New Year, New Mindset

by Deborah Anderson

Despite difficult circumstances we hope you all had a fabulous Christmas and New Year (or as fabulous as it could be!) With a new year brings reflection on the last and the making of resolutions (that usually last for about 3 weeks, let’s be honest) but this new year isn’t like any other. We’re starting 2021 with all the things we learned from 2020 and we’ve had time (a lot of it) to rearrange our priorities and realise what we want out of life. The New Year is the perfect time to make the plans that will get us to where we want to be. Just because the world has come to a stand-still, it doesn’t mean that our lives have to too. Making resolutions and goals gives our lives structure, things to look forward to and a sense of control – all things that we’re desperately in need of right now! To help you out, we’ve rounded up some tips on how to make goals and New Year’s Resolutions – and actually stick to them:

• Have specific goals – Try not to be too vague when making your resolutions. ‘Get fit’ is a classic resolution that people make year after year and it probably only lasts until February. The problem is its way too vague. How are you going to get fit? Doing what? Saying that you’re going to start jogging 3 times a week is a much better resolution that will be easier to measure and stick to.

• Break your goals down – Breaking your big dreams down in to smaller and shorter-term goals will make them seem easier to achieve. This will work wonders for your mental-wellbeing and feeling that sense of accomplishment will spur you on to keep going!

• Be positive – This doesn’t mean you have to be cheery all the time because that just ain’t gonna happen, especially in this weird time but make your new year’s resolution things that you can add into your life rather than take away. For example, if you wanted to cut down on sugar, find out what your triggers are, like boredom or anxiety, and add in resolutions to alleviate these. Hopefully, in doing this, you will achieve your resolution as well as see other benefits such as better mental health.

• Be real! – Your goals should be realistic and achievable. You don’t have to dream small but this ties in with breaking your goals down into smaller steps. Make sure that you’re not trying to do the impossible straight away.

• Reward yourself – You should be treating yourself anyway, just for getting through these crazy times but make sure that you plan treats for yourself for every mini goal you accomplish! Anything from an at-home pamper day to finally buying yourself a new laptop – it will give you something to look forward to and will help to motivate you.

• Write your resolutions and goals down – Get yourself a cool notebook specifically for writing down all your goals and resolutions. You’ll be able to keep track of your ever-changing goals, tick them off when they’ve been achieved and plan your treats! And who doesn’t love an excuse to buy a shiny new notebook?! You could also try making a pretty poster listing the goals you’re working towards. Stick it on the fridge or wardrobe, or somewhere you’ll see every day – this way if you’re ever feeling lack-lustre and in need of motivation, you’ll be able to easily remind yourself of these goals and why you wanted them in the first place.

• No goal is too small – It’s important to remember that your goals and ambitions don’t have to be ground-breaking. They don’t have to change the world – as long as they’re changing your world for the better – that’s enough. If you want to make more of an effort to chat to friends – write it in your notebook. If you want to start dedicating 4 hours a week to self-care, then write it in your notebook! (Seriously, you should get a notebook.) No dream is too small or too silly and don’t let anyone make you feel that they are – just like pop legend, Jason Donovan said, “Any Dream Will Do”.

• Give yourself a break – It’s amazing that you’re setting objective goals and making plans but realistically, you may not always feel like working towards them and you shouldn’t feel bad about that! You may worry that days spent watching trashy TV instead of doing that online course is a waste but if you need it, then take it. Self-care is never a waste of time and there’s always tomorrow!

We hope that these tips will help you to get what you want out of 2021! The pandemic may delay our plans but we can’t let it crush our dreams completely. Even if you have more bad days than good and you can only summon the energy to work towards your goal once every 2 weeks, that’s still an investment into your future. Stay strong queens and look after yourselves - this is only temporary even if it feels like forever.

For all you Birthday Babes celebrating your birthdays in lockdown, we’re giving you a whopping 50% off your One Wear Freedom order!! All you have to do is to follow the instructions in our Instagram post here and we’ll DM you the discount code!

Also, our lovely founder Jordache will be joining Black Girl Environmentalist’s Instagram live on Sunday, talking all things fashion and sustainability so go check it out! Follow us on Instagram to find out more details coming soon!