Cool and creative

steps to bridge the gap and then support you on the journey. If this all sounds a little scary, maybe assertiveness is something you want to work on: Spearhead Training (www. spearhead-training.com) offers one-day courses throughout the UAE year-round – it could be your first step to working out what you really want out of life. If it’s simply the chance to be among other innovators and entrepreneurs that you yearn for, try Simon Hudson’s next Startup Grind (www.startupgrind.com). It aims to meet every four to six weeks in Dubai and everyone is welcome. Photography is a very rewarding way to push your creative buttons, with instant results. Well-regarded creative holiday specialist Frui (www.frui.co.uk) runs a range of photography holidays, including one to the gloriously picturesque Kerala in southern India from March 1-10. Or if the beaches and skyscrapers of Dubai are more your thing then the Middle East’s photo community Gulf Photo Plus (www. gulfphotoplus.com) is a great place to hook-up with fellow snappers and take some workshops.

If cookery’s more you, Hervé Courtot, chef de Cuisine at Nobu at the Atlantis Palm Jumeirah, runs monthly sushi master classes, which cost Dh1,250 a time (www.atlantisthepalm.com).

If you’d rather do it from home, the acclaimed Rouxbe (www.rouxbe.com) is the world’s first online cooking school and promises to, “Guide you along the same learning path used to teach aspiring chefs in professional culinary schools around the world.”

If you like music but can’t play a note, Dubai Drums (www.dubaidrums.com) meets every Monday night at Ductac at the Mall Of Emirates. And if none of these suggestions take your fancy, spend an hour online and you’ll discover countless opportunities to tap into your creative side and push yourself towards greatness. For some really adventurous ideas, take a look at www.gotolearn.com for details of everything from Flamenco guitar lessons in Spain to jewellery-making holidays in France.

Fit and healthy

One of the best ways to push yourself is by setting a fitness goal. Commit to losing 5kg, and you should soon see results; tell yourself you’ll be able to run 20km this time next year, and a well-crafted training programme will help you on your way.

For women, one sure-fire way to provide focus for your fitness ambitions would be to sign up for the ladies-only Dubai Desert Boot Camp (www.dubaidesertbootcamp. com), a seven-day fitness and weight loss programme that promises, “The ideal way for women to lose weight, get fit and tone in an all-female environment.” The next course starts on January 11.

For a less rigid commitment, the UAE is awash with personal trainers and cutting-edge gym programmes – such as those offered by The Circuit Factory (www.circuitfactory.ae) which has classes in Al Quoz, Meadows, Springs and Jumeirah and sets participants a four-week challenge that they say is guaranteed to work.

If you’re already in good shape and simply looking for something meaningful to train for, the wildly popular American obstacle race