New Years Resolutions

Hi Everyone,

This isn't a post directly related to makeup, so I apologize to all of you who follow the blog exclusively for that content. But I feel like I have a supportive community of friends in my fellow bloggers, and I wanted to share with you all some of my thoughts on what I want from the New Year.

The first thing I'm resolving to do is to go on a low-buy. And not just for makeup! I won't say no-buy, because that's unrealistic and I know I'm the sort of person who gets discouraged when I break my rules and starts thinking "what's the point?" So if I need to replace any of "the basics" like mascara, base coat, top coat, powder, etc... then I won't get down on myself about that. But I really don't need any more blush, lipstick, nail color, eyeshadow, etc... I have way more than I can ever use. You may recall my recent makeup look where I pulled out some old products I haven't used in awhile; when I was going through drawers looking for a few of these products, I encountered so many old things I barely remembered. I have more makeup than I could ever get through before it is too old for me to use, and a lot of it is really neat stuff. I think my makeup style has changed drastically over the last few years, so a lot of my older products are completely different (in a good and exciting way!) from what I use on a day-to-day basis. Plenty of room to mix it up within my own collection without turning to something new to fill that void or cure my makeup boredom.

Aside from not needing any more makeup, who can't stand to save some extra money? I don't spend money on a ton of different things, but I'll be the first to admit that makeup is my weakness, and I spend a disproportionate amount on makeup and beauty products. I reached a turning point the other day when I realized the things I really wanted couldn't be bought with money. I want to be at peace with myself; I want to feel in control of my life. I want to not lie awake at night worrying about money, worrying if I am making enough at my current job. I want to feel more independent. These are things that buying things won't get me, but that I can get closer to by saving my money. It would be great to feel like I've accomplished a goal, have self control, and to see my credit card statement go down by a few dollars each month. It's easy to get stuck in this cycle of feeling like a new outfit or a new makeup product will help you reinvent yourself and feel differently about yourself, but that's not how things work.

My next resolution is the same resolution I've had for myself for the last several years, and that is to be kind to myself. What does that mean to me? I want to take better care of my body, through diet and exercise. The goal here isn't necessarily to lose weight (although that would be nice...), the main goal is to be healthier. I want to be less self-critical; I want to banish critical thoughts, self-doubt, and negativity. I want to think positively and help myself achieve my goals, rather than being my own worse enemy and telling myself I can't do those things for whatever reason. Another aspect of being kind to myself is to know when to ask for help and support from others, and to allow myself time to do things that promote well-being and happiness. I need time to be creative, to take relaxing baths, to go for walks and enjoy unstructured time. I think that sometimes we think we need to be busy all the time so that we can't let ourselves take time for ourselves without feeling guilty about it.

Finally, I want to achieve some tangible goals in addition to these shifts in attitude. I want to get my house organized; I've been living here a year and still haven't gone through all of my boxes! I want to get the rest of the rooms set up the way I want them, I want to get boxes sorted through, and I want to get my sewing room set up. I want to make time to sew more once I have my sewing room organized; I want to finish some of the costumes I've started and haven't had time to finish. And I want to make my bedroom pretty. Right now it's been neglected since I've focused my time on getting the public areas nice and pretty; I want it to be a nice relaxing environment, not just a room with a bed and clothes in it. Going along with this goal, I want to get better at keeping my home organized; I've always been a messy person and the mess doesn't usually bother me, so it's been hard for me to get the motivation to learn how to be more organized. That being said, it's stressful when I want to have people over and feel like I have to clean everything all at once, and it's important to me to get better at "keeping house" to feel more like an adult.

Well gee, that was an awful lot of writing for just a few goals! To reiterate, I want to:

1.) Spend less money! Especially on makeup and beauty products.

2.) Be kind to myself; think positive, be more active, eat better, and achieve some goals!

3.) Organize my house.

4.) Sew more.

5). Get better at being neat and organized around the house.

The house I would like to get organized. The windows behind the porch are going to be my sewing room!

Do you guys have any goals or resolutions for the new year? What are they? Let's resolve to help each other stick to our goals and hold each other responsible for these things. Let's make 2013 a positive and uplifting year!