“When you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others.”

Something which does not come naturally or easy to me is much longed-for peace of mind. Always opinionated, passionate and incessantly active my mind chatters away leading to mental and physical exhaustion when I fail to switch off. This year in particular has been emotionally draining and has left me with an underlying craving for peace. Clearly this is something I need to work on if I am to avoid a similar burn-out which I experienced early in November. Nothing is worth that awful feeling of impending doom, hopelessness and lack of control over my emotions, concentration levels and sleep patterns. I need to become more emotionally intelligent, confident in my ability to say “no” and gain authority over my inner self.

In the last week of 2010  I start to think ahead to the new year beginning on Saturday and what I can do to improve my quality of life without depriving myself of all those things I enjoy.  After some soul-searching and contemplation I have decided to make just one Resolution.  I will work towards attaining inner peace. Easier said than done I fear but sheer determination can overcome many hurdles and I am determined to succeed. Failure is not an option if I am to avoid melt-down in what  will  be another busy year.  I believe that if I can acquire some equilibrium and become happy with myself then everything else will fall into place. This year, I refuse to put myself under pressure to lose weight, get fit or work fewer hours. Instead, by focussing on what I enjoy doing and making time to relax, I will achieve a balance right for me.

So having determined my goal for 2011 I need to work out how best to meet the result desired. I need a plan flexible enough for it not to become a chore and it must take into account my unpredictable work patterns.

I have all week to map out my route to success……and so my journey begins.