Monday 2 January 2012

Resolutions




Do you normally make New Year's resolutions? Did you make any this year?

It is not my habit to make New Year's resolutions, but I have been working on mine for a while now. It is probably because 2011 was not one of my best years (as you may remember from this post), so I have been looking for something revolutionary, to really turn things around.

I guess my mistake was that I started doing research on it -- call it a professional bias -- and I became overwhelmed. Nowadays each individual is aware of having so many different roles -- a person, a parent, a businesswoman -- with so many multifaceted needs --getting a break, a promotion, or simply more stuff -- that out there there are zillions of recommendations about what your resolutions should be and too many posts about what other people's resolutions actually are.

As an individual, you generally wish to take better care of yourself through a healthier lifestyle (Gwyneth Paltrow has even come up with a cleansing program, if you are interested). As a mom, you wish to be a better parent by yelling less and spending more time with your kids. Most moms indicate they are willing to let their chores go to accomplish this resolution, although Martha Stewart will obviously try to convince you that getting organized in the new year is key. Where do fashion and style come in here? The fashion industry certainly takes advantage of this moment to try to push on you new purchases (better if from the new collections rather than the ongoing winter sales) through New Year's "fashion" or "style" resolutions.

At some point I started to wonder whether I need recommendations after all. Ken Downing, Neiman Marcus' fashion editor wrote: why bother with resolutions at all? They set you up for disappointment. Just be fabulous all the time! This seems such a simple, darn good idea.

If becoming a mom has taught me anything, is that children bring unpredictability into your life. That's one good reason why making New Year's resolutions may be unrealistic, but also why it may be important -- to provide a stepping stone to ground you in the most chaotic moments.

Rather than with resolutions I ended up with a list of wishes, inspirations, and projects, some personal and others less so. This is what made it on my list:

Wishes
1. Spend more time with my husband
2. Spend more quality time with my son
3. Stress less
4. Dare
5. Stick to a beauty routine
6. Make the best of our remaining time here in Italy

Inspirations
1. Cooking new dishes
2. Just doing things rather than planning them ahead

Projects
1. Learn how to take better pictures with the help of the Shutter Sisters
2. Upgrade three rooms of our house in Montreal: my son's room, our office space, and our basement

I will keep you posted on my progress!


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