Saturday, December 26, 2015

16 Resolutions for 2016

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Hi Everyone,

It's that time of year again. 2015 is nearly over and now I'm about to make a bunch of promises to myself for 2016, that I possibly won't follow through with. 2015 wasn't the best year for me, but it could have been a lot worse, so I guess I'm grateful for that atleast. I decided not to post a year in review, because I didn't achieve a whole lot worth mentioning and I don't feel like I read enough to pick out my favourite reads for the year. According to all of that starsign stuff 2016 is supposed to be my year, not that I'm completely sure I believe in starsigns...

I did really enjoy my Christmas at home with family and I'm looking forward to purchasing a few bits and pieces online as I see sales popping up. So far I don't have any plans for New Year's Eve, though I do hope to figure something out before then. I have never really done anything previously for New Year's except sit on the couch in my pajamas and even if I do plan something, I usually end up sick and can't go. Here's to hoping this year will be different, but I guess it's not the end of the world if I stay up late watching the fireworks on the T.V.

Without further ado (and in no particular order) here are my resolutions for 2016. You will notice I didn't list a reading goal here. I do hope to read, however, I think setting a goal to read a certain amount doesn't really work for me. If I feel like reading I will read. If the books are good; the books are good...

16 RESOLUTIONS:

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1. BE SPONTANEOUS:
I am generally not one of those people who will "Go with the Flow". I like to plan things in advance. I like to know what I am doing so I can dress appropriately. I don't want to dress up at night on the odd chance that something might happen, but I am also not one of those people that can get ready in a short time-frame. If I am somewhere with people and they invite me to go somewhere shortly after I usually tend to say "No" just because I was not prepared to be asked somewhere and I feel like I have to stick to the plan in my head... I think there were a few social opportunities in 2015 that I let slide by and I do regret that. So in 2016 I am going to try to be more spontaneous, even if it isn't in my nature. 

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2. BE LESS AFRAID:
I am an anxious person and a lot of things scare me. If I were to list my fears this post would go on forever. So I won't. I'm just going to say that in 2015 I did conquer a few teeny tiny smallish fears and it felt really good. I think I would like to conquer a few more in 2016. I would also like to be less afraid of people because I think that particular fear affects the way I live my life a little too much. It is really weird, because I don't care what people think of me or say about me, but I'm honestly petrified of how they'll treat me. I know that people are just human and I'm just human, but I'm also a weird human in comparison to the others and I usually can't figure out what to do in a social situation until at least 24 hours after the moment...

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3. DON'T HOLD BACK:
I am a people-pleaser. While I don't really care what people think or say about me, I don't like to cause conflict. I also cannot lie to people. So I usually find that if I disagree with someones point of view on something I can tend to bite my tongue. If I am dressing up for an occasion I will "tone it down" for the sake of being "appropriate". I do refrain from sharing a lot of things about myself with others simply because it is easy or because I don't have the energy to deal with their reactions. In 2016 I want to try not to hold back as much.

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4. GET OFF SOCIAL MEDIA:
I am not saying cancel my accounts or anything, because social media is honestly one of the most useful things, however I do think I spend too much time on there and I would like to get away from using it as much as I do. I think it is amazing what I have managed to achieve in the weekends that I left my phone in my purse, in another room. In 2016 I think I would like to spend less time looking at my news feed and more time reading or drawing.

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5. STOP EXPLAINING MYSELF TO PEOPLE:
I have been doing this for most of the post already. I do it all the time. "I I I..." I am sure that people grow tired of me talking about myself and think I'm selfish or something. I probably am. When I do something weird and I get a remark or a look, Or if someone makes an observation about me, I feel like I have to explain myself. Why am I the way I am? For how long have I done things this way? etc. etc. I think in the future I'd like to just be weird and not explain myself. Why can't I just say "That's me" or "Because I can" and that be the end of the story. 

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6. TRY AND DO SOMETHING CREATIVE EVERYDAY:
I didn't do as much art as I would have liked to in 2015 and I think that is a real shame. I don't really have any good excuses. I stressed a bit about stuff, I lost motivation and some inspiration. My painting night was taken over by different social activities throughout the year... I think I would like to do something small nearly every day to stay motivated. I would like to do just a quick sketch or jot down some ideas each day in 2016.

