Home > New Years Resolutions (and How To Keep Them)

New Years Resolutions (and How To Keep Them)

Happy New Year, All! 2016 is off to a great start already, and it’s only five days into the year.

Each December, I start thinking about New Year’s Resolutions that I want to set for myself. For a long time, I promised myself that I’d “overhaul my life” in the same boring ways such as promising to work out more, save more money, exercise more, eat less garbage and drink much less alcohol. I’d usually last about 2-3 weeks before reaching for that glass of rosé to wash down the man-sized New York Cherry Cheesecake slice I was gorging on. I would feel bad walking past my packed gym bag day after day without actually picking it up and going to the gym, and feel even worse buying yet another item of clothing that I didn’t really need as my poor Chanel Bag Savings Account languished empty and ignored.

Chanel Bag Style Domination

A couple of years ago I decided to take a different approach to the start of each New Year. I started reading up on the best ways to keep my New Year’s Resolutions and make some lasting, positive changes in my life. Let me share with you what I discovered…but first actually, let me share with you a few of my 2016 resolutions:

  1. STOP BEING LATE. UGH!!! This hideous habit of mine fills me with shame each time I walk into a dinner 15 minutes late, pull into work at 9:10am or generally keep anyone waiting at all. This one I’m determined to achieve.Little Miss Late Style Domination
  2. Stop being so hard on myself. I guess I’m a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to things I genuinely care about.  This is great, until something goes wrong and I lie in bed for hours ruminating over anything! Case in point: I love to garden. If a plant dies, that will ruin my day. Doesn’t matter if Japanese beetles (little bastards) decimated my lilies, “it’s my fault and I should have anticipated the problem and prevented it.” Is that always reasonable? No.
  3. Stop taking my second lover to bed – my iPhone. This is going to be a tough one.  I have been having trouble sleeping lately and while life has been a little stressful over the last month, having my phone constantly attached to my hand for every waking minute of the day surely isn’t helping the insomnia. I am consciously going to make an effort to curb the iPhone use at least one hour before bedtime.
    iPhone Love Style Domination
    “…and now I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. iPhone 6+!”
  4. Read more. Sigh.  This is on the list every year. “Read more…and read things that are not magazines and blogs. Read those old school things… They have pages and are bound by either a hard or soft cover and are written by human beings. You know…books.”
  5. Save for a new car. This competes directly with my “Save for a Chanel Bag” goal, but alas, I cannot drive a Chanel bag to work. As much as I love Sassy (my beloved 2009 Acura), she’s gettin’ up there and once those repair bills really start getting ridiculous, I will have to kiss her goodbye. Funnily enough, the Dom-mobile Account is much healthier than the Chanel Bag account.  I sort of hate myself.
  6. Get rid of my comfortable, yet disgusting “home only clothes”.  I look at my once black leggings which have threadbare knees, a giant crotch hole (nice) with no semblance of stretchiness left. They are bunny-fur soft though and for some reason I cannot let them go, along with my horribly pilled “old man sweater” that feels like a warm hug when I put it on and a series of tea-stained t-shirts. Yes they feel great, and no they do not make me feel great AT ALL when I look in the mirror while wearing them. You can’t feel great if you look like a schlub. I don’t care what anyone says. I wanna feel great even while binge-watching Empire flat on my back in my basement.

Now – how do you actually keep your New Year’s Resolutions?  Everything in moderation. Ask yourself why you are making these changes and envision your life with these changes implemented. Do you really think it will make your life better? If you are 100lbs overweight and never worked out before or taken an interest in healthy eating, do you really think you can achieve your goal of losing that extra 100lbs in six months unassisted? Being reasonable is key to your success and ensures you won’t beat yourself up too badly if you slip up.

