Kat Mills comments on New Year's resolutions and how to successfully bring through change.

For me there is something special and poignant about a new year and having the chance to start afresh. My lively three year old was confused that after weeks of 'Happy Christmas' being the greeting, everyone started wishing him a 'Happy New Year'. After some explaining he seemed content and with a big smile on his face ran around greeting everyone, 'Happy new you'. I smiled at the innocent mishearing of the greeting, but as I thought about it, I realised that what he was saying was pretty accurate.

After months of being encouraged to overindulge with Christmas treats and rich food, we are told to reinvent ourselves. Suddenly adverts appear saying things like 'eight weeks to a better you', 'how to feel good about yourself', or 'sweet yourself thin'. At this time I have the urge to try to be better, to lose weight, become healthier and read my Bible and pray more. The list could go on.

It's easy to rush in head first with good intentions, but the goals and time frames can be unrealistic. We go for the quick fix: the after-Christmas detox, or crash diet, often rushing from one extreme to the other. In the past, my New Year's resolutions have been good but utterly unachievable and I have usually given up after only several weeks, feeling worse about myself than before. The truth is that we won't succeed unless the change is sustainable and realistic.

So how we can we ensure that we have lasting change and see real growth and breakthrough in our lives? I have found lasting change occurs when I set realistic goals, am patient, dedicated and disciplined, have support lined up and most importantly for me, is that I ask God for help and rely on His strength.

One area that I am currently working on is my house. A messy environment causes me stress, so it's time for a drastic change. I usually rush in and try to target everything at once, but soon get overwhelmed, shoving things back and just making it look tidy on the surface. Before long, the mess lurking behind the cupboard doors ends up spilling out and I am back to where I was before.

So this time I am approaching it differently. I have compiled a list, which is broken down into little tasks and my aim is to complete this list one small task at a time. I am having to be patient, as I want to see the finished product now. It does, however, feel good to cross items off my list and to see the small differences appearing.

For lasting change, I need to not just change my habits of acquiring stuff and being disorganised, but also to get to the root of messiness, to truly purge each room. It's an ongoing task, but one that I am dedicated to. It feels so much more achievable this way.

This is the same for other areas of my life. I need to be deliberate, disciplined and determined about wanting change, but also to be patient. I want to lose weight, so this year my simple target is to have treats and snacks only at the weekend and on special occasions and to walk more.

I also find it hard to stop, to just be and to unwind, which can end up in me burning out. My simple challenge in this is to spend at least five minutes each day to just be. I have created a quiet space with a comfy chair and I have a candle and chilled music ready.

My prayer this year is that I will see lasting change and that I will continue to grow and develop. That when I get it wrong or mess up, that I will be patient and get back up and try again.

I wish you a blessed 2017 and a year of lasting change.