Here’s to a new you!

Finding love

Dr. Pam Spurr, relationship expert (drpam.co.uk): When looking for love, there are three key things you can do.

First, widen your circle of opportunity. We tend to live within a certain circle — visiting the same cafe at lunchtime, the same supermarket on a Saturday morning, the same bar for an after-work drink with colleagues.

Studies show that the two most common ways to meet someone are through work or within a mile radius of where you work or live.

So if you both widen and deepen your circle, you are likely to bump into more people, meet friends of friends and encounter new faces.

Second, be prepared at any moment for that special person to cross your path.

Be aware of both your body language and your attitude. People always remember the very first time they clapped eyes on their partner, but chances are it wasn’t someone slouching, unsmiling, looking stressed and fed up, with the world on their shoulders.

Around ninety-seven per cent of people who make a New Year’s resolution fail to keep it. You miss your chances if you cut yourself off with your body language, but it’s so easily done. Be prepared for that first encounter before it even happens.

Be confident, have a ready smile and wear that ‘front’ that you have on a first date.

Third, adopt a new attitude. If you’ve emerged from a bad break-up or been single for a while, you may well be harbouring all sorts of damaging self-myths about yourself.

Thinking ‘I’m unlovable’ or ‘I’m unlucky in love’ (the top ones I hear) shows in your attitude and the vibes you give off. Substitute these thoughts for more positive ones. Tell yourself: ‘Yes, that break-up was sad, but I’m not unlovable just because he broke up with me.’ Finally, be prepared to make changes. Don’t think: ‘How embarrassing!’ if a friend tries to set you up at a dinner party. Be thankful.

Finances

Yvonne Goodwin, financial adviser and director of Yvonne Goodwin Wealth Management (yvonnegoodwin.co.uk): Counting the pennies... keeping a basic account is like casting an X-ray over where your money is going.

My most successful clients have one thing in common which we could all learn from: they’ve always carried a little notebook and jotted down what every single penny of their money is spent on.

This isn’t being tight or Scrooge-like, it’s sensible. If you keep the book hidden away in the bottom of your handbag or back of your wallet, no one else need know what you are doing.

But keeping a basic account is like casting an X-ray over where your money is going. It’s so easy to take cash out of a hole in the wall and fritter it away. I’m as guilty of that as anyone else.

By realising both where you are wasting money in some areas of your life and not spending enough in others, you can make huge changes. Spending wisely and depriving yourself is not the same thing, and I’d never recommend denying yourself the small treats you really enjoy.

Keeping a note of your spending also allows you to look back and see where you paid for a cab when you could have walked or taken the train if you’d planned ahead by a few minutes.

It’s never too late to improve your finances. Keeping a little tally will improve anyone’s financial situation — regardless of whether you are comfortable or struggling.

Work

Andy Gibney, business coach with Speaker Seeker (speakerseeker.net): Career steps – It’s better to be at the bottom of a ladder you want to climb, than at the top of one you don’t. Be happy in your work. Enjoy what you do, or do something else. It’s as simple as that.

It sounds obvious, but check the basic factors which affect your mood. Are you hydrated, taking regular exercise to keep your serotonin (or happy) levels topped up, getting enough sleep?

If you’re not, perhaps it’s not your job that’s negatively affecting your mood, but these other factors.

Simply making basic lifestyle changes can make the world of difference to your mood, stress levels and performance.

But if it really is a case of your career not being happy, ask yourself why. Is it the way you’re treated? Perhaps you’re working overly long hours.

If your hours are the problem, give yourself a reason to leave the office on time. Perhaps it’s someone at home who loves you (partner, children, pet), or an activity you’ve made a commitment to outside of work (exercise is perfect).

Before starting work each day, decide in advance what time you are going to stop. Recognise that by staying too long doing anything, you’ll get diminishing returns. Give yourself some self-respect. Aim to feel like a valuable team member — not the ‘put-upon’ workhorse.

Occasionally you can put in extra hours, but get a life worth living, not one worth dying for.

If you identify that your job really isn’t right for you, consider what would make you happy. If this seems like an impossible question, turn the issue around and ask: ‘What would make me unhappy?’ It’s never too late to embark on a new career.

Exercise goals

Kathryn Freeland, personal trainer (absolutefitness.co.uk): Exercise goals - Aim for gradual gain instead of unrealistic overnight results. Yo-yo exercising is just as harmful for you as yo-yo dieting. It confuses the body, causes muscle soreness and injury, puts stress on the heart and lungs and increases the production of fat cells, leading to weight gain.

To make 2012 the year you get — and stay — fit you need to devise a realistic and ‘tailored-to-you’ routine that you’ll enjoy and stick to.

Sit down with a pen and paper and figure out what makes you tick. First, why did your previous attempt at getting fit fail? Were you too tired for the gym after a day at work, or bored by the same aerobics class?

Now ask yourself: ‘What type of exercise do I enjoy doing? ‘Are there times of day I’m more likely to work out? ‘Am I better alone or with company? Keep scribbling. Finally, set a goal. Only now can you start forming a realistic plan.

Weigh yourself once a week, no more. Or judge progress on how your clothes feel. An exercise diary will keep you monitored and motivated in scheduling your weekly sessions and in recording your progress.