Love it or loathe it, the time of year has arrived that sees us stop and take stock on the year that has come to pass. For me, and no doubt many parents, it can be a time tinged with guilt as we remember all those vague goals made in the first week of the year that failed to be brought to fruition. Life simply gets in the way and it’s often easier to let your own aspirations take a back seat to the requirements of others. You figure why complicate things more by adding your own wants and needs to a schedule that is already bursting at the seams, right?

Yet, for the first time in far too long, this time when the calendar clicks over to 2015 I intend to embrace it with enthusiasm and a steely resolve. I have given so much of myself to everyone else in the past that I don’t often have much left in reserve for me and the things I want to achieve.

Personally, most of 2014 was tough; which would explain why I wasn’t able to conquer every ambition I’d  hoped to achieve. The previous year had left me riddled with exhaustion, meaning  when I welcomed in 2014 I was mentally, emotionally and physically drained.  There was a  10 month old baby to care for, along with my 5-year-old who was about to start school where he knew not a soul, and a second house move in a seven months with many complicated logistics to handle.

No surprises for guessing most of my dreams disappeared in a plume of depression.

But thanks to the marvels of modern medicine, a kick-ass psychologist and a support network that for so long I failed to see existed, I’m looking towards this next 12-month block of my life with a reinvigorated spirit and renewed purpose. And my hope is I will not be the only one taking a leap of faith back into the still waters where their dreams lay, now stagnant and waiting to be revived.

This is the year we take those steps, whether large or small, towards doing that one thing in life that makes us come alive.

This is the year we find our voice, and shed that feeling of shame when we put ourselves first for a change.

This is the year we get fitter, stronger, healthier and recognise exercise does not have to be a luxury.

This is the year we are thankful for all that we have, instead of envying all that we wished we did.

This is the year we dedicate energy towards realising any goal, big or small, that will make you smile and bring you back to being that person you were before family became your all consuming purpose in life.

This is the year we tell guilt to be gone. Time for change is long overdue, as is giving yourself permission to shine. In 2015 the best is yet to come!