We’ve written plenty of times about the beautiful hygge feels of winter. We love the coziness, the slowness, and the calm of winter months. We love a time to regroup after a busy year, a time to set intentions, and a time to be grateful for all that has happened in the past 365 days. But along with that hygge energy is another energy that starts to bubble up after we’ve gotten our fair share of rest in: the desire to hit some new goals and make some new dreams come true in this new year.
For some people, this feeling hits a week after New Year’s Day or on New Year’s Day or perhaps a couple weeks later in the middle of February. But whenever you get the energy to start busting out of your cozy hibernation, once you hit the ground running, how do you stay motivated? Winter is the perfect conundrum of calm, relaxed energy and inspired, motivated energy, and it’s normal to find yourself in a rut even with the best of intentions. So today in the journal, we’re listing out five ways for how to keep yourself motivated to meet your goals this winter and blend those two energies effortlessly as you move through these cold, blustery months.
When setting out your intentions for the year, maybe you have a big list of major goals you want to hit. Perhaps you want to redo your entire home, or learn a new language, or go back to school. Those are incredible goals to strive for and you’re going to need a lot of motivation along the way to get them done. How can you stay motivated? Break up your big goals into smaller goals to manage them. For instance, if this is the year you finally want to renovate your home, get your vision in place first. Maybe you haven’t been able to make any headway on finding a contractor and getting the ball rolling simply because you don’t have the exact vision of what you want. So find your vision by committing to simply make your bed every day. Commit to this small act to free up your mental space and declutter your home. Once you’ve nailed that small goal, move onto the next goal of pinning some designs you love. Perhaps then you start decorating with items you love and already own — kimono fashion makes a drab closet stand out or even doubles as beautiful wall art! Eventually all these small goals will move you forward in your quest to renovate, but you can’t get there without achieving those smaller, more manageable goals first.
Everyone has a different time of day when they’re most productive, so perhaps you’re not a morning person. However, here’s one reason why you might want to frontload your day with your goals — as the day goes on, life will only become more and more complicated! Rising before or with the sun and carving out some space for your goals will ensure that the day won’t pass you by before you’ve had a chance to cross them off your list. Perhaps you’d like to write more or work on your side hustle before heading off to work. Slip into your favorite kimono fabric, light a candle, and get to work in the wee hours of the morning. You will see the progres pay off in no time, keeping you motivated to work through the winter with ease.
Never underestimate the power of community. At KIM+ONO, we know that our modern kimono robes are not just about beautiful luxury you can wear everyday. They’re about building a community around self care, wellness, and sisterhood. That’s because our company was founded by sisters, Renee and Tiffany Tam, so everything we do from online operations to running our brick and mortar kimono store in San Francisco has the power of sisterhood and community behind it. Find people who align with your spirit. Maybe you meet someone in a workout class and you motivate each other to keep showing up day after day. Or maybe you have a friend you can call when you’re questioning why you went back to school to begin with. Whoever it is, let your friends and your community uplift and support you when your motivation is running low.
You cannot sustain willpower for long without a reward and a rest. And sometimes those are the same thing! Willpower is a depletable resource and you need to build it back up every once in awhile. The best way to do that? Reward yourself! Choose some kind of reward that you give yourself after completing a goal or a task on the way to reaching that goal. Perhaps you go out for a great dinner with friends or choose a floral kimono cardigan you’ve been eyeing for a long time to wrap yourself in a little luxury. Maybe you simply take a day off! Whatever it is, remember that to stay motivated all winter long, you need to constantly refill your well, so find the reward that works best for you and go for it.
Whatever goal you set for this winter, it is connected to something deeper than the tangible goal itself. Perhaps you are working towards running a marathon, but it’s not just about the 26.2 miles. It’s about the feeling of strength, confidence, and accomplishment that goes along with it. Remember that your why is the strongest motivator of all, so when you’re feeling less than motivated, reconnect to your why and remember why you started.
And remember, you’re doing great! At KIM+ONO, we hope our modern kimono robes are that little bit of luxury that remind you how beautiful, strong, and powerful you are, from the inside out. Whatever you’re reaching for this winter, we believe in you and we know you can accomplish whatever it is you set your mind to. Here’s to you, lovely!
