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New Year, New You? Not Exactly.
Every time the new year swings around, most of us load up on resolutions and promises designed to ensure that this year will be different than the last. We’ll be healthier, happier and more successful than ever. Boo on last year bring on the new year, new you!
Freeze.
Before you go leaping into the new year with a zest for all you want to change, what about all the things that are pretty great? The things you want to sustain not to mention the good things and deeds you need to acknowledge?
I’m a big believer in fresh starts , but our lives are not whiteboards. We don’t get to spritz on a little cleaner, erase everything and start again. You’re building from where you are.
You, and your life, are more like decoupage.
If you’re wondering what the heck decoupage is, Wikipedia has a good description:
“Commonly, an object like a small box or an item of furniture is covered by cutouts from magazines or from purpose-manufactured papers. Each layer is sealed with varnishes (often multiple coats) until the “stuck on” appearance disappears and the result looks like painting or inlay work. The traditional technique used 30 to 40 layers of varnish which were then sanded to a polished finish.”
5 Ways to Decoupage Your Life and Leadership
Add Layers on Purpose.
Be thoughtful with what you choose to add to your life. You don’t need to cover up everything at once. It’s essential to work bit by bit to get to the next phase, not go bonkers working on 10 areas at once.
Love Your Layers for Each One Adds Beauty.
You don’t need to strip away the past, but instead, add to the future. With decoupage, you don’t tear away the old and toss it in the bin to start again. You have done and lived through a lot to get here. Appreciate where you are now before doubling down on the 147 things you want to change.
Related: Now Is the Perfect Time to Unpack Your Boxes
There Is No Stopping Point to the Layers.
Wikipedia tells us that the traditional technique takes 30 – 40 layers. Your life? I hope it’s closer to 100+. When you make intentional changes, you shift and change. It’s ongoing day after day, week after week, and year after year. Every layer adds new depth to who you already are and who you are becoming.
You Are Unfinished, and That’s a Good Thing.
Resolutions are often goal focused. I will lose 40 pounds, go to the gym six days a week, write my novel, get a new job and move to a new house. With decoupage, every move is about making progress, not finishing. Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t get it ALL done now. Keep moving forward and making positive changes on purpose.
Whatever You Do, It Adds to Your Uniqueness.
With goals and resolutions, there’s often a sense of I did it or I didn’t. We don’t accept gray areas. Instead of pass/fail, acknowledge each step. After all, it’s not your resolution that creates change, it’s taking action one step at a time.
Instead of New Year, New You, think about what’s next in the context of where you’ve been and where you’re going. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said so wisely, “Life is a journey, not a destination.”