2022: It's hard to believe how quickly the year has flown by again. And it's New Year's Eve again and conversations with friends and family are turning to good old New Year's resolutions. And that's perfectly okay! What's not okay is the pressure that many of us feel to optimize ourselves and our lives. In our opinion, the toxic pursuit of goals, especially when it comes to outward appearance or mental health, needs to stay in 2021. Continuing to develop is part of life. But having to manage it all on a prefabricated timeline of 365 days is nonsense. It's high time we focused on what really matters: ourselves. And if we take the New Year as an opportunity to do this, it's just as good as deciding it on a Thursday afternoon in June.

New Year's Eve - time to look back and look ahead

Somehow you can't really avoid it every year. There's always a certain emotionality to the new year. It can be very nice to see the new year as a new opportunity, as a chance to change something, to do something you've always wanted to do. A new year gives you hope and motivation to keep going. The problem is the huge expectations. It starts with the New Year's Eve party... let's be honest with ourselves: we all want to make the last evening of the year special. After all, if the transition into the new year goes badly, the whole year after that can't be anything at all. Right?
I don't know about you, but I used to always want a very special start to the new year, imagining scenarios and beautiful things that could happen to me in the following months and daydreaming. Until my expectations were so high that disappointment was inevitable.

So before we put all our hopes for a career, love and happiness into the next year, we should first take time to look back on the past year. What have we learned, what have we perhaps forgotten? What have we experienced, what have we survived? What have we done for ourselves? What are we grateful for? What would we like to work on? What have we perhaps not achieved? What have we achieved that we didn't set ourselves as a goal? Our personal success should not depend solely on ticking off career checklists, but on how we have developed, what we have grown from and what hurdles we have overcome. If we know how we got here, it is easier for us to understand who we are and where we still want to go.
Resolutions and plans are good because they give us a sense of the direction we want to move in. But sometimes life gets in the way, situations change, priorities shift, we change. This makes it all the more important to recognize which resolutions we want to stick to over the course of the year and which ones we can let go of because they no longer get us where we want to go.

"And what do you want for next year?"
- "I want to be happy."

If you were to ask 100 people this question, you would get many different answers, but they would all have the same message: 100 times happiness. What would also stand out: In many cases, this hides the expectation of experiencing this happiness through another person. I can't remember how many times I wished on New Year's Eve that I would find love next year and finally be happy. And I'm definitely not alone in this, because if there's one thing we all have in common, it's the need for love. But what we find difficult to understand in most cases: We can't make our own happiness dependent on other people, even if Hollywood has taught us otherwise. So if there is one thing we can resolve to do, it is to focus on ourselves. That we give ourselves what we need, are there for ourselves and find our happiness in what makes us happy on our own. So let's give ourselves everything we want! Regardless of whether we are in a relationship or not. Make a list of activities that give you wonderful moments. If we do everything we can to build a life that fulfills us, we will attract exactly the right people who contribute to our happiness, but are not the only ones who make us happy.

I think we have all developed a sense of loss of control in this ongoing pandemic. Freedoms and conditions that we thought were normal are suddenly forbidden or not even possible. Realize right now that you can still shape your life independently. It's up to you what you want to do with it, pandemic or not. Make 2022 your year! Without any deadline pressure or performance anxiety. You go at your own pace and take the time you need to find out what you want and what fulfills you.

What makes you happy? Inspiration for really good (New Year's) resolutions

Of course, what applies to one person cannot be transferred one-to-one to another. In the end, you know best what makes you happy and gives you energy and drive. To help you get started or simply to add to your own list, I have collected a few resolutions here that can be implemented and may inspire you.

1. Drink more water - Maybe not super original, but if our body doesn't get enough fluid, it can't function properly. This affects all processes. From the digestive system to the brain. A quick and easy way to do yourself some good.
2. Have you ever had a complete blood count done? A lack of nutrients can not only affect our physical fitness, but also our mood. Regular check-ups will tell you what your body is lacking and how you can reconnect with it.
3. More solo fun! And no, this is not about traveling alone. Grab your favorite toy or explore your pleasure without any aids. No matter whether you're in a committed relationship, have a changing partner or no partner at all: Take time for yourself and realize that you can climax all by yourself. Because sex doesn't just connect two people, it also brings you closer to yourself on your own and definitely makes you happy.
4. Speaking of self-indulgence: A lovingly prepared meal can raise your comfort level to a pleasant "Mhhhhhh" even after a bad day. Favorite meals from your childhood, recipes you've always wanted to try, 1 course, 4 courses, it doesn't matter. If you love cooking, treat yourself! And if you want to share your food happiness, make it a dinner party!
5. Self-care in the bathroom! As a cosmetics brand, we are of course aware of the power of an extensive skincare routine. For us, it's one of the best ways to get in touch with yourself and take time out to simply enjoy yourself.
6. Have more solo experiences. Even if we are super social in relationships and friendships, we shouldn't forget to have a good time on our own. Traveling alone is not for everyone, but you can start small: Go to a café alone, to a museum alone, to the movies alone, to the gym alone, try something new alone. If you know that you are happy doing things on your own, you are not dependent on the company of others. This gives you an incredible amount of freedom to do exactly what you feel like doing, when you feel like doing it. If that doesn't make you happy...
7. Probably the most important point: listen to your intuition. It will tell you what you need, when you need it. If the party is over for you, then go home. If you feel like approaching the person at the bar, what are you waiting for? Fancy a spontaneous outing? Pack your things, even if no one else is coming with you. Don't think things through before you do them. Thinking things through once is enough in 100% of cases.

2022: Time for self-empowerment

Of course, it is incredibly nice to be able to share happiness with people you love. But a completely different form of happiness is to have it deeply anchored within yourself, completely independent of other people or phases of life. This ability to put yourself in this state completely on your own, even if your day, week or month has been a real challenge, gives you security and confidence in yourself. And with that, nothing stands in your way. And no matter where you are on your path, no matter what pace you are moving at and whether you take a wrong turn at in between , if you set your mind to it, you will come to terms with yourself and your own happiness.

Happy New You!