Treadmill Dancer Style Domination

So, enough jabbering. Let’s get down to making some positive changes! Here are my tips for achieving your New Year’s Resolutions without setting yourself up for failure:

  • Choose your resolutions carefully and ask yourself seriously if this is a goal I can achieve.  Choose those that will make the biggest, most positive difference in your life leading to more happiness and fulfilment, like quitting smoking or traveling more.
  • Plan out how exactly you will achieve your goals. If you want to lose weight, plan out some milestones, like “lose 5lbs by the end of February” or get a personal trainer if you have no idea what you are doing when it comes to fitness. Two things that definitely get me going to the gym? 1) Group classes. I love feeling like I’m part of a team working towards a similar goal and, 2) new gym clothes. Always works.
Fabletics Kate Hudson Style Domination
“I’m gonna get fit…after I’m done thinking about getting fit and buying clothes to get fit.” Pic courtesy of www.fabletics.com
  • Write a pros and cons list for each of your resolutions. Want to drink less but have an active social life? Write a list of how reducing your alcohol intake will affect your life. Want a car? Pros are definitely there, but cons such as the expenses (gas, insurance, maintenance) are obviously worth considering.
  • Talk about your resolutions with your friends and family and garner support! This is such a fantastic way to achieve your resolutions and stick with them! Case in point: when I shared with you all that I wanted to save for my Chanel bag. Lots of you give me hell when I post about buying new clothes and make up…thank you for keeping me in check.
  • Playing into the tip directly above, come up with some shared resolutions! Have a boyfriend/girlfriend/wife/husband/best buddy, etc? How about sharing some of those resolutions? Running more is a resolution that is better achieved when you have a running partner cheering you on and getting you out there.  Have both you and your partner gained 15lbs of cookie weight over the holidays? You have a better chance of achieving your goal with support from a like-minded person.
  • If you fail or slip up, revise/redefine those resolutions. So, you managed to save enough for that trip to Paris and then Louis Vuitton got you with their new line of finally “not boring” bags. That’s a big fail, but you aren’t a bad person! Revise your goals and get back to saving! If saving isn’t your forte, enlist the help of your bank’s financial advisors. Maybe a trip to Montréal or Québec City is more realistic in the time being. Same goes for exercise. If you don’t think you’ll run that marathon in June because oh…you know, you didn’t run AT ALL in six months, maybe change that resolution to doing anything that will get your heart rate up like opening your credit card bill or watching anything with Thor in it.
Chris Hemsworth Thor Style Domination
I have no idea what Thor is doing here, but I agree with it completely.
  • Reward yourself!! You lost the 15 lbs in cookie weight and have kept it off for six months. Well done! Treat yourself to a little treat like a manicure, a new pair of jeans or a trip to the art gallery. Just whatever you do, DO NOT treat yourself to cookies.
Ladurée Style Domination
Well, maybe just one. The lemon one!
  • Most importantly, don’t beat yourself up if you blow a resolution. You’re human. It’s not the end of the world! Again, revise/redefine your goals and start again. Remember, resolutions don’t have to start in January. They should be set all year long.

How do you deal with New Year’s Resolutions? Have you achieved a goal that you are particularly proud of? If so, do tell! I’ll share one of my own: going completely dry in January 2015. #Drynuary

xo,

Style Domination Ottawa Fashion Blogger Logo

*Header image courtesy of www.gretchenrubin.com

 

Dominique Baker
Dominique Baker

Dominique is a Canadian-based fashion and beauty influencer with a strong voice in Ottawa’s black community. Since launching her blog Style Domination in 2015, she has amassed a global fanbase. Dominique shares her life through beautiful imagery and compelling story-telling that speaks to her fans on a personal level. She’s been featured in The Guardian, Flare, The Kit and Cityline. She also hosts events for Dress for Success, the Gem Conference, and has been named a United Way Person 2 Know for the past three years.

Find me on: Web | Instagram

Leave a comment

  1. January 5, 2016 / 9:47 am

    A good read as always. Thanks for sharing. For me personally I decided to take a new approach when it comes to resolutions. My NY resolutions actually started in December. Wanted to break the chain of waiting until Jan to do something I want to do…:)

    • January 5, 2016 / 11:11 am

      Good for you! I set resolutions for myself all year. No use in waiting to make positive changes, right? Thanks for your kind words! xo

  2. January 5, 2016 / 11:19 am

    I’m glad you’re self-aware about the lateness. It’s such a petpeeve of mine and I know some habitual tardy people! I’ve informed them that their actions make me feel like MY time isn’t valuable.
    The iphone thing is a good one. I stop all social media / blog related things about an hour before I go to bed too. I just plug the phone in and leave it out of sight. If you can’t sleep, you should read an instruction manual… that should lull you back to sleep in no time! 😉
    Oh I don’t agree with your #6 – the more worn-in, the better! Don’t get rid of them…!

