Dilek Aspires: NEW YEAR LIGHTS

NOW THAT ALL THE NEW YEAR euphoria is slowly waning, it’s time for all of us to detox and start fresh. As always, every New Year is marked by two things: memories of the past and resolutions for the future. From the avalanche of anti-2016 posts that kept tumbling down my social media feeds for the past month or two, I realized that most people couldn’t wait for the clock to strike 00:00 on New Year’s Eve so they could throw 2016 in a hole, shovel dirt over it, and forget it ever happened. Given the horrendous worldwide events that marked 2016, like the Trumptastrophy, it must be hard for most to see the silver lining, but I always like to focus on good memories…like the first time I used the Patronus spell when we took these photos.

Admittedly, 2016 was a turbulent year for me as well, but I think I successfully managed to avoid major accidents. It didn’t go even close as planned, but the outcome was still fairly satisfying. I reached some significant milestones like graduating for the second time and becoming more financially independent, and I slowly but surely opened up to the world by training the introvert in me to reach out to new and interesting people. I am trying to remind myself that although most things don’t go as planned, goals are milestones in life that we gradually approach. Sometimes we will be forced to take detours and will arrive at the finish line later than others, but we shouldn’t compare ourselves to others. We should compare ourselves to our past selves. If we are better today than we were yesterday, then it’s okay.

Looking at the future, I never bothered with New Year resolutions. I am a planner, but I never believed that one night can change the way I normally function. I am, however, planning on using the sudden surge of positive energy circling around the world to motivate myself to work hard to fulfil my aspirations. I never wrote down my resolutions, but I have been hearing a lot about how productive it is to do so. So this year, my first resolution will be to write down my resolutions and create tangible goals I can tick off and feel like I am really moving forward.

I really hope you enjoy these images because Stefani and I had fun shooting them. This is me in the most casual outfit ever, a pair of Mango jeans, LC Waikiki turtleneck and parka, and Bershka ankle boots. I am sorry, but I am not sorry for what I wore when I was cold because this is what I wear when I am cold.