2022 Intentions
OUR 2022 INTENTIONS
I like to approach the beginning of every year in the same way I imagine an artist sits in front of a blank canvas before she's about to paint her next masterpiece.
To me, it's an opportunity to use your creativity (with a touch of willpower) to create a year to look back on and
- be proud of the memories you made,
- and the better version of yourself you became.
So I am sharing the below to inspire you to design your version of a new year ritual that's meaningful to you. And also because one of our goals at harly jae this year is to share more about the slow and intentional values we incorporate into our clothing & lifestyle.
I'm not big on new year resolutions. They feel too rigid to my liking. Plus, I don't think I ever followed through on one of my old resolutions in the past. I have had much more success with writing down:
- intentions for the new year
- bad habits I'm leaving behind
- tangible goals I want to achieve
My personal & business intentions tend to relate to one another. My focus this year is community: building a village around myself. It took having a baby to make my stubborn self realize that I simply can't do it all on my own. I want to be better at asking for & hiring help, as well to welcoming new meaningful friendships into my life.
The bad habits I am leaving behind are negative self-talk & perfectionism. Gone are the days being a perfectionist is something I am proud of. Last year, I came to realize that perfectionism has stopped me from doing many great things by fear of not doing them perfectly. So this year, harly jae & myself will be showing up as we are, celebrating progress over perfection, over and over again.
Below are the tangible goals I set for the business:
- an exciting brand refresh via the talented Blank Tela Studio
- a more refined collection with a focus on textured fabrics
- sizing improvements ~ from fit edits on current pieces to renaming our sizes
- more styling & intentional living content ~ aka this blog post you're reading right now!
- a first iteration of what a made to order model would look like for us, allowing more room for customization, etc.
- last, my greatest challenge, figuring out how to manage motherhood & entrepreneurship so I can feel present in both jobs
It's not an overly complicated practice, yet it's been effective at making me feel like I completed a certain chapter of my life once the year comes to an end.
I also want to share with you some digital tools that have contributed to my intentional journey and kept me sane through the ups & downs of life, especially over the last couple of years.
To Be Magnetic : what started as a desire to manifest a life I love has turned into a way to reparent myself & heal some old wounds. Their podcast is a great place to start.
Melissa Wood Health : a gentle yet effective movement practice for those who hate working out (need I say more?)
Salt & Spirit Collective : spirituality adapted to today. Roberta's warm personality draws you in & makes you commit to making time for yourself.
Alex D'Amour : becoming a mom during a pandemic was isolating, to say the least. Alex's Sunday newsletter offered me the closest thing to time with a friend for many months. She is relatable, writes with honesty and isn't scared to explore both sides of taboo topics.
I wish you the happiest year! Don't forget the most important, take care of yourself, Laïla xo