The lovely period without paid work between Christmas and New Year usually gives even the most social amongst us some time to stop ‘doing’ and just ‘be’.

Feeling not quite ready to get back into the ‘doing’ flow, I have had time to reflect on what kind of year 2019 might turn out to be.

2018 was a difficult year all over the world. There are few signs that 2019 will be easier.

The exhausting energy of Brexit will probably drift on for another 12 months while both sides struggle to achieve dominion over the other. Meanwhile there has been so little time to address other pressing problems at home but the evidence of mismanagement is all around us. Our systems do not work well enough at the present time and we have made life much more difficult for each one of us on a daily basis than it needs to be.

Beyond the UK we see a world frequently in turmoil and we often feel helpless to make a difference. Climate change, the environment, sustainability. We are learning more every day and can see how much there is to do in order to change how we live so that we respect and protect the planet rather than destroy her.

What I have learned though is that all things are transitory and in no way as important as we think they are. Each of us is just the tiniest speck of dust, here for such a short time. It is so easy in the Western world to get carried away with a sense of our own importance. But most of us, while taking part in the huge changes of this interesting century, are not influencing very much of what is going on.

The world is changing so fast and we are all so interconnected that very few are able to predict outcomes correctly. New factors enter into the equation all the time. So if we cannot influence events and cannot know how things will turn out, there is a strong case to be made for letting go of worry and anxiety and focusing on simply making the best of each day for ourselves and for everyone all around us.

Let go of fear. Let go of anxiety. Everything is cyclical. Focus on good things coming your way and spend as much time as you can doing what you like to do, both at home and at work.

Focus on the positive and remember – most things that you worry about rarely come to pass. Use your energy well and visualise the best of what is on offer here – on the planet at this time – coming into your life and the lives of the people you care about and the people you meet.

If you can do that, you will generate a more positive energy wherever you go. And when you come from that place, it is always easier to resolve problems and difficulties.

I wish you a fabulous and happy 2019.