It’s crazy to think that this is the first post of 2017, a year that is going to be filled with major changes – on a world scale and on a personal level. I know everyone says setting resolutions are a fad and most people stop doing them a halfway through the year, or even halfway through January but I feel like goal setting does actually motivate me to get stuff done (I’m also pretty confident that every person who’s written one of these posts has also done a paragraph on how cliche resolution posts are).

Starting with looking back at 2016’s resolutions, I realised that I have actually completed a few of them! Although I didn’t put my phone down more often, I did get more sleep and have been trying to go to bed around 9pm every week night. I was more focused on the things that I really needed to do and I have managed to prioritise my time better than the year before. I guess I have focused on my well being more although I don’t think my body necessarily feels it at this moment in time (the Christmas period has provided some excellent food though). I’ve tried to exercise at least twice a week and it keeps my stress levels down to a normal level, honestly the change in my mental health over the past year is amazing.

So… what are my goals for 2017? Where do I want to be by the end of this year?

Buy better, less and more ethically. I say buying better not for the quality but better than sweatshop made fast fashion. Less because I want to wear clothes in my wardrobe that I might not have loved enough and I do want to save this year on things that I don’t need to buy. I would rather spend my money on life over materialism.

The amount of time I’ve spent sifting through ethical fashion sites is probably too much but I have found so many ethical and sustainable websites, most are actually UK based which I was so surprised to see. It has made me so motivated to make the change in my lifestyle and buy more ethically, buy less often but better (and I don’t mean just better quality). I’m thinking of compiling a few ethical brands that I’ve really been loving for a post in the near future so let me know if you would like one! If you’re sat here wondering if buying ethically is going to cost a fortune, think again. Shopping at your local charity shop is a perfect way to purchase ethically and it will feel really rewarding.

A recurring goal from last year is to put my phone down more. Despite trying to during my mock exams in the summer I still managed to go on my phone for at least 2 hours a day – that isn’t good! I have felt myself getting a headache when I’m on my phone for prolonged amounts of time, therefore 2017 will be the year I turn off my phone and live a little (I also want to take more photos this year, of anything and anything – it’s quickly become one of my favourite hobbies therefore I want to learn more about it).

Therefore the last thing to say is Happy New Year! I hope you all had a great start to the year and let me know in the comments what your 2017 goals are.

Love, Eleanor xx