A New Year and New Hopes.
I’ve noticed over the past seventeen days that many folks in the blogosphere are taking a stance against resolutions for 2o16. The preposition being that resolutions are often end up being broken promises to ones self by the the end of January. It appears that while resolutions are out, intentions are in! So what’s the difference? A resolution might be ‘I will quit smoking in 2016’ while an intention would be ‘I will nurture my health in 2016’. Some might argue that an intention is really a bit of generalisation or a non committal ‘cop out’ but as someone who has spent a great deal of time studying and practising yoga (a world where setting intention is commonplace) I personally find intention setting to be a useful tool.
Reflections on the year passed.
I’ve mentioned a few times in recent posts that 2015 was an incredibly rewarding year for me but it was also one of the hardest ones to date scheduling and workload wise. Between study, work, writing (here and freelance), fundraising, working a FIFO relationship with my Mr, and generally attempting to have a life outside these ventures, it was a struggle. Fortunately for me the majority of these activities bring me great amounts of joy, and for that I am eternally grateful. However I did learn one big lesson in 2015 that actually came from a tea bag (of all places). That lesson was:
Patience Pays.
It can be easy to get wrapped up in the endless onslaught of emails, social media updates, work schedules, family schedules, events, deadlines, etc. But realistically you can’t do it all. As I’ve mentioned previously, Dr Richard Carlson hits the nail on the head in his bestselling book Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff…and it’s all small stuff with this very important point:
Remind yourself that When You Die, Your “In Basket” Won’t be empty.
No matter how hard we try to keep up with this endless list of things we have to do, respond to, attend, wash, clean, walk, entertain… blah… blah, we will never get it all done. Fighting to get to the bottom of a bottomless pit of things to do will result in burn out. Trying to complete this feat is the equivalent of running on a hamster wheel and expecting to arrive at a final destination. Carlson mentions that we should consider a ‘full’ in basket (or for many of us a full email inbox) as being essential to success. a person with a schedule of endless options and jobs to do is a person in demand! He argues that our ‘in basket’, by nature, should always have items to be completed.
What is ahead in 2016?
Based on the experiences of 2015 and the very important lesson I learnt from a tea bag (with all that money invested in formal education it’s surprising that some of the most important lessons come from such inexpensive places) my intention for the year ahead is to go with the flow. My studies will be changing from part time to full time as I intended to complete them by years end. This may or may not affect the number of posts I am able to contribute to Sustainability in Style. However, more likely than not, my studies will compliment the writing process and result in blog content, which was the case in 2015 outside of final deadline times. Fingers and toes crossed that 2016 will be the year that brings a level of abundance that allows me to introduce a collection of writers to this space and to be able to remunerate them for their efforts.
In order to make space for this study commitment my plant science project management is wrapping up and I will move back to reduced hours and less responsibility. A thought that provides great relief as it was very tricky to manage plant science experiments while having a head in sustainability education assignments, and a heart in writing about sustainability and ethics in fashion. It kind of felt like being a balloon full of paint thrown at a wall. I was there and making an impression (apparently a good one in some areas) but it was a bit all over the place for my liking. In order to make up for lost income in cutting back from plant science I will be offering my lovely readers e-books on styling, how-to workshop guides for clothing swaps and more, and will continue to work with local ethical and sustainable brands (which was also something I was doing in 2015) to improve their standing in the local Sunshine Coast community through a venture called The Conscious Style Collective.
I’ve also been working on the beginnings of a small second hand clothing venture that I will be launching soon. I toyed for a long time about the idea of selling vintage, or starting my own label, but it never sat well with the Sustainability In Style platform. Surprisingly the time I’ve had away from fashion and retail has made me miss the joy that came with matching the right person with the right garment. A few trips to sell secondhand clothing at the market in 2015 highlighted just how much I love being able to do this for people and how making someone feel right on the outside can have a profound effect on who they are on the inside. This secondhand clothing venture will be external to Sustainability in Style but it will be complimentary and I will likely be using images and/or ideas between the two (mostly because I can’ t be out taking pretty pics all day every day or my studies won’t be completed). July last year I had the most wonderful sustainable fashion based art exhibition idea appear mid way through a meditation (it all sounds a bit mystical for a woman of science but that’s how it happened) and I hope to have to have it all worked out by March or April of 2017. Please feel free to badger me about it so I keep on track to having it ready to go by then. No idea where I will be showing it but hey, the 2016 intention is to go with the flow so it will all work itself out.
Did you commit yourself to a 2016 intention or resolution? Has it epically failed already? Perhaps you achieved your 2015 resolutions? Blab all about it below.
I was trying to find where I wrote down my resolutions, and noticed that I labeled them “goals’. And one of them really comes more under “dream” than goal, because it’s outside of my control (earning x amount of $ from publishing).
I don’t know that I wrote it down anywhere, but one of my resolutions was to write every day. I have a goal for word count, but the actual resolution is just to sit down and write, so I don’t feel like a total failure on the days I only write 54 words. So far it’s been good! I have written every single day, and even though there are a few rather low word-count days, I’ve written over 14,000 new words for my story and it’s chugging along 🙂
That’s a great point Lady B.
I’ve not looked at my past goals/intentions/resolutions as to how much of it was out of my control and how that has affected the success rates.
