Novelty.

"Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today." 

One of my mum's famous sayings - usually in reference to washing the plates or cleaning the living room, in response to my "I'll do it later Mum, can I just relax for a bit?" As much as I hate to admit it, she was always right. I always thought that, that very quote was bad luck, because once she said it, I knew something bad was going to happen in response to my disobedience. For example, I'd say "I'll wash up tomorrow Mum, I've had a long day and I just want to chill." She'd reply with the famous: "Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today." And then BOOM! The next day I'll have the flu and be bedridden, thus proving her to be right - and as much as I wouldn't admit it then (in my stubborn state), she was right.

People wait for a new year to start before they try something new so they can say "New year, new me"...Problem - when you wait for that novelty moment, your new venture is based on that novelty moment. So what happens when the novelty wears off and we're in March and no one is talking about new years resolutions anymore.

Make the new year an additional excuse not the main reason for doing something new otherwise it won't last. Imagine someone coming to you in July, taking about making their new year resolutions...past or future - it'd be weird...

Another example which I'm sure we're all familiar with - THE GYM. Working out is always something added to our new year resolution list, which is good - but I always ask. Why are you, on November 17th, telling me that your resolution for the new year is to go to the gym and be healthier - why are you not telling me, on the 17th November, that you are going to the gym this week to begin a healthier lifestyle. I know some people are thinking, "Sacha, what is the difference..." Here it is: According to Forbes, Only 8% of people actually keep their new years resolutions...8% ...8%...

How do you make sure you aren't in the 92%?

Easy...don't put yourself in the 100% in the first place. Start your goals before the new year and they aren't resolutions. If you have an idea, you have something you are looking to achieve or do - why exactly are you waiting for the new year to begin? Just start. In July, when the new year is no longer the new year, your goal subconsciously becomes pointless - "It's not the 'New' year anymore" and the excitement wears off.

Simply put - If you base your goal around the new year, when the year is no longer "New" your goal slowly fades to black, like the screen at the end of a Rom-Com. Instead, set yourself a target, or some small goals and when you reach them, set some more - and before you know it, you'll look back and see a massive difference.

For example...

Weight loss - the biggest resolution of all. Set a goal to lose 4 pounds in a month, then the next month aim for 5, the next month, 4 more and so on...before you know it, you'd have lost 20 pounds in 4 - months...makes sense right?

Maybe I'm waffling, but I've seen better results in my early starts than in my "I'll wait for the new year/New Year Resolutions" starts...so whatever you are planning to do, what ever you need to do, whatever you want to do - do it now. AND...

"Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today." 

Decisions.

Have you ever heard the saying: "You are always only one decision away from a totally different life"

Of course in theory we know this, but how bizarre does it seem when you say it out loud? It's almost scary to think that all the minor decisions we make on a daily basis add up to make a whole lifetime. I don't know about you, but every time I hear this quote, I think about ALL of the decisions I've made in the past 24 hours alone and how they may have affected my current state - and I mean ALL of the decisions (well as many as I can remember) - just as a reference, according to Cambridge, the definition of the word "Decision" is; a choice that you make about something after thinking about several possibilities. So I start thinking about my outfit choice for the day, what I chose to have for breakfast, the route I decided to take to work, what I chose to eat for lunch, what time I decided to wake up etc...

Then I realise, an adjustment to any one of these decisions could have altered my life - for better or for worse. The purpose of this post is not to cause massive ques in your local Starbucks or McDonalds with everyone stressing about a plethora of options, but at the same time, I do think it is important for us to slow down and make our choices wisely. Of course we have no idea what the next 2 minutes of our lives are going to look like. We can plan every second of our existence until the cows come home and then life happens and eats those plans for breakfast (or lunch or whatever). 

However, we can control some of the decisions we have to make by sometimes foreseeing the most likely outcome. It will always baffle me, why people who are lactose intolerant choose to eat dairy based products - it fascinates me. This leads me onto my next point - it's not enough just to make these decisions, but we must know why we are making them, as long as we know why, nothing else matters. The Lactose Intolerant Milkshake drinkers may have a valid reason for doing so and this is none of my business (unless I have to deal with the aftermath if you know what I mean...). Most people going into Starbucks in the morning before work have a reason for doing so - coffee to keep me awake, tea to keep me warm, hot chocolate for a sugar fix etc. All fine. But there are people who go into Starbucks and buy a hot drink everyday, routinely...just because. If you ask them why, you get: "I don't know you know...". Ok...

When we are doing things and we don't know why we're doing it, I must admit it seems a bit strange. Even I have sometimes made a random decision that in no way meets my general decision making criteria and have had to ask myself..."Sach, what are you doing?" If you ask yourself this question and you don't have an answer then...yeah, what are you actually doing? 

I close with a challenge. Try thinking about the small decisions you make regularly and how they affect your life (if at all). Try making a few adjustments to the things that don't make sense and see if that has any impact (good or bad). Also think about any STUPID decisions you may have made last year and how you plan to make sure these STUPID decisions don't cross over into this year. I also challenge you to think about any decision you may have made today and ask yourself why you made that decision...see if you have an answer.

I'm going to leave this one here because the word "decision" is starting to sound weird to me and that can't be good...

"You are always only one decision away from a totally different life" - Happy Choosing!

Firsts.

First car, first house, first birthday, first breath, first kiss. Firsts. 

First blog post...so much pressure! The words "start as you mean to go on" spring to mind and I'll be honest, these words don't necessarily bring comfort...

That's why I've decided to title this first post "There's a first time for everything..." because sometimes we (and when I say we, I include myself) forget how true this actually is. We look at the "bigs" and the "greats" and forget that they too had to start from somewhere - they too had "firsts"...

But yes, this is my first Blog post. Some of you reading this are probably thinking the same thing I thought when I first got the idea to start writing - "Who cares what you have to say?" And the truth is, I actually don't have an answer for you. Sorry. All I know is, I love to write, whether it be through blogs, essays, short stories, songs, poems etc, so that's what I've decided to do. 

I just want to say one thing before I start this journey though - for anyone reading this. I'm an artist, I create - mostly through music, but I'm expanding (not physically I hope) but creatively. I don't really know where I'm going with this, or where I will end up (creatively) but what I do know, is I don't have time to question possibilities. I've done it before and it's unsatisfying - wondering "what if" and "what could've been". I've posted videos on YouTube that have had only 5 views (they probably still do - you can check), I've uploaded songs to SoundCloud that have only had 3 plays (you can check that too...) but I always set out to do what I need or want to do - and of those 5 views and 3 plays, I will always get a random message from someone I've never met, letting me know that I've helped them in some way.

That's when I'm reminded why I was born to be so extra. 

It's simple. Love what you do and do what you love - whatever happens after that, doesn't really matter. 

So this is my beginning. For those coming along for the ride, welcome and thank you...For everyone else, please, take what you need...

It's new, it's scary, It's different (for me anyway), but there's a first time for everything...so let's get it...