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Well, folks, it's the last day of the year, that time when you're supposed to sit down and make all your resolutions for the coming 365 days. I don't know about you, but I find myself so conflicted this time of year. On one hand, I truly hate making New Year's Resolutions -- they just seem like recipes for disappointment. I mean, really, how many times am I going to make the work-out-every-day-lose-25-pounds-in-two-months resolution before I realize that I just don't like exercise enough to make that happen?
On the other hand, I do love a good goal, and find that setting them makes me far more productive than otherwise.
So, how do you set goals for the new year without feeling like a failure if they're not met, to the letter?
I think I've come up with my own solution; however, naturally, this wasn't until I searched the internet for some inspiration -- and as such, I thought I'd share my findings with you.
First up: my good friend Ali, life artist extraordinaire, who is doing her "One Little Word" for the fourth year in a row. From her blog:
I love this, and actually participated last year -- my word was "True." I'd just left my corporate job, and for the first time in my life, decided to live the way that made the most sense to me and to my soul, rather than live the life I thought I was supposed to live. In other words, for the first time I wanted to stay "true" to myself. And I have to admit, it worked.
(And if one word works, why not 3? Danielle Laporte shares her three words for the year, and I love how the work together as almost a small mantra.)
Another great alternative to resolution lists: create a vision board. Musician and artist Christine Kane says that her most popular post is the entitled "How to Make a Vision Board," -- so much so, in fact, earlier this year she created a free e-book on how to make one. My daughter Alex and I made a couple last year, and this year, even though she's 5, she asked that we do it again. So we have. And I don't know that my vision board last year worked the full magic that some claim they are capable of, but certainly some of the ideas represented on the board manifested themselves in real life. Worst case scenario: you have a new piece of original art for your workspace.
Finally, and related, the end of the year is always such a great time to refresh your inspiration board -- you know, that board that keep by your workspace where you can tack up photographs, images, fortune cookie fortunes and any inspirational sayings that come across your path? If you've been doing this already, go ahead and clear out the words and images that don't do it anymore, go through that stack of magazines you've been meaning to recycle and find some new ones. If you haven't been doing this, and the idea appeals to you, check out Becky's blog post and associated comments on Design Public on how to make an inspiration board. Also, I love this post on Ladylike, showing Sofia Coppola's inspiration board. I love that wildly famous, Oscar-award-winning directors use inspiration boards. If it's good for them, it's good for me, I say.
And with that, Happy New Year, everyone. May the coming year be filled with artistic inspiration, may you celebrate the new year in grand style, stay safe, and I'll see you on the flip side.
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Karen Walrond is a writer and photographer in Houston, Texas. Read/See more of her life at www.chookooloonks.com
