Why resolutions don’t need to be a new year thing
Just like that, December is here! I don’t know about you but I don’t feel like I even saw November before the festive season came knocking on our door, however it is here… And it really is, my eldest daughter has been sneezing glitter for the last couple of weeks due to the excitement of Christmas and James & I finally caved on Sunday (the first Sunday of advent) and did our annual walk down the hill, to the local garden centre, to carry out the yearly ritual of choosing the “perfect” tree. Don’t get me wrong, I love this tradition - us girls walk down the hill, spend ages ping-ponging between potential tree and James is tasked with walking the chosen one back up the hill… And for those who have been to the studio, or just know the areas surrounding Belper you will know that the hills aren’t small ones around us!
Photo taken in 2018 before renovations to our studio, Studio1825 based in Nether Heage nr Belper, had begun.
I find this season tough… I don’t know whether it’s the change in weather with its lack of sunlight and colder temperatures or just memories associated with this time of year but I don’t find it easy to just “get up and do…”. I overhear conversations in the shops and around our local area where people seem to be analysing their year and it seems, overwhelmingly, that the negatives of what has not been achieved can get focused on, all too easily. Now add it the talks of 2023 and a phrase which I’ve started to become wary of - “new year’s resolution”. It can be said with such hope or with such weight to an individual and, in my role, I always hear by the end of February people commenting on how they’ve “given up” or “not achieved” their 6 week old goal.
Let’s face it, that’s all a new year’s resolution is - a goal. Goal can be healthy things to have because the feeling of achieving them can be fantastic however I can’t help but feel that a “new years resolution” has a weight attached to it that can enhance the feeling of failure if not achieved within the first couple of months of the new year.
What I want to say to you all, is that resolutions - or goals - do not need to be a new year thing. Let’s be even more blunt, for a second. You’ve survived 2022, achieved goals in this year and we should be celebrating those not glossing over to give ourselves a new hoop to learn to jump through!
The barn in mid-renovation in January 2019, when we endured two flash floods & a cowboy builder. This is now the studio!
It’s OK to celebrate something that has already happened and, if I’m honest, I think it’s a really important thing to do. By the time 31 December 2022 comes around, you will have achieved the planning & gifting presents to loved ones fir this time of year, alone… You may have hosted Christmas this year or made the effort to reconnect with a family member or friend who you haven’t seen for while. Hitting the “pause” button is just as valid as hitting “reset” as you choose which goal you want to achieve next, whether it be a new year resolution or otherwise. I’ll be hitting the pause button for January - taking the time to recharge and fulfil things that I have wanted to do but not had the opportunity to, perhaps because of work commitments, fulfilling my children’s calendars & social diaries or otherwise. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll be setting my goals for 2023 but I really won’t be titling them as my “new year resolutions”.
If you choose to make a resolution, for the new year, please remember this… A year is 52 weeks long so if you don’t feel you’ve made any form of change to start achieving your resolution, don’t give up on week 6 of your new year. You’ve got 365 days so take it steady, make the time for you and don’t beat yourself up after 42 days if it’s not quite been achieved the way you wanted it to be, yet. 6 weeks is just 11% of your year. Remember to, genuinely, be BOLD and be you. Everyone else is already taken so take your time and do it your way, in your own time.
Hi, I’m Kirsty! Co-founder of Be Bold Be You, creator of the #uckthefilter campaign and mum of three growing girls! I’d love for you to come and join me and over 450 other “real women” as we celebrate all that we’ve achieved in 2022 and get ready for 2023. If you’ve ever thought about having a Boudoir photoshoot, or want to know what it’s all about, then this group is the place for you.
