lets get personal!
i'm a huge fan of new year's resolutions.
most of the time, i make them work. i love having a goal. for example: becoming a vegetarian (2009), starting a blog (2012). this year i tried something new without really thinking of it as being something that is resolution-worthy. after gaining some weight during a tough time at the end of summer (i'm an emotional eater), i knew that by the holidays (i gave myself 3 months to gradually lose 7 pounds), i wanted to be back to my normal size. it took me a few months and then for my december 30 day challenge i decided to get a veggie juice a day. and i got to my weight before it could even be carried over as a 2013 resolution. and that felt kinda awesome.
but basically, this got me thinking about how i introduce change into my life and what works for me. i realised i'm a huge fan of gradual change and slowly making modifications to the way i live and eat. for me, making a tiny change to my routine makes it easier for it to adapt into my schedule and everyday life. it makes it less drastic. small things like switching from 2% to 1% milk. swapping bread for whole wheat tortilla wraps. or discovering brown rice pasta. or going to the gym 3 times turned into 4, to 5 to now everyday (when i can). i cut out processed sugar for a month in 2011 and i thought, hey i feel really kinda great and now i am pretty much (process) sugar free. & it goes on.
& don't get me wrong - i do occasionally indulge, but i don't get those cravings anymore cause it all just slowly happened. some didn't work too well & i didn't stick to them (like, raw food mondays), but it doesn't feel like a big deal until you look at the cumulative effect of my lifestyle change. for me, working at one thing at a time over time works. if i tried all these things at once i think i would have died. well not literally died, but seriously and majorly failed.
in this spirit, i think this year my new year's resolutions are to modify some of my old resolutions and work on gradually solidifying what i already have while working on new skills to help me achieve them. essentially add variables and little things to what i have:
1) to grow my blog.
i am going to work on having more original content and collaborations. what would you like to see? my january 30 day challenge is to write one style cuddle blog post a day. i hope i can do it!
2) to actually learn photoshop.
this was a wish for 2012. i got the program, books and everything! i've been messing around with it, doing only work related things on it but i want to do more with the software. do you have any favorite online resources for learning or know of any internet tutorials?
3) play the ukulele (my unresolved 2010 resolution).
maybe i'll even post a video for style cuddle!
4) become an even more awesome vegetarian!
i want to introduce new recipes to my cooking repertoire. i saw this book when browing at anthropologie and i can't wait to test it out. my friend jessie posts amazing instagrams (like this and this) of the healthiness she cooks up - i think i need to have a cooking date with that gal this year. what she makes is inspiring!
5) get out of my workout rut.
i love that elliptical way too much that i think we have codependency issues. i am thinking of doing things out of my zone to get into my zone. maybe go rock climbing. or go on a hike. or take a dance class.
6) live in the now!
i'm working on fleshing that out a little more, aaaand that's a whole other post.
what are your resolutions?
ps: this was helpful reading material for me:
the happiness project
image via here
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