PHOTO / My cat Ginger, on New Year's Day.

2016 is now here! Have you made any resolutions, and if so,  what plans have you put in place to make them happen?

Many of us make resolutions when the year reboots, with very little thought to the planning needed to make them happen. How many of us have said ‘My aim is to lose a few KGs’ without actually getting acquainted with a gym?

Resolutions have three parts to be successful. The first part I call Vision. This is the concept of describing the goal. We all must have a concrete end point we’re working to achieve. Every successful person in history has had a goal to achieve; some have reached them, some have not, and some have surpassed the goals. Here’s how: Planning.

Planning is the act of writing down the things that you must do to achieve your goals. Vision alone doesn't allow you to achieve your goals, and you need to make plans. Yes, dumb luck does work for some, however planning makes visions become reality.

The last part I call Effort. This, is in my view, is the most important part in realising goals. Effort is the act of not only saying ‘I want to achieve my goal,’ but sometimes sacrificing bad habits or removing those who hold you back from your goal. Wise people have always said we should surround ourselves with positive people. We should also make each moment count.

Vision, Planning and Effort: put the three parts together and all things become possible. As I said earlier, some of your goals can be surpassed by keeping these three factors aligned.

In March our Councils will be asking you to help them make goals for the districts. So what vision do you have for your district? Maybe together we can add the planning and effort needed to resolve our resolutions.