Table Talk: Do New Year’s Resolutions Work?

Lose weight, get fit, drink less, travel more … with the new year just around the corner, you can guarantee these resolutions will be at the top of the list for the majority of Australians in 2019. But do New Year’s resolutions really work or are we simply setting ourselves up for failure?

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 … Happy New Year! And boom, just like that one year comes to an end and another begins. For most of us, the new year heralds a fresh start, a clean slate to reinstate all of the resolutions we made this year that fizzled out by the second week of January! Yet the age old tradition has most of us continuing to set the same goals year in year out without much success. So what is the secret to success? How can we make our goals more realistic, more achievable, more sustainable? I asked my guests to share what works for them.

Joining me for a delicious lunch at Drift bar, Caloundra was Michelle Knight, co owner of active apparel business, Aura Eve; Lynne Saunders, marketing manager with Sunshine Coast Council; Miriam Drescher, owner of Body & Soul; Anthea O’Sullivan-Kovacevic, co-owner of Signal Fox; Adrienne Reid of Adrienne Reid Official; Karen Caniffe, owner of Kawana Home and Living; Vicky Sheridan, account manager with Profile Magazine and Lana Reid, owner of SunHaze Swimwear.

Profile: New year’s resolutions – do they work?

vicky: I never make a New Year’s resolution. I take it one day at a time, one week at a time. For me, this year was about getting fit again. My goal was to do my swimming and so far I have swam five days a week every morning at 5.30am. I play golf on a Saturday and Sunday and now I’ve added Pilates to the mix. When it comes to resolutions, I think we put too much pressure on ourselves when we say we are going to do something, and when we don’t, we feel like we have failed. I say just take it one step at a time.

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Adrienne: I think the new year is a great time to reflect on the last 12 months and see what you have achieved and look forward and set new goals. But I’m also big on setting goals throughout the year, I think it helps to keep you on track. I revise as I go and look back and see where I have come from and continue to make goals as I go. I think if you make them too rigid you set yourself up for failure.

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Lynne: I set goals regularly throughout the year. I find New Year’s Eve is too much hype and pressure. I don’t think your goals at that point in time are necessarily indicative of how you want the year to go, you might want to make changes. Setting goals regularly gives you an opportunity to evaluate, re-calibrate, remove or add new ones.

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Miriam: For me, it’s a really nice time to reflect on the year that’s been. The new year is a clean slate to maybe drop some things that haven’t been working and look at new opportunities. I definitely set smaller goals and check back in and tweak them or adjust them. New Year’s resolutions often don’t work out the way they were intended. I think overall it’s important to be really gentle with yourself.

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Michelle: I do love the reflection part of the new year, but I set goals throughout the year for both personal and business. As an accountant, we party twice; at the end of the calendar year and at the end of the financial year. It’s interesting how life can change though. I look at my goals five years ago and I wanted to get my CA, I wanted to be earning a certain amount of money and be managing my own accounting firm, then I started Aura Eve and that flipped it on its head.

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Lana: I don’t set resolutions, I set intentions. It’s usually a lifestyle focus. I keep business separate. Mostly they are fitness goals. Being from quite a fit background in the teenage years, when I swam lots, to not doing any swimming at all, I have been trying to get back in the pool and change my eating habits.

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Karen: Yes I make them. Every year. I think it’s more about the fun of making them. Usually on New Year’s Eve you have a few drinks and you’re partying and saying what you are going to do, full well knowing you won’t keep to it. It’s the fun part. Planning and doing are two very different things.

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Anthea: I used to make New Year’s resolutions when I was younger and I had zero awareness of metaphysics and the power of intention. It was pretty much all I had when I was younger. It doesn’t get me going anymore. I spend all year with spreadsheets and objectives and goals with the business anyway so there is no need to apply the business side of things to New Year’s resolutions. I do love that it’s still a thing though because there are a lot of people who do need it. That might be one of the few times of the year they stop and take stock.

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Drift Bar, Caloundra

Nestled on The Esplanade at Bulcock Beach, Caloundra, overlooking the stunning Pumicestone Passage, Drift Bar at Caloundra is one of the Coast’s best kept secrets.

With a laid back atmosphere and stunning beach-inspired decor, this classy eatery offers great food, live music and a wonderful selection of wines, craft beers and cocktails.

Spacious and airy, Drift Caloundra is owned by Matt and Monique Savage, who are passionate about serving up delicious, fresh cuisine sourced mainly from local producers.

The team of experienced staff ensured our recent lunchtime visit was a memorable one. Service and attention to detail was second to none and the dishes created by head chef Tony Wright were sublime.

We were treated to a selection of delicious dishes, which really showcased the diverse menu selection, paired with some beautiful wines that perfectly complemented each course. We also shared some cheeky cocktails; I highly recommend the Mojito or Aperol Spritz.

Open from 6.30am, seven days for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Drift is the perfect spot to grab your morning coffee or for after work drinks as you watch the sunset over the Glass House Mountains, as well as wedding receptions, Christmas parties and birthday celebrations.

Make sure you drop in and check it out, you won’t be disappointed.

Drift Bar, caloundra
30 The Esplanade, Bulcock Beach, Caloundra
Phone:
driftbar.com.au