Thoughts for the New Year
(Images from Apartment Therapy)
I came across this thought provoking post (What Do You Actually Use) on Apartment Therapy several months ago and have been musing on it ever since. There is no doubt that we are part of a culture that is driven by the notion that more is better, and as a blogger I play a part (though to be fair, my honest intention is not to make anyone feel as though they simply must buy something or other in order to be happy). Of course it is also not a profound conclusion that de-stuffifying our lives is really what we are all after. Just check the covers of all the magazines this month. Each one enticing us with promises of a fresh start for 2011, better organization, prosperity, etc. Every year it's the same thing...
(My favorite bowls)
So I say let's do it guys! No more hanging onto the old (literally and metaphorically). Let's really make 2011 the year that we stop saying what if and actually make our dreams a reality. There are a lot of things on my list to work on, but for me the new year has to start with acknowledging that my life is better with fewer possessions in it, and that the things I keep and purchase need to be ones that truly compliment and enrich my life. No more time and money spent on things that merely fill the space. My 2011 is going to be lived with intention and passion...what about yours?
I shared another resolution of mine over on Samantha Hahn's blog yesterday. A few more things I'd like to accomplish in this next year include (I'm writing them here to keep myself motivated):
- Continue my healthier eating/working-out progress throughout 2011 (almost 10lbs down so far - woohoo).
- Vastly improve my money budgeting skills.
- Travel to visit out-of-state family and friends regularly.
- Finally take a photography class and learn how to use my camera properly.
- Actually attend the photography group I joined (so far I've been too shy to go).
- Ride bikes with my daughter and take walks with our dogs more often.
- Find beauty in the everyday - even if I have to look really hard to see it sometimes.
- Remember that the journey is the destination and appreciate each day more fully (even the really tough ones).
What are your resolutions this year? I'd really love for you to share some of them here with us in the comment section below. xo Ez
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| by Ez Tuesday, December 28, 2010 
Reader Comments (32)
i've been thinking along those same lines, ez. my new-ish blog is hitting on one of my five resolutions each day. they are to:
*dream less, do more
*make my home my sanctuary
*ban buttcrack from my wardrobe (and other fashion dilemmas i'm sick of)
*live in the present
*cook a fancy pants meal once a week
I have so loved reading each one of your resolutions everyone! Thank you so much for sharing them with us all. I'm so inspired by all of you and ready to get started on 2011 already! :-) xo Ez
@ Laura Evans - Thanks! The bowls are from Anthropologie.
happy new year ez! i have so enjoyed your blog this year. thanks for the inspiration!
Hi Ez! Great resolutions. I think many people feel along the same lines. After reading a great book called Thanks! (subtitle something like "how the science of gratitude can make you happier), I'm really impressed with the effects of keeping a gratitude journal, and hope to really ingrain it as a daily habit in 2011. The author cites a bajillion studies that find people are more motivated, more pleasant to be around, happier, have whiter teeth. (Ok, maybe not that last one.)
It's a little like applying that Wm. Morris quote to your emotions and memories - "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful." I think consciously selecting out the good things in your day helps you do that with thoughts. Best wishes for a great new year, and for lots of resoluteness to make your life what you want it to be!
I desperately needed to read this before cleaning out!! This year I hope to enjoy the little things and take life one day at a time...
Hi Ez! Excellent post and great new year resolutions... surprisingly similar to mine!!! Have a grand 2011 and may all your wishes and dreams come true!
i like it.so bearutiful.wow gold