Resolute Resolutions

Published February 3, 2021

Hello everyone!! Happy New Year (a bit late I know) and I hope you all are safe and doing well wherever you are in the world. Well, 2020 sure was one hell of a ride and 2021 is looking to be just as challenging. So that got me thinking about New Year's resolutions and how they don't typically stick around very long. This year we have more adaptation and perseverance required of us, so how do we become more resolute in our resolutions? I have some thoughts and we'll see how well I do at maintaining them (hint: I'm usually terrible).

Give Yourself a Break

I have a tendency to hold myself to extremely high standards which in this current environment may be even harder to achieve. Not achieving my goals with the speed that I desire often leads to traps of self-defeat, guilt, depression, stagnation and so on. It becomes an ugly spiral. So I keep reminding Me to give myself a break. That doesn't mean I don't still want to achieve my goals or that I won't keep pushing forward. It does mean that when I am feeling bad, I will give myself space to work through those feelings without guilt. I will practice self-care, and I really mean practice because I'm not so good at it. We'll see how well this one sticks.

Gonna take a life lesson from Ozzie and enjoy all the moments.

Keep It Clean

Ok bear with me on this one....keeping your home environment clean helps keep your mind peaceful. Now everyone has their own standards of clean and I live with two dogs who love to spread their hair everywhere so it doesn't need to be hospital clean but clutter definitely needs to be managed. When I was working full time in the corporate world and doing long days it was just easier to drop things wherever and tell myself I'd clean up on the weekend. Which of course then got pushed aside because I'd rather go on an adventure in my free time than clean the house. Well now, I'm in my house all the dang time so I have zero excuses about cleaning. This is one of my resolutions I aim to be most resolute at maintaining.

Let's avoid this mess again! What I came home to after six months away.

Purposefully Look for Joy and Happiness

I love to laugh but that can be tough to do when you're alone most of the time. So I will purposefully seek out things that make me laugh, make me happy and give me joy. I will watch that cheesy Hallmark movie if I want to. I will laugh out loud at internet memes even if the neighbours can hear me and think I've lost my mind. I will limit my time reading/watching the news because let's face it, it's depressing. I will cook and bake more because that gives me joy. And I will let my 50lb dog sit on my lap all he wants because it comforts us both.

My 50lb lap dog, Ozzie. He's an Australian Shepherd who has no sense of personal space.

Keep Learning

I have lots to learn about building my photography business, about managing my website and improving my social media outreach, etc. I want to continue exploring abstraction in my photography, what else can I create using intentional blur or other tactics? There are things I want to learn because it gives me joy, like cooking and baking. I will continue to be inquisitive, reading and learning about topics that interest me. I will stretch myself to try new creative outlets such as quilting or something I haven't even heard of yet. My goal is to remain engaged in the creative arts because expressing yourself in one format often helps grow your skills in another.

I have begun a memory quilt made from old t-shirts gathered over my lifetime. Each has a special meaning to me. I am sewing it all by hand because, well, why not?

Here's where I am going to stop. If I were to list more than these four things, then I most certainly would be setting myself up to fail. Each of these is achievable and somewhat interconnected which makes the likelihood of maintaining these more realistic. I also have purposely not made these time bound because they are a lifestyle choice, not a check mark. I believe that focusing on my mental and emotional wellbeing during these turbulent times will do more for my overall health than worrying if I can fit into a smaller clothing size, for example.

So that, my friends, is what I think helps us be more resolute with our resolutions, focusing on the inner you so you can be better over all. What do you think? Does this approach work for you? Or do you need more concrete, specific things to achieve? I would love to hear your ideas!