It is a challenge at the moment to be thinking beyond the devastating emergency situations across Australia and planning for 2020.

For many, this past Christmas period will be one that has changed their life forever and the mental and for some, physical devastation that they now face could be one of the most challenging of their life.

It is encouraging to see communities coming together to support each other and address the immediate needs of families during the fires.

The most effective way to contribute at this stage from our location is with a financial donation.

Many areas are not equipped to receive and distribute donated goods at this time. Donations can be made to the Salvation Army and the Australian Red Cross.

The most concerning thing for me is that in the midst of all of the devastation, some Australians feel the need to point fingers and hold people accountable for the conditions that we have.

There will be time to review and assess and account. Much of the finger pointing and ignorant, nasty and aggressive blaming I find abhorrent.

As consumers, we can change the way we purchase, the way we dispose and way we manage what we have, we can't be pointing fingers.

So, resolutions for 2020. I'm not normally one for News Years Resolutions. I was challenged to think about it more seriously on Christmas Eve, I have made one goal that I'm hoping is achievable, but one that I need help with.

In terms of resolutions, if you haven't already come up with something, the one thing that we can all do is make more conscious decisions.

This filters into all of the traditional areas that we normally focus on for resolutions, whether it be weight loss, spending less, how we react etc.

All of these stem back to consciousness. Think about the consequences of your decisions. Who could it impact?

2020 is definitely the year for being more conscious in everything we do, with the drought still with us. We can only handle the way we respond. It is the little things that can make the difference.