    • January 5, 2016 / 11:22 am

      Haha! Thanks for your comments about #6. And trust me…I AM making the elimination of tardiness the number #1 priority. It’s terrible and I absolutely HATE it about myself. The eidiculous thing too is that I HATE it when people keep me waiting!! I have some nerve, right? LOL! All the best in 2016 and keep up the awesome blog posts. I get totally lost in your blog…hahaha!

      • January 5, 2016 / 11:25 am

        Happy New Year to you too! I hope 2016 will be the best year yet! <3

  3. January 5, 2016 / 11:50 am

    Thanks for the follow! I’m one of those people who uses a planner, so I write reminders every three months to check in with my goals/resolutions. I also do a ‘mid-year review’, which gives me room to scrap one or add more! (eek!)

    • January 5, 2016 / 12:22 pm

      You’re welcome, Rachelle! I’m one of those people too – I love my paper planner! LOL! And what you do is a fantastic idea which I’ll adopt myself! xo

  4. January 5, 2016 / 1:01 pm

    This was a great read:-) good luck on achieving your resolutions I’d say!! Love, Kathleen

  5. January 5, 2016 / 1:05 pm

    Loved this post! I do more goals than resolutions since I will slip back into my “wicked” ways. I call them goals so I can build on them as I achieve them. My goals is to just become more active in small ways for 2016. Thanks for the Thor pic! That was a huge pick-me-up at this point in the day! 😛

  6. January 5, 2016 / 9:06 pm

    This made me chuckle! Lol! Most of the time I was pretty sure you were describing me! 😉 It’s dry January for me too…fingers crossed! 🙂

    Happy 2016! 🙂

  7. January 6, 2016 / 11:47 am

    I was actually nodding off to almost all your donts especially not sleeping with your phone…oops..

  8. January 7, 2016 / 9:40 am

    Oh my, I am ALWAYS late. People sometimes tell me to be there a half hour before they really want me there. It’s awful. Even when I make my best effort, a diaper blow out on the way out the door waylays me.

    Anyway! I love your idea about not beating yourself up over small things. I’m totally guilty of that, and it only makes things worse. Because that time you’re stewing over what you did wrong is totally wasted time.

    I’ll be sharing this post. 🙂

  9. January 7, 2016 / 12:46 pm

    I set one big resolution. This year, it’s Get My Mental Health in Order. Then I break it down into smaller chunks that are more manageable. Make my bed everyday. Declutter where possible. Get dressed every day. Go to the doctor. see a therapist. I take the things that will make the overall goal achievable and focus on one at a time. By the end of the year, I’ll be in a mentally healthier place and I didn’t overwhelm myself by doing all the things at once.

    Great post!

    xoxo,
    Dannie
    http://www.stilefotocibo.com

    • January 7, 2016 / 4:18 pm

      Way to go, Dannie! I support you 100%. Getting your mental health in order is priceless. I’ve had my lows this year, despite all the smiles displayed on my blog. Taking care of your heart and brain are so worthwhile… It’s amazing what you can do when that miserable fog lifts and you start treasuring yourself! Wishing you all the best this 2016! xoxoxox

      • January 7, 2016 / 5:05 pm

        Thanks so much! Support is also key to success so really, thanks! Happy 2016!

  10. January 11, 2016 / 1:09 pm

    Loved this! I hope you have a great 2016!

  11. January 15, 2016 / 5:56 pm

    Good luck with your resolutions. I don’t bother with them.

  12. January 18, 2016 / 3:47 pm

    Well done! I have already blown some of my resolutions/goals this year …but keep hopping back on to ride that train to success.

    • January 18, 2016 / 4:04 pm

      Don’t be too hard on yourself. Just dust yourself off and hop back on the resolution train! I broke my Drynuary resolution and had some wine this weekend. Sigh. Back to no booze though! Thanks for reading! xoxox

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