You’ve heard it a million times: Resolutions are made to be broken. But we think if you choose just one thing, it IS possible to stick with it! Especially when the impact of sticking with something goes beyond improving your life and affects the bigger picture.  

We also believe in sharing your goals. Whether it be writing them down (see our blog about why writing goals down helps turn them into a reality), telling a friend, or broadcasting them to the world via social media. This can help you commit to your goal, as well as possibly inspiring someone else to make a positive change, too.

Below five members of the Paper on the Rocks team share their resolutions to 1) give them a greater chance of becoming reality by telling everyone, and 2) hopefully inspire you to make some great resolutions AND keep them!

1) Re-embrace the wilderness

Marketing manager Mark is already a city runner, indoor climber and occasional hiker. But watching ‘Valley uprising‘ about rock climbing in Yosemite National Park and ‘Made to be broken‘ about Karl Meltzer running the Appalachian, he’s been inspired to get back out into the wild and do more outdoor sports again.

Mark said: “In today’s technology-filled world, like many people, I have an urge to simplify and get back to nature… to unplug and recharge in the wilderness. A few years ago when I was living in Breda, a city in the south of the Netherlands, I did much more running and cycling in the local forest. Unfortunately, moving to a bigger city, a knee injury and a busy job have meant I haven’t managed to keep it going.”

“2019 will be the year I embrace the outdoors again. I want to explore nearby forests running or mountain biking, visit the northwest or east of the United States to go hiking and outdoor rock climbing. It’s time to reconnect with the wilderness.”

2) Give up sugary, fizzy drinks and replace them with homemade sparkling water

Our office manager Tessel’s resolution is a triple-whammy. Not only will giving up shop-bought sugary drinks be kinder to her health and wallet, it means less single-use packaging to throw away!

Tessel says: “I love fizzy drinks even more than I love fizzy water, but I’m trying to wean myself off of the sugar… and oh my God those plastic bottles. I’m looking to buy a Sodastream machine: carbonated water with a press of a button in refillable bottles… And you can decide yourself how light or how heavy the bubbles should be, I think it’s a winner!”

3) No more fast fashion

Content manager Sarah has decided after watching fast fashion documentary ‘The True Cost’ (check out the trailer) that she definitely doesn’t want to be part of the human suffering and huge amounts of waste that the industry relies on to make big bucks.

Sarah says: “I’ve known for a long time that the throw-away mentality around cheap clothing is unsustainable and only benefits those high up in the fashion business. But watching that documentary really hit home. From now on I will only buy second-hand, or from stores with fairly-made ‘slow’ fashion as their number one concern. Clothes shouldn’t be dirt cheap, they take love, skill and creativity to make. That’s worth paying for. We could all do to buy fewer, higher quality, fairly produced pieces less often in place of lots of cheap, unfairly made ones.”

4) Go to more museums and galleries

Our in-house designer and illustrator Honorata is determined to soak up more culture alongside being busy with work and studies.

Honorata says: “I’ve had a Museumjaarkaart (a card giving free entrance to lots of Dutch museums) for a couple of months now and still haven’t used it… I never seem to have the time, which is so sad. But in 2019 I will make time! The first places on my list are the Nederlands Fotomuseum and Kunsthal in Rotterdam.”

(You can read about Honorata’s latest designs for our Human vs The Earth Rockbook collection in this interview.)

5) The ‘No Buy’ Challenge

Over the coming year our communication expert Lieke is planning to cut down and cook up…

Lieke says: “In 2018 I did a ‘no buy’ challenge for one month. The result? I only bought a Dopper, which is okay in my opinion… FYI: You are allowed to buy groceries :). The challenge helped me realize how much I actually buy every month, and that this is really NOT necessary. It also helped me to see the value of the things I already have. So in 2019 I am planning to do this challenge again at least twice, so for two more months.”

“Apart from cutting down on the amount I buy, I want to make time for cooking for myself. I really enjoy cooking, but most of the time it comes down to rushing whatever I’m making. I’m going to change that, since I like it so much.”

What’s your resolution for the year ahead? Share it with us, or write it down in your Rockbook, and make it happen!