Small, happy and New Year's resolutions!

Firstly, happy new year! I hope the first day of 2015 has treated you well. Anyone sporting sore heads?! I was and I didn't even drink last night so there's some irony for you! 

Anyway, enough of my mid 20s problems...back to the reason for the season, the new year season that is. For me that means one thing, new year's resolutions!

I love making lists and setting goals. I'm just that kind of Type A personality, and I'm okay with that! I feel like I did really well with my resolutions in 2014 so I'd like to keep that trend up in 2015!

I'm not bragging about being really good at sticking to my resolutions, I purely think that the reason I am able to do so (apart from being lucky to be very determined) is because I set REALISTIC, ATTAINABLE goals. I'm caps locking those words because it's something important for me to remember! 

For example, if you want to read more but you're very busy, don't set yourself a challenge of reading 100 books in a year. That way whether you read 50 or 80 books (all very impressive!) you'll still feel disappointed and like you've come up short. This is a big no no and makes you feel a bit crap when really you should be celebrating!

Equally, if you know you're someone who worries and you decide to 'never worry again in 2015!' You know where this is inevitably going to go...and you'll probably end up worrying more about the fact that you're worrying. Something like, 'try using different strategies like x or y to distract myself from worrying' is much more effective and ultimately should help equip you with better, lifelong skills.

Obviously, I'm no expert, this has come from trial and error and from watching people around me who have struggled to stick to resolutions in the past.

That being said, here are my resolutions for this fine year, full of possibility...

1/ Develop and stick to a skin care routine.

I am no beauty blogger by any means, I know what products I like and I stick to those. However, I know that I'm nearing my mid 20s and my skin isn't always going to be as good as it is now! So I'm going to stop relying on face wipes and start a proper cleansing routine! I know my face will thank me for it this time next year.

2/ Take better care of my teeth!

Again, this is more preventative than anything else but I am going to start flossing and mouthwashing and all that good stuff. I want to keep my pearly whites that way!

3/ Travel more.

This is always going to be something I will resolve to do every because travel just brings me so much joy. My boyfriend went a step further and said he wanted to go to three new countries this year and I think that's quite achievable. So watch this space!

4/ Improve my Portuguese.

Being half portuguese this one is pretty important. I can speak French with all my relatives and I've always relied on that to communicate with them. However, I know that it would make them really happy if I could try and strong a few sentences together in their native tongue. 

5/ Read more than 10 books.

This links to my example but I really would like to put a number on how much I read and I think trying to read more than 10 is realistic. I love reading but I seem to do it too sporadically (ie in summer) and I think to put a minimum limit on how much I read would just spur me on a bit and keep motivated to choose a book when on those days when it might seem like the easier option to just watch some on tv.

So, I think that's plenty to be getting on with, don't you? And enough about me, how about you...Do you make resolutions? What are they and do you have any tips for keeping them? I'd love to know...

Whether you agree with resolutions or not I think we can all agree to try and make every day as happy and as positive and as worthwhile as possible, after all, these days and these moments will never come round again so let's live it up and enjoy while we still can!

Sophia! X

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