This year I have a single New Year’s Resolution.

I am going to start closing cupboards after I use them.

If you have ever lived with me, or had the misfortune of walking into a kitchen just after I have finished preparing my lunch, you may well be aware of this particular vice of mine.  Whenever normal people open a cupboard or a drawer – perhaps to retrieve a piece of cutlery, a t-shirt or a box of Golden Grahams – the completely logical, reasonable course of action is to immediately close said cupboard or drawer when the retrieval of the desired item has been achieved.

Not me.  As I go about my life, retrieving all sorts of items from all sorts of cupboards, I leave in my wake a trail of unclosed doors with no thought whatsoever as to the aesthetics or ergonomics of the rooms that I once occupied. Anarchy follows me.

No more though. From this day forward, I solemnly swear to close all cupboards or drawers that I open as soon as I finish using them.

Perhaps this is a metaphor for larger changes in my life. Maybe this year I will be tidier in general. Perhaps I will care more for the environment. Or perhaps these ‘cupboard doors’ represent something deeper. Old habits I need to break. Attitudes I need to turn my back on. Unhelpful relationships I need to end. Maybe I need to resolve to finish what I started. Or close off an entire portion of my life in order to start a new one. Maybe I simply need to be more aware of how my actions affect those who come after me. Perhaps I need to think carefully before I move on – what do I leave behind me? As a leader, my impact will ultimately be measured by the quality of the successors that I raise up…

Actually, that all sounds a bit like hard work. I think I’ll just stick to the cupboard thing.

It’s achievable. That’s what I like about it.