It’s January and many of us make resolutions for the year ahead. “It’s going to be a new me – I’m going to lose weight, exercise more and read every day.” Perhaps the reason we often fall short is that we are aiming for the wrong thing, or we don’t explore ways of achieving it that are in line with how we actually want to live. Maybe it’s more helpful to think about the true you rather than the new you. Societal pressure can make us feel that we should be doing certain things, but are we really taking the time to think about how we would like to live? Exercising more can take many forms. I’ve never found running enjoyable, but I love swimming, and it took time to discover this. If we pick the “wrong” thing, it isn’t a failure; it might simply mean we need to explore other options until we land on something that feels right for us. I’ve just finished a book by Roman Krznaric called Work and the Art of Living. One line in particular has stayed with me: “Is your work big enough for your spirit?” I love this idea of seeking the aliveness in ourselves and questioning whether our work – or our life, for that matter – is truly fulfilling. Sometimes it is fear that stops us following our true calling rather than anything more practical like money or stability. And we all have our own version of this. The more we can look inward and find our own inner spirit, the more fulfilling and alive our lives can become. Whenever we make a decision about how we want to live and work, we have a choice. In the busyness of life, we often find ourselves on autopilot, saying yes to a project because it’s what we’ve always done. We make decisions quickly because our to-do list is overflowing and we just want to tick something off. We don’t always stop, pause and ask whether there is another way, or whether we even want to be doing it at all.  So my invitation to you today is to give yourself permission to pause. Take a moment, create some space, and consider, as Mary Oliver writes, “what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

As the year draws to a close, it is natural to reflect on the past twelve months. I often find myself torn between wanting to capture every achievement and simply being present for the moments themselves. I know I will rarely look back over a list of what I have done, yet I recently realised I had forgotten a couple of small but fulfilling projects from earlier in the year, lost in the fog of everything else that had been going on. It is often those smaller moments that bring the most unexpected joy. I recently heard a lovely word: glimmers – “small, brief moments that make you feel safe, calm, connected or quietly joyful.” While the iconic moments of the year may be what spring to mind first, it is usually the glimmers that make me feel most connected: a random chat with a stranger after a swim, an uplifting read, a shared smile on the tube, a chat with a friend. When you start looking for them, these moments are everywhere, offering tiny resets and bursts of joy throughout the day.​ For me, 2025 has been an uplifting year, from celebrating a big birthday to undertaking a big swim. But more than anything, I am remembering the glimmers: with friends and family, with strangers, in something heart warming I read, in the times I could make a difference to someone else. When I really pay attention, those glimmers are never far away. So as the year comes to an end, my hope for you is that something brings a little sparkle and joy into your life – and that you notice it when it arrives.