Things to Do in the First Two Weeks of the New Year that’ll Make You Feel Way Better than Resolutions

Well hello 2017. Nice to see you. What might you have in store for us pray tell?

A couple of years ago, I wrote a post about a different take on New Year’s resolutions. In it, I offered a new option: rather than set up impossible-to-achieve goals (work out everyday, cut out all sugar, do only what Gwyneth Paltrow would do), I posited the idea of creating a very realistic to-do list instead. You can create small, yet impactful opportunities that foster better long term habits. And checking  realistic things off a list will make you feel so much more accomplished than any massive life-changing overhaul. Even if we’re just talking cleaning out your underwear drawer. Do you know how amazing it would feel to purge just one drawer?! So good! Because the truth is, small practical achievements make a world of a difference on your day-to-day life. As the challenges of 2017 loom rather large, I think this approach holds more true than ever.

So I’m giving this idea a name this go round. Un-Resolutions. Forget the overachievers guide to the new year. Instead, figure out five practical things that would make you feel like a better human if you accomplished them. And you get to define what better means (healthier, more organized, friendlier, more focused, less focused – whatever you know will fill your cup with warm fuzzies). Looking back at lists past, many of my un-Resolutions still need doing (cue embarrassed emoji) so I thought I’d document them again. It’ll help keep me accountable and hopefully inspire some un-Resolutions of your own.

My Five 2017 Un-Resolutions: 

> Schedule lunch with someone you didn’t see last quarter and here is the most important part: don’t cancel.

> Clean out one dresser drawer. Just one at a time- anything else is too daunting, meaning you’ll NEVER do it. Start with your underwear drawer- throwing out oldies and replacing them with goodies will make you feel like a new woman!

> Do one random act of kindness. Plunk a quarter in an about-to-expire parking meter. Buy the person behind you in line their coffee. Send flowers to a favorite person for no reason. It’s amazing how that’ll make your day even more than it does theirs.

>> Be brave. Do something that scares you. Take a new workout class. Show up to an event you’d usually skip. Apologize to someone, or call someone out. Speak up when you see an injustice. Whatever it is, find something that makes you uncomfortable, step right in the middle of it and embrace that discomfort. You might be surprised by how it helps you grow.

> Make your bed. Fresh clean sheets. A smart duvet cover. Fluffed pillows. Give yourself five extra minutes in the morning to make a grown-up bed and you’ll be amazed how it helps you feel like you have your s*** together.

This year I’m also adding one more to-do to my un-Resolutions list: set an intention. I can’t take credit for the idea. My friend Caroline of Woodnote Photography recently talked about the concept on her Instagram and I loved it.

By setting an intention I mean, pick one word that encompasses your focus for the year. No matter where you go or what you do, you want to keep this word front and center in your thoughts and actions. I’ve been noodling over mine and have landed on CONNECT. Even though the world is more “connected” than ever, 2016 left me feeling more distant from what matters most than ever before. So in 2017 I will reinvest in connection. Not the superficial – oh I’ll hook you up – kind of connection. Rather I want to foster deep, meaningful connection wherever I happen to be. I want to deeply connect with you here. I want to foster deep connections with you on other platforms too. I want to build better connections with friends. With family. With the new acquaintance or the childhood bestie.

Our lasting legacy on this earth is not who we are or what we do, but how we exist. Do we act with kindness? Do we foster grace? Do we leave those whose paths we’ve crossed feeling better than before they encountered us? That is the true measure of your accomplishments. I think real, heartfelt human connection can reach across the many differences that seek to divide us. While I remain cautiously optimistic about 2017, I think connection will be my bridge to happiness.

So it is with these thoughts and this intention that I walk across the threshold of 2017. Because after all, all good rebellions are built on hope.

xo

Erin

PS If you’d like to add to your Un-Resolutions

Favorite healthy recipes are HERE

Favorite workouts are HERE

Favorite design ideas are HERE

And all the other things I’m hoping to try this year are Pinned HERE

image via here and here

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