New years resolutions don't work here's what to do instead.
If like me you love New Year, a new start and a whole 365 to plan and explore and start new things then here's to all of that positivity. We need something to carry us through the winter blues hey?
It got me thinking though, do resolutions work? It's easy to make lots of well intended plans but is it setting us up to fail? I want to share with you some of my hopes instead of resolutions, and maybe it can help to motivate us all to make some small changes that have a big impact.
The one that stuck
The only resolution I think I have made that actually stuck was pledging to only buy second hand clothes for myself all the way back in 2018.
Since then, I think I could count on one hand the items I have had to buy new and they'd probably be boring things like underwear (which would be gross second hand!!)
What started as a personal challenge is now a way of life and I honestly wouldn't go back to buying 'new'. What's been most surprising is that I have loved every minute of it! When Vinted came along it was like my shopping dreams come true in terms of access to preloved items but with the delivery system of an ecom store.
I do however love nothing more than a rummage at a charity shop because that thrill of finding something I love long replaced that itch I used to have for a fast fashion fix.
So yes that was a resolution but it was also a change I wanted to make in my life that could have a positive effect on the planet. Reflecting on past resolutions, and this one particular one that has stuck, it has got me thinking that maybe we have this all wrong. Instead of making pledges about what we are going to achieve we should be thinking about small changes we can make that will have an impact on the greater good.
What can we not do instead?
Normally we would all think about new years resolutions based on what we want to achieve in the coming year but I want to challenge you to see what you can stop. It doesn't have to be ground breaking but imagine how you might feel when you look back in 365 days time and see the compounded effect your action has had.
For example, if you buy a coffee from Costa every day, but you decide to only buy one when you have your own re-usuable cup with you that would save 365 coffee cups from landfill. (no they cannot be recycled fyi) Imagine what a pile of 365 coffee cups looks like and tell me you wouldn't be proud of that?
There's other small actions you could take too like pledging never to buy bottled water (unless it's an emergency) and instead always having a refillable one with you. Or keeping reusable bags in lots of places so you never have to buy another plastic bag. What if you always bought your washing up liquid from the refill shop, how many plastic bottles would you save? Or you switched to shampoo bars instead of liquid? The packaging you'd save from landfill!
These aren't hippy dippy ideas, they are small changes we could all easily make that would have a big impact on our footprints on earth.
My wish list for 2025
Instead of resolutions I have a list of ideals in my head that have been bothering me for a while now. Some things that keep coming back to me that I just feel need to change, I hinted at them in a previous email but I would love to discuss further. Here's my list of things that I hope 2025 becomes the year that they stop;
1. Buying soft toys. I know that kids LOVE them, my own children have way too many and apparently they are all 'special'. I get it, a cuddly friend IS special for comfort when you are small but are 50 of them special? They are so ingrained in us as a go-to gift we never stop to think what it looks like in the home. I blame Jelly Cat a lot for fuelling this idea that we need soft toys in all these shapes and sizes as well as museums and attraction gift shops up and down the country. Have you ever thought about how many go to landfill? They're not exactly popular in the pre-loved market. I would love 2025 to be the year we saw a decline in sales of soft toys and I am starting by pledging never to buy a new one every again.
2. The end of haul culture. Are you aware of this? It's all over social media - videos showing off a 'haul' of goods bought either online or in one of the big chains of stores. It's usually about how much you managed to get for your money aka very cheap shops and buying way more than you need of anything. It's a weird culture if I am honest. When did if become acceptable to buy 100 items of clothing in one go and brag that it only cost you $900 (I actually saw that online by the way) And these people are doing this a few times a month!!! How much of it do they keep? Do they realise it doesn't get resold when it gets returned? It literally goes to landfill. Can we please start to show up and make our voices heard against this kind of content? It isn't normal.
3. Stop bargain hunting. Ok I get it, I love a bargain as much as the next person. That's one of the thrills of charity shop shopping. But what I would love to see is a shift in mentality that buying second hand isn't all about getting a rock bottom price. What I would like to see is a shift towards buying second hand because it is best for our planet and living more sustainably and that we are willing to pay a fair price for something. We need to shake off this idea that second has to be cheap otherwise we are not buying it. If it is in extremely good condition then why shouldn't we pay what it's worth? It would be amazing if our clothes and possessions held their value and became more of a currency instead of being discarded so easily in our throw away culture. The only way we are likely to do this is by being willing to pay a fair price for second hand goods. Now that's a mindset shift I want to see!
4. The end of thoughtless gifting. I have a bee in my bonnet about gifting. So much of it is rubbish. Blunt I know but you only have to see the 2024 Christmas adverts to see how unimaginative the gifting market is. Bath and body sets, candles, underwear, soft toys, plastic tat...the list goes on. The baby market is a shocker for this, you only have to walk around Mothercare or one of the baby shows to see that it's all the same stuff just from different brands. What if the trending products were all things made to last years, could be used immediately and the benefit felt immediately instead of having to store things and remember where they are and what if they weren't made of plastic or added to the pile of duplicates. Obviously as a gifting company if I can get people to think about gifting differently it is in my interests, but it is also in the interests of the planet to get people to be a lot more considerate when buying gifts. The thought is always nice but not having to send it to the charity shop or landfill is nicer.
5. Put the screens down. How can we appreciate something if we don't experience it? I know it can be a challenge to get outside in the depths of winter especially and with all the layers for little ones, it seems like a fight not worth having. What with school work being on screen more and more it feels like they rule so many parts of our lives. But if we don't stop to take in our environments we risk losing so much of our nature. We need to make it normal to spend time outside, whatever the weather, to truly appreciate and look at what we live alongside. I am pledging to take my proper camera (not my smart phone) with me on nature walks to help me to really look out for wildlife and pay more attention. How could you weave in more outdoor time to your week?
Phew!!
I now that was a lot to take in. I did warn you I have a bee in my bonnet 🤣 If you take one thing away from this email it is this:
Small actions add up to big change.
So instead of thinking of resolutions as things you need to be better at or go out and do, what if we all thought about them as small changes we can make, or things we can stop doing instead. That's something you might have a great chance at sticking to!