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7. LEARN SOME NEW DANCE COMBINATIONS:
I tried attending dance class again in 2015 and it didn't work out. So I've been dancing at home. I've been improvising a  bit and I choreographed a little bit, but I mostly keep practicing the same old tap combinations I was taught. In 2016 I would like to keep going with the dancing and learn some new combos from Youtube. I think I'd like to master some of the Time Step Tuesday combos which would be a bit of a challenge.

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8. WEAR THINGS THAT I HARDLY EVER WEAR:
I have been doing this a little bit already at the end of 2015. I pretty much just want to go through my wardrobe and make an effort to wear things I haven't worn, or that I haven't touched in months. It feels like such a waste to buy something and not wear it. I'd like to wear more of my abandoned accessories too. Things like brooches, which end up sitting in a drawer being appreciated by nobody. Those poor sad little brooches.

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9. DRESS MY AGE:
I am a modest dresser. I don't think there is anything wrong with that. I'm not a fan of some of the too-revealing fashions that pop up in some of the chain stores. However, sometimes I think I can be a little too critical of clothes when I'm shopping or getting dressed and I will not wear something because I think it is too short, when by modern standards it is still actually quite long. I have realised that I'm as young as I'm ever going to be and I should take more advantage of that when dressing up.

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10. SMILE MORE:
I've got that "Resting Bitch Face" thing down to a fine art. We all forget what a difference a smile can make. In 2016 I want to be more positive, happier, And to smile more.

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11. DON'T WAIT AROUND FOR OTHERS:
I spent way too much time in 2015 waiting for other people. Between cancelled plans and phone calls that didn't happen, I spent way too much time being let down by people and making excuses for them. I don't want to be that girl in 2016.

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12. LISTEN TO GOOD MUSIC:
I love music and I pride myself on being a music person, but there is still a lot of music out there that I haven't heard. In 2016 I want to discover more good music. I feel like I've been listening to the same tunes for a while now and I think it's time to add something new into the mix.

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13. TAKE MORE PHOTOS:
I have a lot of photos on my phone. Photos of the beach, of beauty things for blog posts, of my art, And a few selfies. I don't really ever take photos to remember events by. I don't go to a lot of events, but when  I do, I put my phone away. I think in the future when I look back on my life, I would like to have some actual photos to look back at. So in 2016 I'm going to try to take more sentimental type photographs.

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14. DRESS SIMPLY:
Some of my favourite outfits of 2015 have been pretty basic ones, with minimal accessories. Still old-fashioned and  still probably a bit outlandish, but just more of an obvious choice. I want to spend less time figuring out what to wear in 2016, but still look like I made an effort.

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15. STOP OVER THINKING EVERYTHING:
Have you ever made a small mistake or social faux pas and thought about it like 5 years after it happened? I have. If I do anything the slightest bit awkward or stupid I will still be thinking about it weeks or months later. If I make a bad decision, nobody is more disappointed in me, than I am. I'm a perfectionist and that applies to my life as well as my art. In 2016 I want to try to learn to move on from my mistakes.

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16. STAY INSPIRED:
One of the problems I had with keeping up with my goals in 2015, was a lack of inspiration/motivation. Now that I've got an Instagram account and I've started following a lot of other make-up artists and art artists, I am finding inspiration a little easier to come by. I want to make an effort to stay inspired in 2016 so I can keep going with the things I love and make some achievements.

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I hope you all have had a wonderful Christmas and enjoy your New Year's celebrations. Do you have any resolutions for 2016?

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Your Favourite Blogger,
Natalie

1 comment:

Witchcrafted Life said...

Truly admirable, terrific resolutions. I think that some of these will be life changing for you (I speak from experience, having worked diligently on many of the same points throughout my own life, too) and really hope that each one of them is able to happen. I'll be cheering you on every step of the way and have total confidence in you, my sweet friend.

Big hugs,
♥ Jessica