It’s kind of ironic that you haven’t written down your intention to write. He he he. Sounds like that might have been a successful way to commit! I should add something similar to my agenda as going with the flow would honour a writing commitment like that. Sitting once a day and writing whatever and however much you feel like rather than forcing it sounds awesome. That tactic worked best for me last year in regards to blogging but it can be difficult to adhere to with uni deadlines and often you end up sitting in front of a computer screen painfully forcing out words when you would rather be anywhere else but there.
Congratulations on the writing and I can’t wait for the next book. xx
Ugh. Uni assignments.
Talk about forced words! “I must have 1000 more words on this topic that I’m not even vaguely interested in, written by 11:58pm!”
With that in mind, I hope all of your assignments this year are on topics you are at least mildly interested in!
…and I’m so glad I’m done with my Masters…
Only writing what I want to write, from now on! Well, apart from cover letters and Key Selection Criteria responses… they feel like assignments all over again…
There is no easier way to squash enthusiasm than by adding a deadline, a word count and a trivial topic is there Lady B? Ugh indeed! I’m quite sad about my masters as I have switched to mostly research based and the person who I had pegged (in my brain) as supervisor has left. WAAAAHHHHH. So sad. I’m not sure what to do now. Will have to rethink it all again. OUCH… my brain hurts. Good luck with the key selection criteria and let me know if you need help (or someone to complain to).
Oh no! That sucks. I hope you can figure it out 🙁
Thanks Lady B. Will keep you updated. xx Lots of love.
I have many intentions, but right now it seems that they are all being pushed aside to one bigger goal: Getting my new blogger-network-business off the ground.
Luckily I have two elective modules in school that support this goal.
But one intention, is to not let all of last year’s hard work in changing my exercise habits and becoming pain-free due to exercise go to waste. Right now I am sort of in a winter state, because going outside once a day was part of the joy – and I am letting that be OK at the moment, but at soon as nature allows it, I am back and trying to gain my shape again.. My biggest achement of last year was that, and I know I will not be able to achieve my 2016 goal without getting back to that state where my body is healthy and pain-free.
Sorry, this was not so much about ethical-ness, but about personal stuff.
Hey Johanne!
Thanks for stopping by. I’m so pleased to be the proud owner of a comments section that actually works. Glad we can finally chat here. No apologies required for a personal post. Ethics and sustainability is all about how we are feeling personally. Can’t go around trying to fix the big problems in the planet if we don’t sort ourselves out first.
Wonderful work on the exercise and pain free goals. Did the yoga help with the pain free aspect? I know it’s my go-to for sciatica niggles. It can be super hard to stay motivated when the weather isn’t right. Like you I struggle with exercise seasonally however mine is more difficult in summer (we have stunning winters here). The humidity doesn’t agree with me and I end up wiped out with heat exhaustion from work and basic chores leaving me with little motivation to do anything extra. The gym works well for me as it has air-conditioning but there is no real substitute for outdoors is there? Do you have some nice indoor places you could join classes nearby? Sending you some sunshine and I hope the change of season in the not too distant future brings you lots of outdoor adventures.
Can’t wait to see where this new networking adventure takes you. It’s so exciting to have something new on the horizon. Let me know if I can help in any way shape or form. I too am trying to get my little projects up and running but trying very hard not to get myself in a hurry and force things or I end up burnt out. It will all happen eventually (or at least that’s what I like to tell myself).
Wishing you a very prosperous 2016 full of health, happiness and lots of smiles.
xx
Katie
Hi – thanks for the sweet words. Yes Yoga works some, but I need an even harder exercise rutine, like what I had in the summer ( a 20-minuter jog and 30 minutes of exercises that made me sweat and required weights.)
But for now yoga is what I have. There is a nice studio not to far. It’s expensive but I feel like you get what you pay for, and the classes are small. It’s actually an old church room converted so the room is super pretty as well.
I’m starting to think that it is okay that there are seasonal differences 🙂 And your summer doesn’t sound all to appealing either.
Also a very nice 2016 to you. Looking forward to seeing your projects if any will come up. If not, there’s always next year. Our generation will live to 100 and change career path at least twice 😉
Working up a sweat is pretty great isn’t it Johanne?
I don’t know if they extend all the way to your part of the world but I love ‘grit strength’ Les Mills classes. They are 30 minute high intensity interval training classes that are VERY challenging and are over and done with before you realise what has hit you. Before these came into existence I was doing 30 minute group functional training classes and have found the two to be much the same (aside from cost, the functional training was extra on top of my membership). They are a good solid workout and you can do them rain, hail, or shine in a gym space. The only warning is that you may feel a little nauseous afterwards but it doesn’t last long and about ten minutes out of class you have forgotten how hard it all was (otherwise no-one would go back).
It’s nice to do something sweaty and challenging outside of yoga as it really preps your body for all the challenges life throws at it. Functional training helps me with my highly physical plant nursery work and prevents injuries (especially back ones that can come from lifting heavy pots and soil).
Wishing you all the best for the new year and thanks for taking the time to talk fitness with me. It’s one of my major passions and I don’t talk often about it outside of my gym/yoga buddies. Sounds like we will have a very long and productive time ahead of us as e-buddies fifty years from now.
xx