New Year Resolutions

It’s that time of the year again for new year resolutions. Some of us would detail a specific plan with action steps, milestones, and end goal in place – “I will lose x kg in 6 months, and I will achieve this by hitting the gym twice a week. I’ve signed up for a gym membership and made appointments with a personal trainer for the next 6 months.” Wow. I think most of us would probably belong in this second category, where we have some idea of what we'd like to achieve in the coming year. It could be finding a new job, getting more work-life balance, settling down, saving up, losing weight, shopping less, or shrinking your wardrobe. But the question is how are you going to ___ (fill in your new year resolution)? No really, what baby steps are you going to take to get there? Or maybe let’s take a step back – Are you even setting a realistic and achievable “resolution" for yourself?

Many times, we start off with this ambitious resolution on 1^st Jan – “I will not shop for the rest of the year.” Now, is that really possible? What happens if we see a really good buy that fits to a T, the style is practical and versatile, it’s a wardrobe classic and it’ll never go out of style, and we can't resist it? Two likely outcomes may happen: (a) we buy it and we feel guilty, or (b) we walk away but there goes that perfect-fitting dress. And we all know how hard a well-fitted piece comes by.

I unknowingly ‘resolved’ one of my many unfulfilled new year resolutions when I shifted house three months ago – I cleared my wardrobe. And I don’t mean simply downgrading two pieces of old, tattered t-shirts to rags. I took out every single piece of item I had in my wardrobe, and went through this process:

LOOK
Is the item still fit for wearing? With time, fabrics fade just as photographs do. If the item is faded, we have to let it go, no matter how much we like it, how we will 'definitely wear it'. Look on the bright side, I now have a legitimate shopping excuse because I have to replace my faded, Wardrobe Classic, black pencil skirt!
*Tip: 'Faded' and 'comfortable' are NOT fashion synonyms! Fading is about the colour intensity and fabric quality. Comfort is about fit, cut, and type of fabric.
*Tip: Replace the faded item if it's a Wardrobe Classic

TRY
Does it fit me well? Time for reality check. This requires a full-length mirror, good lighting, and perhaps an honest friend. Let's face it, our waistlines do change. And when it happens, that sexy body-hugging dress which earned us turned heads and dropped jaws couple of years back might still have that same effect - but for the wrong reasons now. Not all that doesn't fit needs to thrown away. While packing, I'd also created a pile of clothes which would go under the 'knife' (well, maybe just a scissors and some thread). So, does that mean I get to keep the rest? :D
*Tip: "I'll lose 5 kg to fit into this". Oops, that's another new year resolution! Why give yourself pressure to try and fit something that you have grown out of? Love yourself for who you are, and find another piece that complements your body shape/size!

REFLECT
Does it fit into my current lifestyle and my roles in life? Our daily outfits change at different phases of our lives - uniforms in school, jeans & t-shirts in college, suits/shirts/pencil skirts for work, sun dresses/shorts/tank-tops for play. I kept my work clothes (since I'll continue working for a while), most of my play clothes, and threw away most of those college t-shirts which I'd not worn for years. I think generally if an item has not been worn in 2 years, it's gotta go (I'm sentimental, so make that 1 for you).
*Tip: "Oh, I could wear that to a costume party!" does not count as an excuse to keep it. If you really have to, put them away in a box to save space and unclutter your wardrobe.

So with that, my wardrobe shrunk by almost 20% (and did some good by donating them to charity organizations)! Something I've been wanting to do for years! Of course, I had a little nudge to drive me out of that inertia, but the main success factor to make it happen, is to break down any new year resolution, goal, or task into bite-sized actionable steps.

I'm off to do the same now for my other 2011 resolutions! So should you!