How many times have we heard it already..."new year, new you?" It's amazing to me that so many still continue to make resolutions, and I guess it's because you want something to believe in and that is always a great goal, but we tend to make so many goals that become unattainable because life gets in the way! We say we're going to lose 30 lbs. or take up yoga or become more organized. We get a gym membership, enroll in the classes and go out and spend $200 on containers and organizer tools with all of the pockets and gadgets to help you whip yourself and your schedule into shape. For the first few weeks the gyms are jam packed and you can see the steam coming from the regular's ears when they can't get on the elliptical machine for two hours. But they know that in just a few more weeks, the newbies start giving up. You begin having scheduling conflicts, begin eating a bit more of the good stuff and a bit less of the healthy stuff. You miss one yoga class, then another. You forget your binder, misplace bills and then go back to being your unorganized self. Life happens and then your life falls apart and you consider yourself a failure at completing those resolutions. You're not a failure, you've just set yourself up with way too much all at one time and there's a better system to slowly create lasting changes in your life.
What always makes me excited about the new year are the new possibilities for design in my life and the life of my clients. I am always continuing my education and researching the newest styles in design, fabrics, furnishings and decor, allowing me to offer the most variety and innovation to my clients, because of our field is ever changing. The new year means the first major event in the design world is fast approaching- The World Market Show in Las Vegas. This year it falls a few days earlier than normal, beginning the last week of January and running til February 3rd. As always, I'll bring you all the hottest trends in the industry and ways to work the new trends into your current decor, so stay tuned!
The new year also brings the opportunity for a clean slate. It's usually the time of year that I begin looking around my home and start hating my decor because I'm itching to try something new. (It's the hazard of being your own designer, it never ends!) I can easily tell you all that it's time to throw out everything you own and redo your your entire home, but that's just not practical for most people and although it would be nice for some, is not necessary for most. Sure, you may have some outdated decor or furnishings, but how about this year we take it slowly? Let's make the most dramatic changes that give us the most impact, but let's do it with slow finesse and savor the changes (us Puerto Ricans call it suave). So often we say "out with the old and in with the new" and it happens so quickly that we forget to enjoy the transformation. The end result is the reward but the journey is what makes it meaningful. The weight loss is your ultimate end result, but knowing how hard you worked to achieve it (truly taking the time to reflect on that work you put in) makes it that much more meaningful and allows you to process just how much you want to maintain it so you don't have to go through that hard work again.
Savor the changes slowly and you will be happier. Take the time to feel more positively about your life. Do something fun and exciting that you will see everyday and make you smile. Sometimes the smallest change can create such happiness! Take your weight loss goals 5 lbs. at a time and reward yourself mentally for every small goal you accomplish because you deserve it! Change your hair color to something more vibrant! Buy a new shade of lipstick. Paint just one feature wall a bold color and coordinate just three accent pieces with that color into your room and give yourself an entire new look (I'll show you how in an upcoming post). Tackle one small area of your world that needs organization.
For instance, buy an expandable file holder to put your bills in each day that they come in the mail. Label the first four tabs- 1st Week, 2nd Week, 3rd Week, 4th Week and the tab immediately after that label Next. As each bill comes in check the date that it is due and place it in the corresponding week that you must pay the bill. Try this trick to make sure you are never late- place the bill in the file one week earlier than it is due! When bills come in that are not due within the first month they arrive, place them in the Next folder and on the last day of the month, take all of those bills out of that folder and re-sort for the coming month. It's only one small change, but, if you commit to it for the month, you've just created one new habit and that's how dramatic changes start! That new hair color will change the way you look at yourself every day and cause you to want to do more. That new wall color will brighten your day every time you pass it by and cause you to want to make more changes that make you happy. A series of tiny changes can transform your life and if I have any resolution for the year, it's to help you SAVOR YOUR LIFE one small change at a time! Happy New Year!
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