Now I’m usually not big into New Year’s resolutions, but in 2018, I was determined.
My goal was simple: say yes more.
My Inspiration
I discovered a really cool video on YouTube titled “A Year in 365 Seconds” and I vowed that in 2018, I would live a more exciting life that would warrant me making a video of my own.
I knew it was going to be tough. I had just accepted a 9-5 Monday through Friday job and I definitely consider myself more of a home body. How would I ever compete with the videos of people who are constantly on the move and surrounded by exciting opportunities and lots of people? Won’t people get tired of seeing my desk every day and a glass of wine every night? (I mean, not EVERY night. Just most nights. No wait, some. Yeah, some.)
Luckily, I knew I had at least one trip planned in 2018 to visit family in South Dakota. Okay perfect, that takes care of all of 5 seconds of 365!
The Challenge
So here’s where the challenge came in and, in turn, my resolution: say yes more. When friends told me I need to visit them, I said yes and booked my flight. When a friend had an open mic night, I said yes and committed to practicing piano and guitar more. When my friend wanted to try a pole dancing class (yes, this is real), I said why not and grabbed my booty shorts. Whenever the opportunity came up to spend more time with people, I said yes, yes, and yes! No longer would I be the person who said they would do things and not follow through. Or the person you invite to things, knowing that RSVP is just BS.
Still, that didn’t take care of every day. The truth is, many of my days consist of going to work, working out, then watching tv or doing work at home. In those days, I challenged myself to find those little moments of happiness: playing an instrument, watching a good sunset, wearing cute socks, etc.
When activities repeated themselves, as they will in the course of a year, I tried to see things in a new way. I filmed a closeup of myself putting on jewelry, showing off eye makeup that I worked really hard on, or a box opening to reveal delicious takeout. Things that I never thought were worthy of a video, suddenly were artistic and cool. At least they were to me, don’t @ me if you disagree.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I’m really happy with what this project taught me. You know that popular quote that says to stop waiting for Friday and for Summer, and make the most out of the moment you’re in? Although, let’s be real, I’ll never stop waiting for Friday, I think I can finally truly understand what they’re getting at.
2018 brought some really amazing weekends and getaways, but seeing those add up to probably 1 minute of video taught me that I need to start making more of my days. There’s nothing wrong with savoring a great trip, but the whole year isn’t made up of weekends, contrary to what my Instagram grid may portray. Every day had something to offer.
If you want to make a video of your own, check out my hot tips below!
5 Tips For Making Your Own 1 Second Everyday
1) Turn on reminders. Pretty soon it becomes a habit, but having notifications on the 1 Second Everyday app is great for the daily reminder to upload your video. By the way, this post in #notsponsored at all. I’m still not that cool.
2) Make a shot list. This might sound like you’re manufacturing moments, but trust me, you’re not. It’s not always obvious which second of your day will be THE second. At the beginning of the year, I wrote a list of shot ideas like dancing with friends, turning the page of a book, removing a pot lid to uncover my meal, etc. It’s super helpful to have these ideas in mind so that when the occasion arises, you’ll remember to capture the moment.
3) Don’t be embarrassed! This is still tough for me because I don’t post on social media every day so I had to get used to whipping out my phone during a casual hangout. It’s so worth it though, and I’ve gotten a really positive response from people who were featured in my video (Read: the people my mom pays to hang out with me), so just do it!
4) Don’t stress about missing something. In the end, you won’t miss that 1 second that much, so if you forget to film, don’t freak out. The point is that you did the fun thing, not that you filmed it for the world to see.
5) Nothing is boring if it means something to you. Some of my favorite shots were the ones of my hands playing piano or my feet walking at the gym. Those things seem ordinary in the moment, but you might be surprised when you see the finished product.
Now without further ado…
My 1 Second Everday Video
Have you done 1 Second Everyday? Are you planning to in 2019? Comment all your thoughts and Q’s below!
