About Those Resolutions // At this point in the year, I usually write a post about checking in with yourself and the goals you've recently made. This year, I've got some new thoughts on this whole resolutions thing:

#ScrewResolutions. Okay, I didn't come up with this one myself, but it's kind of exactly what I've been writing about the past year or so... I just never knew the best way to say it. This comes from a campaign done by SoulCycle at the start of the new year. It's all about not trying to become a completely new person just because the calendar changed, and instead, being and doing more of what you want.

“Goals are essential, self-improvement is part of our fabric, but we have no time for the idea that you have to become an entirely new person because the calendar flipped.”

— SoulCycle, #ScrewResolutions

I'm not sure I've ever agreed with anything more. YES, GOALS ARE IMPORTANT. But it is really necessary to force new ones on yourself just because everyone else is doing it? It should be just as important to do more of what you already know you love, indulge in the good things and take care of yourself. Life isn't about constantly going as hard as you can in an effort to win the race. Sometimes it really is okay to take a step back, do something for you and let it go.

You are a Badass // I'm still a few pages away from finishing the book, but I have a few thoughts to share from You are a Badass by Jen Sincero. I'll be honest... when I first started the book I was a little skeptical of some of the ideas she was tackling. In the beginning of the book she asks you to keep an open mind, though, so I kept reading and realized that many of these topics and ideas are easily applied to my own life.

The book is geared toward someone who wants to live their life to be better (in any aspect). She begins by explaining why it is that you are the way you are, then goes deeper into embracing who you are as an individual and using that to your own advantage. I won't give too much away, but I want to share some thoughts about some of the overall points she's made so far.

1. To think what you want to think is to think the truth, regardless of appearances.

It took me a few tries of reading that over and over before I actually understood what was being said. This comes from a book by Wallace Wattles that she refers to quite a bit - To think what you want to think is to think the truth, regardless of appearances. So what exactly is he saying?

Jen Sincero refers to The Universe quite a bit in this book - how it affects you, how it works for you and how you can make it work to your own advantage. This begins with keeping a clear mind of what it is you want. It comes down to believing in your own mind that you already have what you want - if you don't believe it yourself, why should anyone else?

The New Yorker // I recently subscribed to the New Yorker, a weekly magazine by Conde Nast. To be completely honest, a lot of the reason I subscribed was for the weekly covers. They each come with a different story from the artist, and I'm excited to start collecting each of the magazines.

I thought this one was very fitting for this blog post. January seems to always be a dull month for everyone. This artist made an advent calendar for how they feel for each day of January. It's really not that terrible of a month, but I'm also looking forward to some great plans for February and March!

Have some thoughts of your own from the beginning of this year? Leave a comment below.