N&S Column 8/1/13

Welcome to 2013 – we unreservedly apologise for 2012 and assure you that those responsible have been sacked.  As I write this, surely a stone heavier than when I wrote my last article, I have a green tea to my left and a 2013 diary to my right. I ate way too much chocolate and fancy crisps over the last week and will have to spend a small fortune on glade plug-ins to get the house back to its original smell.  But, as we embark on a new year, I do intend to make some changes, small ones that will hopefully make big changes.  Let me share them with you.

Money.  Right now I don’t have much of it and when I do manage to get a hold of some there are plenty of people who will be looking for it from me.  I used to worry about money, a lot.  But then one day I went to a funeral of a friend of mine and it made me realise what I had been too thick to know already – it really is only money.  That’s not to say I’m suddenly going to become wasteful or silly with cash, I’m just not going to worry about letters coming through the door, or phone calls from private numbers.  I’ll continue to not answer the phone calls and not open the letters.  People will call me irresponsible for this but it saves me from worrying and taking years off my life, so that is what I shall do.  I will make contact with those institutions that I owe money to.  I will ring them and speak to them like I’m a human being and they are too.  I will tell them that I can afford to pay this much a week, and if that’s not good enough then let the chase begin.  My advice to anyone out there who is scared of what awaits them in 2013 because of money – You are not alone.  In fact, you are in a very large boat with millions of other people, don’t hide from it and don’t let it come between you and your night’s sleep.  Deal with it head on and you will find yourself walking tall again before you know it.

Exercise.  I used to be a member of a Gym, and as the weeks went on I found myself spending less time in the gym and more in the swimming pool.  And then less time in the swimming pool and more in the Jacuzzi.  And then less in the Jacuzzi and more time minding my daughter.  You see, life tends to get in the way of these big plans so it’s best to keep them as simple as possible.  Drink more water, eat more apples, and in 2013 start drinking Green Tea.  Seriously, Google it and realise that it’s the drink that was brought here by Superman.

Career.  There are a lot of jobs out there that if I was magically transferred into them right now, I’d do a bloody magnificent job.  But, unfortunately, that’s not how it works.  We must send in letters and CVS and references and hope that the person reading them doesn’t hate a member of our family or read our facebook page.  It’s all gotten very difficult but at the same time, like everything else, hard work and practise really do pay off.  I applied for 3 jobs before Christmas, 3 jobs that I know I would be just perfect for.  But, as I go over the applications in my head, I know the little mistakes that I made and the little reasons why I probably won’t get those jobs.  They really are tiny, but when there are hundreds of people applying for each job, every little thing is significant.

Personality.  Finally, this is one that I think everyone needs to think about for a new year – be a nicer person.  Hold the door open for strangers, give someone a euro if they suddenly find themselves stuck at a checkout with 20 people in a queue behind them.  Speaking of Aldi,  always let someone go ahead of you if they have a sliced pan and you have a trolley full of gear.  See all those people who wished you a happy birthday on facebook?  They saw your name and thought for a second about whether or not you were worthy of their good wishes.  Thank them all individually -not with a like or a generic post saying “thanks all for the birthday wishes”.  You see, little things can have a great impact on people.  It may not take much to change the course of someone’s day, so why not do it as often as you can.  Speaking of which, a huge thank you to all who took part in this year’s Waterford Secret Santa.  You showed amazing spirit and the city shone brighter because of it.  For more information about what I’m talking about see www.facebook.com/Waterfordsecretsanta.

It’s a new year guys, let’s kick its ass before it has a chance to kick ours.