A New Year, A New Chapter in Life...

A new year is upon us, and with it some of us feel the need for new achievements and new beginnings. Resolutions become a priority, and even if we do not fulfill all of these commitments to ourselves, making them helps us feel renewed and inspired to start something new in our lives. Resolutions are just reminders of our constant pursuit of happiness and how to better our lives.

Jotting down a few resolutions helps us see more clearly which paths to take and gives us a sense of resolve. For me, there is much that I would like to accomplish this year. I might not be able to make it all happen, but writing down what I would like to pursue helps me stay on track and inspires me to never give up on what I need to do for myself and my life.

I always feel that my home is where I belong and where I feel the happiest. So, I feel the need to not only think of resolutions for me as a person, but also resolutions to improve my surrounding environment. My home is my most important and inspiring environment, a place where I feel safe, happy, and calm.

I have put together a few of my New Year's resolutions and suggestions of how to make your home your own, safe, inspiring, and calm place. I hope these ideas will make you want to start a new chapter in your life and improve your inner self and your home. Happy 2019!

My New Year's Resolutions:

• Choose the courage to believe in myself

• Wake up every morning with a deep breath and a smile

• Challenge myself

• Say "I love you" more often

• Dance in the sunshine

• Dance in the rain

• Choose happiness

• Do what I love

• Create some "me" time every day

• Make my home my sanctuary

• Be grateful for my family and friends

• Spend more time with friends and family

• Try something new in my life

• Read more books

• Be compassionate towards myself

• Learn to love my body

• Love myself

Recharging Your Home in the New Year...

Cozy up your home by creating calm spaces, refreshing your decor, and decluttering:

• Create calm spaces. For example, keep your entryway clean, simple, and organized by setting up a place for your mail, shoes, bags, and coats so it stays tidy. Add a mirror, a colorful rug, a small bench or console, and a simple lamp, fresh flowers or a plant. Encourage your family and friends to remove their shoes when entering your home so it can stay free of debris and dirt.

• Refresh your decor with a few new pillows, or even change the cushion covers, add a new art piece, introduce new patterns and textures to change the look and feel of a room. Look at other rooms in your house and swap a few objects around.

• Designate a space where you can meditate. Meditation has proven to make you calm, clear your mind, and feed the body with energy. Surround yourself with comfort by adding a simple floor cushion, a soft rug, serene music in the background, and a diffuser to fill the space with a familiar fragrance.

• Declutter your kitchen by placing groceries away and clearing counter space of any unused objects. Arrange a coffee/tea corner and create a morning, afternoon, or evening ritual, giving yourself the "me" time that you need.

• In the living room, arrange your furniture in a way so that encourages conversation rather than having all the furniture facing the TV. Add a cozy blanket, a textured rug, or simple clean and elegant drapes. Invest in a good quality sofa, add some side chairs, and maybe some floor cushions. Add soft ambient light and some new plants.

• Simplify your bedroom. Having an uncluttered and minimalistic bedroom will make you feel more relaxed and peaceful so that you can have a good night's sleep. Change the sheets more often and declutter the nightstands, add fresh flowers, and add ambient light to give a soft glow to your space. Open the window, even just for a few minutes a day, to renew the air by allowing fresh air in.

• Discover new ways to be inspired, by stepping outside your home and looking at the nature that surrounds you. Look at pinterest for new ideas and pictures of beautiful places. Take day trips to new places and admire the architecture. Sip some hot chocolate or tea and breathe the fresh air.

• Try a new bold color. You don't have to paint your whole house, but try refreshing one room, or even one wall. Don't overlook the ceiling, which is the 5th wall! Paint your front door with a new and exciting color. Change your wardrobe by adding a bright scarf or a bold sweater or jacket.

• Lastly, look around your home and find things that you can repaint, refinish, refresh, or repurpose. It is not always necessary to purchase new things, because you might have had them all along. You will feel good and so accomplished, and you will be helping the environment.