It’s 2017! I actually love Januarys. They’re so… minimal. No holidays, no expectations. Sometimes bleak and snow covered. Oddly calming for me. I know it’s cliché, but they feel like a fresh start and I love to ponder how to makeover, well everything. Actually I did a lot of “pondering” back in November and then into December. By not waiting until the new year, I feel like I was better equipped to handle the holidays. Let’s just say I was better behaved than past years. By pondering, I mean journaling. I write about things that came up this year and look honestly at myself. In that way I can let go of old stuff and move on. It’s so helpful.

I came up with a few resolutions:

  1. Stop using styrofoam. This might sound strange and out of left field, but I thought about it one day and decided, no more. It’s horrible, non-recyclable, and takes 1,000 years to break down. Just no.
  2. Teach my kids what good music is. I’m not saying I’m banning all Justin Bieber and Sean Mendez, but c’mon, there’s so much more to know. It’s my job.
  3. Build a minimal, quality wardrobe. Pick clothes that are truly me. Stop the endless cycle of buying stuff I don’t need or like or wear.
  4. Learn to run a successful design business. After 10 years, it’s time to run my business like a proper business.

 

I’ve gotten a jump on a couple of these things. For one, I’m reading the curated closet.

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As soon as I heard about it, I put it on my wish list. Then my sister-in-law got if for me for my birthday. When I started reading it, I thought it wasn’t for me. Then, a few weeks ago, I realized it was utter genius. I guess you’re not ready to change until you’re ready. You may know how much I love simplifying and decluttering, how the Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up was life changing for me. I thought I was good. I thought I had the perfect curated closet. I was so wrong. I had been brainwashed into picking some of the clothes I thought were essential. I am only just beginning this process, but I feel very good about it. Most of all I am happy that I feel no need to shop right now and that relieves a lot of guilt. I am halfway through the 2 week exercise of documenting daily outfits. Here is one:

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I am also reading The Creative Truth. Life changing. Because, I started my own design business without know how to start a design business. I thought I just need to know how to design and the rest would figure itself out. Guess what, you can learn a lot from other people. That applies to everything. I’m really excited about this and it has gives me a whole new attitude toward being self-employed.

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There is much more on my mind, but in order to say, “I posted something”, I’ll wrap it up here. It was a very busy and exciting December. Santa was good to us. I have many ideas for future posts. I will work on wrangling them into something read-able.

TTFN