The New Year is a great holiday to draw a line and look both back at the year that has passed and to draw outlines for the year to come. It is important to analyze your life in order to make it better.
It is known that people’s New Year resolutions don’t tend to last, but this is a rather expected phenomenon from a psychological point of view. Nothing changes if nothing changes and simply starting a new year is not much of a change if you really think about it.
However, things can change if you force yourself to build on a new outline. Don’t think of specific details (although, if you have the will to do it, go for it), but rather go for structures and values in whose light you want to do things and for goals. In terms of values and structures, instead of thinking of very precise things you know you won’t do, try to make a concept of who you want to be or what you want to do. For example, set as a resolution to listen to yourself: don’t eat when you don’t really need to, don’t sleep when you are not sleepy, but do sleep when you need it and so on. This can be applied very well to fashion and style as well: buy the clothes you feel reflect your personality, wear what feels right, and style yourself in a way that is comfortable to you. Surely, this should not lead to a complacency and laziness, but to a tandem work between your mind and body. To come back to the fashion example, in this case, being comfortable and following your own style should not mean that you do not ever try new things and experiment with quirky ideas. Also, you can set values as part of the structure, for example treating people well. This is vague enough to be taken on as a resolution, but not precise enough to be broken on the first day of the new year and can be worked on as you go along. We all know what it means to treat people well, so making an exercise in that will help you improve yourself and your relation to the world.
When it comes to goals, things are clearer: set a tangible, measurable goal, draw the steps that need to be taken to achieve it, make a timeline and simply take it step by step to achieve it. Obstacles may arrive, but if everything else is in place, it is most likely that you will overcome them.
Moreover, as the New Year approaches, it may be a good thing not to think so much in “New Year’s resolutions”, but in “New Year’s solutions”. Look back at what is not where it should be in your life and instead of taking on a resolution, simply go for a solution to fix a problem. This way, you may be able to fix many problems you have and to have a clearer mind to deal with the things life will throw at you next.
When it comes to turning things up, it is helpful to think of this process this way: the only constant thing is change, as an old saying goes; in other words, change is going to happen as long as you live: your views may change, your body will change and so on. Thus, instead of thinking that you can’t do anything against the tidal wave of change coming your way, think of taking control over the change and adjusting the sails as much as it is possible for you. Being active will not only add meaning to your everyday life, but it will also improve your relationships, as, by taking agency for yourself, you will give others agency as well and so, the standards for the people around you will rise.
And, last but not least, it is essential to know how to frame your solutions. Instead of thinking in negative terms, try thinking in positive terms. Try doing things for which you have an intrinsic motivation rather than an extrinsic one (although these should not be completely discarded altogether). Surely, life is more complicated than we’d like it to be, but as much as possible, try to do things because you want to do and achieve them, not for other reasons.
The calendar is a useful tool to structure your time and to draw lines between then, now and the future. The parties accompanying the New Year should be fun and dynamic, but should also be complemented by contemplation and, well, solutions.
Fraquoh and Franchomme
P.S. We want to hear from you! Have you made New Year’s resolutions in the past? Did you keep them? How will you approach the New Year? Share your feedback, questions or thoughts in the comments below! For more articles on style, fashion tips and cultural insights, you can subscribe to Attire Club via e-mail or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram!