New Year’s Resolutions often earn themselves a bad reputation for being unrealistic and unattainable. We get our hopes up at the beginning of the year by setting our sights on lofty goals that will transform our life for the better in the year ahead.
However, the reality is that these goals are often overly optimistic without a clear plan of action, or any real accountability. As a result, it can be challenging to make a start on them and the challenge continues when it comes to maintaining them.
We believe that the secret behind sticking to your New Year’s Resolutions is to envision the mindset that you would have once you had successfully completed your goal, and adopt it right from the outset.
By doing this, you are thinking and acting in alignment with the goals that you would like to achieve and so navigating the path to achieving them comes a lot more naturally.
So, that’s what we have focused on in this blog post. We have taken a step back and we have reflected on the year that’s passed so that we can pin down some key mindset shifts for the year ahead.
1. Work your hair care into your lifestyle
Your hair care routine is important, but it is not more important than other areas of your life. For many of us, our hair is more than just about personal care, it is a large part of our identity, the way we see ourselves and the way we present ourselves to the world.
In embarking on our hair care journeys we have made a commitment not only to enriching and taking better care of that part of ourselves, but also to filling in gaps in our knowledge that may have been present for generations.
So, when it comes to our hair care routines, they are high up on our list of priorities. How many times have you changed, or even cancelled plans to better accommodate your commitments to your hair? The dedication is admirable but ultimately, aren’t we missing out?
What if our hair care could fit into our lifestyles rather than our lifestyles fitting around our hair care? If we could embrace our hair not just when it’s freshly washed and styled, but all the days in between too, we could enjoy a more wholesome lifestyle this year.
That might mean deciding that you will still work out, even though you washed your hair this morning. Or, you will put your hair up so you can still meet up with friends despite your wash day being overdue.
Take a moment to think about times you’ve sacrificed plans or held yourself back because of your hair care routine. Now think about how you’d feel this year if things were different and how you can invite this mindset shift into your lifestyle.
2. Focus on your own journey
C. S. Lewis said “comparison is the thief of joy,” and if you are comparing your hair to someone else’s, you are stealing opportunities of peace and joy from your own journey. The only head of hair you should seek to be better than is your own. Whether from last year, last month or last week.
While our hair care journeys are unique to us and not assessed by any milestone or confined within any real limits, it can feel quite the opposite. It is now easier than ever to share our journeys with others and document our progress.
We have built communities, not just here at ODYSSEY BOX UK but across every social media platform there is. We can reach people whose journeys greatly mirror our own, who have had experiences that we can relate to more than we ever have.
So, it comes as no surprise that sometimes comparison creeps in. At first it gives us the motivation we need to kickstart our journey, and then the discipline to see it through. We feel empowered and enlightened and find joy in learning and experimenting and sharing.
However, things go south when our journey falls short of our expectations and comparison steals that joy. Suddenly our motivation is lacking, our routine slips, experiments feel like failures and learning feels pointless.
By comparing ourselves to others, we only see the highlights of their journey. Whereas, we already have a detailed knowledge of our own. If you can take inspiration from others and use it to improve where you are now, to where you were before. You keep the joy of the journey alive.
3. Prioritise your techniques over your products
Your techniques are far more important than the products you use. That’s not to say that products aren’t important. Otherwise our mission to provide you with luxury, plant-powered and ingredient-conscious curl care products would be pointless.
However, if you are solely relying on products to deliver you exceptional results, you’re only considering half of the equation. It’s for this reason that we also provide as much guidance as we can over on Instagram and TikTok to support you on your journey.
We know our products are good, so we want to be able to support you with the techniques needed to get the most out of them. For example, if you struggle with excessive dryness in your hair, but your hair holds on to moisture well once it is hydrated, this is what we’d do:
Firstly, we would recommend the Leave Me Be Leave-in Conditioner as is it works well for curls for all densities and thicknesses. Secondly, we’d recommend applying it to wet hair whilst it’s still warm and damp from the shower. That’s how you would get the best out of the product.
That’s how we recommend you think about each aspect of your routine too. If you have solid techniques for how you wash, style and maintain your hair, you have exactly what you need to determine which products enhance or hinder your routine.
Of course, that’s often easier said than done. So, our Joy to the Curls Consultations are available to help you navigate the process too. This shift in mindset puts the control back in your hands, rather than in the hands of each and every product you try.
4. Keep learning about your hair and what it needs to thrive
There is always something new to learn. The more you open yourself up to learn on your journey, the more you can grow in yourself and in your understanding of your hair. You also get to have more fun with your hair.
Once you have mastered the everyday look, you can explore the ways you like to switch things up for special occasions or dial things back for lazy days in. You can go big with extra volume or try your hand at achieving more definition.
What was once the gap in your knowledge, the drain on your time, or the sore conversation in earlier days, is now one of your most exciting and rewarding assets. The best part of all? The journey continues and with this mindset, you’re free to take it wherever you would like to.
Sound good?
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