The New Year is a time of optimism, excitement for the 12 months ahead and fostering new ambitions.
As we set new goals it’s easy to be down on ourselves when the ‘New Year, new me’ resolutions begin to slip. With this in mind, I’ve put together a list of 10 positive resolutions for Girl Geeks – but they have no pressure attached to them!
- More learning. Girl Geeks love to learn and the New Year is a perfect time to pick up a new skill. Looking to boost your CV or learn more about something that fascinates you? There are plenty of courses you can take both online or offline – see my top picks here.
- More self-care. Do a little more of what makes you feel like YOU – whatever this means. Carve out a little daily ‘me time’ and do what you enjoy. Go for a walk, soak in a hot bath, do some Sudoku, or kick-ass in a new weekly kick-boxing class!
- Read. I’m a bookworm and I want more reading in 2017. For me this goes hand-in-hand with self-care and learning – kill three birds with one stone! Not interested in fiction? No problem. Try a Girl Geek favourite and read all about Bad Girls Throughout History. There’s never been a better time to renew your library membership.
- Say yes! New opportunities help us grow. Say YES to everything and work out the ‘how’ later – you never know where it might lead. Allow yourself to go in new directions and grab new opportunities to help build the future that makes you happy.
- Say no! That’s right - say no sometimes! We’ve all heard of FOMO but have you heard of JOMO? Never underestimate the Joy Of Missing Out. You don’t have to say yes to everything – be fierce and protect the time you need for yourself.
- Be confident. If I’ve learned one thing in 2016 it’s that confidence comes with time. Take small steps, set yourself goals and channel your nervous energy. I learned some great confidence-building tips at the OMG! Girls in Tech event. You can read about it here.
- Get creative. Spend a little time actually creating something, anything. Take a print workshop at The Bluecoat. Get involved with creative projects at Tate Liverpool. Visit The Button Boutique. Or learn some coding basics.
- Treat yourself! Girl Geeks work hard and we play hard. Go ahead and treat yourself, you deserve it. You don’t need to blow the budget – take yourself for a nice coffee after you meet that deadline, pick up a crisp new notepad and geeky stationary, or buy that graphic novel you’ve had your eye on! Or how about booking that two-hour spa session…
- Enjoy your journey and think about how far you’ve come. These are words of wisdom from the brilliant Kate Willard. Set yourself small targets and celebrate as you tick them off. We’ve all got long-term goals but do we really take the time to celebrate the daily, weekly and monthly victories? Don’t forget to reflect on your progress.
- Don’t be afraid to self-promote. Never underestimate the importance of shouting about the cool stuff you’ve accomplished. It’s time to ignore any advice that tells us it’s unladylike or uncouth. Find a way to show off because your males classmates and colleagues certainly are! Girl Geeks celebrate their achievements. Set up a LinkedIn profile, tweet about what you’ve been up to and be your own cheerleader – you never know who’s watching!
I like to think of these 10 resolutions as a list of things I’m going to try to do in the New Year – this way, I can continue trying throughout the year without ever having the opportunity to fail.
After all, it’s unrealistic to pressure ourselves into becoming the perfect human over night, and who needs another to-do list anyway?!
So what if I’ve slacked a little on the self-care / learning / confidence? I’ll try again tomorrow!
Written by Emma Riley