Having New Year’s resolutions is
kind of a cliche. The clock strikes midnight to welcome a new year and all of a
sudden you think your old problems will go away, your bad habits will stop and
you'll be reborn into a new and better life. What I will say about the New Year
is that it gives you time to reflect, refocus and reprioritise. My outlook on
it all is that the first of the first gives you a chance to start afresh and
try to change all the things in your life that make you unhappy and make peace
with things you can't change. My New Year’s resolutions post isn't about a
check list I'm going to attempt to tick off (I already have my bucket list for
that), but to do more things that make me happy and keep me balanced and less
of the things that make me sad. So here are my do more and do less for this
year. I figure that if I have it all written up on my blog, it's a great
reminder for me to stick to what I set out to achieve.
1) Read more
My brain has officially turned to mush due to an addiction to
technology. My phone, tablet and laptop are always by my side filling in the spare
time I used spend reading. I'd be lying if I said I was a bookworm but I did
used to enjoy a good book, so far as reading non-stop for two days to finish
one at a go. I need to read more, at least a book a month to give my brain some
much needed stimulation as well as getting a tech break from all my gadgets,
especially before bedtime. A book a month is perfectly feasible and I'm going
to do it!
2) Be more active
I've never had a love for exercising and keeping fit but this is
something I definitely NEED to incorporate in my life. I've now been with my
local gym for three weeks and doing one hour sessions 2-3 times a week. Apart
from the obvious lose weight/be healthy/tone up benefits, going to the gym is
doing wonders for my moods. I feel so good after a workout (the theory about
exercise releasing endorphins to make you feel happier certainly works for me)
as it gives me the perfect opportunity to blow off some steam and think. I have
come to a stage in my life where if I sit and do nothing, my body will suffer
the consequences. Doing some sort of active/aerobic session a few times a week
has to become part of my normal routine, as I'm seeing so many positive results
after 3 weeks already.
3) Travel more
I am and always will be a travel junkie, and hope to continue being one.
There's something about getting my passport out of the drawer and making my way
to an airport that is the most exhilarating feeling. I love going to new places
and seeing the different ways people live, as it takes you out of your
comfortable bubble and makes you realise there's so much more going on in the
world. Places on my hit list over the next couple of years include New York,
Japan, Barbados, one of the Greek Islands and New Orleans. There are tons and
tons more but if your list is too long you can never focus on making the trip
happen. Let's see how far I get this year.
4) Be more brave
Stepping out of your comfort zone is one of the scariest things to do in
life but at some point, it has to be done. I really believe in the saying
'accept what you can't change and change what you cannot accept'. But as I've gotten
older, I seemed to have lost confidence in doing things from gut feel or taking
a risk. Being brave isn't actually a trait in Virgos. We like to feel safe,
secure and grounded but I must have a rising in Leo because every so often,
every bone in my body tells me to take a leap of faith. So this year my mantra
will be all about being brave!
5) Laugh more
People underestimate the power of laughter. And when I say laughter, I
mean laughing so hard your belly hurts, tears pour and your whole body is
nearly in pain because of it. I'm very lucky to say that most of my friends can
make me laugh at this level but I feel I need to explore more things to do for
me to create more belly laugh moments. The aim for this year is to see more
stand-up shows and theatrical comedies as well as discover comedians whose
sense of humour is right up my street.
6) Worry less
Worrying must be one of the most exhausting, stressful and unhealthy
emotions ever! Unfortunately not only is worrying part the Virgo character, it
is also fundamentally a trait I inherited from my mum. Of course everyone
worries about things and about life but I honestly think mine is significantly
heightened due to analysing and dissecting thoughts. I can never not worry, but
I’m certainly going to try not to sweat the small stuff. Being someone who's
constantly concerned about what people think of you, how they perceive you,
what's going to happen tomorrow, next week or in five years’ time is exhausting
and paralysing. I'm really going to make a conscious effort not to worry. As
the saying goes, worry doesn’t empty today of its sadness, it empties tomorrow
of its strength. A few of my friends have suggested meditation so that's
something I'll definitely look into.
7) Sing more
If you didn’t know before, I’ll reveal now that for over 15 years I was
a singer trying to make it in the music industry. Girl bands, management deals,
publishing deals, songwriting, and tours – I did it all. After a long time I
made the decision to give it up and get a ‘real’ job as my parents said, so for
a very long time I gave up singing completely. I felt that it was something I
had to distance myself from for a while, similar to how you need distance from
an ex when you first break up. But now I
realise that it’s part of me and my creative outlet, and although I have no
interest in becoming a famous pop star, I want to continue singing. Small live
gigs, acoustic sets, open mike nights and songwriting are all things I want to
do more of this year. I need to engross myself back into music without feeling
the pressure of ‘making it’ or failing. An ideal outcome would be for me to
start writing songs again, maybe for artists, maybe just for myself. As I have
now put it out there, it’s something I now need to pursue.
8) Blog more
I have had this blog for over 4 years and can’t believe I’ve been
running it this long. I have to admit that I need to give it more love. I
barely make two posts a month and I definitely need to spend some more time on
it. I have lots of other interests outside fashion including beauty, travel and
music, and need to write more about the things I enjoy. Sometimes I get stuck
writing fashion/outfit posts as I’m not particularly inspired by anything or
bought anything new. If I incorporate things I enjoy more, it will definitely
encourage me to blog more. My aim is minimum one post a week.
9) Be more sociable
In the last year, I
found myself becoming a complete hermit and staying at home all the time. This
is not me. I have always been sociable and outgoing and thrive on meeting new
people. Although I hate the winter, I can’t use it as an excuse not to go out!
Being too comfortable with a certain circle of friends is also not good enough.
Making an effort to go out, network and meet new people has been half the
reason I am where I am today so need to do more of that this year.
10) Procrastinate less
So many check lists, amazing ideas, schedules and plans that are just
not followed through is all down to procrastination. I don’t know why this has
crept in my mindset but I don’t like it and just need to get on with things.
Deep down it all boils down to having confidence and believing in something you
do or want to do, and for some reason my inner confidence has been replaced by
procrastinating. Not every idea or plan is going to work out perfectly but it’s
definitely not going to work out if you don’t even try!
Here’s to a new year of making things happen and not setting unrealistic
resolutions. Hope you all have a new mindset, new projects and new way of
thinking for 2015. Here’s to a good year for all of us.
