn’t enjoy it, not one little bit, but because I had paid for it, I just did it. And the benefits have lasted beyond those few months; I now know I can push my body further than I thought I could, and I also know I have a cheese habit that needs to be addressed. But one thing at a time. There is still a curling-stone sized piece of stilton in the fridge.
The Team arriving at Edinburgh Castle
Cycling from Inverness to Edinburgh in August was a challenge I thought too extreme but again I surprised myself; 65 miles a day was actually pretty easy, and was some of the best fun I had in 2016. We are planning another two routes for this year, and I signed up for a place in the Loch Ness Etape.
But ‘Just Do It’ can apply to little things as well – and sometimes it’s the tiniest changes that have the most impact. Rather than lying in a warm bed every morning wishing Mr Marr would get up and make the tea, I could ‘Just Do It’. The hardest part of my day is getting out of bed. Sitting under a warm duvet with a cup of Mr Marr-made tea and my phone is bliss, but I probably waste an hour on it every morning. If I was already up (thanks to my need for a cup of Lady Grey) my day could be a lot more productive. Facebook can wait, and Mr Marr might like it too.
From tax returns to hanging up the washing, sweeping the garden path or cleaning the loo, I can spend longer moaning and grumping about having to do boring things than they actually take. ‘Just Doing It’ gets them done and might leave more time for the fun stuff – like just going out on my bike, just baking a cake, or just curling up in front of the fire with a large glass of wine and a book…or a re-play of our morbid (but magnificent) Hogmanay playlist of the best tracks from the dead musicians of 2016.
Because I am slowly (belatedly) realising that resolutions don’t always have to be about self-deprivation and driving forward. They can be about enjoying the good things in life too. Taking time out. Not obsessively checking emails. Not punishing yourself on those occasions when you don’t ‘Just Do It’ and allowing yourself to relax and go with the flow. Shall we open this lovely bottle of Rioja to go with our tea on a Tuesday night? Just Do It.
I lied a little when I said I only have one resolution. In fact there are two, but the seconds seems to be more reluctant to surface. Resolution number two is this: ‘Be Kind to Yourself’. In this spirit of ‘Just Do It’, I will try. And maybe I will consider that tattoo…
Loony Dookin’? Not on your nelly! Oh wait…
My Facebook timeline was filled on New Year’s Day with friends ‘loony dooking’ all over Scotland – from North Berwick and Gullane to Aviemore and (a solo operation) Achmelvich. From my vantage point beside the fire, glass in hand, I was admiring of their spirit and slightly envious of the warm after-glow of their collective cold-water shenanigans.
Be careful what you wish for. January 2nd saw me with my own mini version of the loony-dook, with a cold shower, caused by a (thankfully temporary) boiler malfunction. My freezing ablutions lasted a record-breakingly quick 90 seconds, but the tingle in my skin lasted hours. Sadly it’s never to be repeated. In spite of ‘Just Do It’ I am lacking in the necessary moral fibre and willpower. And sound-proofing.
This column first appeared in six SPP Group newspapers week ended 6th January 2017.
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