sewing

Forget Resolutions, I've Got a Project

Raquel Velez

Raquel Velez

— 2 min read

It's that time of year again.

The New Year's Resolution. (More like the New Year's Promise Yourself You'll Be Better At That Thing You'll Forget You Promised Yourself You'd Be Better At In Two Months, amirite?)

I used to be a Resolutionist. I've made all sorts of resolutions over the years: go to the gym, hike every weekend, stop swearing... Yeah, none of these lasted more than a month, at best.

But not this year.

This time, I've got an end-of-year project (EOYP) that will require effort all year long to accomplish: by the end of 2015, I'm going to sew my own pair of jeans!

(Except I don't know how to sew... yet.)

Here's the beauty of this plan:

  • My project is complex enough that it will actually take me all year to complete it. (And if it doesn't, that's okay, too - I can just adjust my goal to be another level or two up, like a fancy dress or a jacket or something similarly slick!)
  • Given that I'm starting at zero, it will take time and patience to get to the goal line.
  • I've clearly identified my project as a SMART goal, so I know when I'm done (and can't wiggle my way out of it on some weird technicality).

If you'd like to join me in my End of Year Project-ing, please do! I recommend picking a tangible, difficult goal that is specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.

Examples of EOYPs that should really just stay resolutions:

  • Lose weight
  • Learn to ____
  • Travel
  • Go to the moon

Examples of excellent EOYPs:

  • Teach a 45-minute yoga class to a group of strangers
  • Cook a six-course meal for ten of your closest friends
  • Speak in German to Germans in Germany
  • Give a talk on interstellar travel at a space conference

Again: if you manage to accomplish these goals long before the end of the year, just step the goal up a notch! At least then you can still say you accomplished something awesome, instead of looking back on your year and thinking "wow, I didn't last past February."

I can't tell you how excited I am for my EOYP (and all the smaller sewing projects that will hapen in the meantime)! In fact, I'm so excited that I've already signed up for my first sewing class on the 2nd (I'll be making a pillow :-D). AND I've done the unimaginable and joined Pinterest.

Oh the projects I have in mind for learning all the skills I need to make this pair of jeans!

I'm hoping to blog about my sewing adventures throughout the year, but let's go ahead and admit that "blog about sewing" is about as useful as many of my other previous resolutions, yes? ;-)

What's your EOYP? I'd love to know!

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