Hi BellaStylistas! It’s Isoken and every month, I’ll be sharing a short letter spotlighting our monthly theme from my personal perspective and giving you an idea of some of the amazing content we have planned. Welcome to our #Kickstart issue !
Editor-At-Large Isoken Ogiemwonyi introduces BellaNaija Style’s #Kickstart theme for January.
I didn’t make the requisite New Year, New Me resolutions this year.
Why? Unlike most years, where I subject myself to a brutal assessment of what I achieved in 12 months, a draining, unrelenting process that starts in November and ends usually right after Christmas. One that often dictates how well my holidays go – a good year means a near euphoric Christmas holiday, a bad one usually means a good amount of wallowing and wondering why I’m so trash.
Hyperbole aside, self evaluation is good and extremely necessary, but the ever popular practice of distilling 365 days into one black and white document, can also put a very artificial and sometimes unhealthy pressure, forcing us to put some last-ditch effort in to ‘get it done’ at all costs. It also often doesn’t give room for big life changes, shocks etc.
This is not to say I eschewed my annual tradition, I did it. It was brutal but for my goals in 2019, I focused more on how I want to feel at the end of the year. Adding value and doing more of what I love as opposed to fixating on things that are out of my control. It’s a nuanced change in perspective, but it goes a long way in changing my mindset to one of life-enhancement rather than behaviour modification and diminishing bad habits.
Progress, not perfection.
In this vein we are tackling the theme ‘Kickstart’ this month. It’s always tempting to ‘wipe the slate clean’ and go all “brand-new you” in January . While it can be a good attitude to have – we are focusing more on bringing that extra ‘oomph’ to your life this month as opposed to an extreme overhaul. That could mean being kind to yourself (your wallet) and your wardrobe, learning it’s okay to feel less than perfect, and how to get through it when you do.
Being prepared fashion and beauty-wise goes a long way towards not feeling overwhelmed. We are committed to helping you look and feel your best, so that you are well-equipped to tackle the curveballs 2019 brings (in the words of Brian Tracy ‘Problem… problem… CRISIS!)
So we are starting out with simple steps you need to update and refresh your personal style, staple pieces you need to round out your ultimate capsule wardrobe and the sales you can shop to help you do just that. From confidence enhancing color theory to tips on how to look confident in interviews, meetings and boardrooms .
Let’s make this a January to remember!
Happy New Year!
