Hi there!
Happy New Year! 🎉
I am sure most of you are back to normal life today after the Christmas break. I hope you are all doing OK and aren’t too tired after the first early start! Christmas is not normally a time that I look forward to. I find the pressure all a bit too much – seeing lots of people; making sure everyone is happy; meeting their expectations and mediating (or refereeing!) family members that don’t often spend that much time together! I normally finish the Christmas break feeling like a need a holiday! 😱
I was so worn out by the end of last year that I made myself rest this Christmas. I put my laptop away on 23rd and it didn’t emerge again until 3rd (other than to work on my End of Year reflections and focus for this year). I can honestly say it has been the best Christmas I have had in years and years. I have felt so loved, laughed so much and chilled out doing what makes ME happy for a change. I have painted; played so many games and thrashed my family and friends playing darts! I knew all the hours in my younger years working in pubs would come in handy at some point! 💪
I absolutely love anything creative – drawing, painting, sewing, making new coaching/therapy resources on Canva. I knew that when I went into this line of work that it may take its toll on me emotionally. Before I qualified and I was thinking about my counselling career vision, I had said that I would like to see clients 3 days a week and do something creative on the other 2, to balance everything out. As the business has grown over the years (and I have moved the goal posts!), my needs have perhaps lacked the attention they deserved. I LOVE my clients and the work I do but there was a part of me that was being buried under the excuses that I didn’t have time. 🤔🤦
So this Christmas, I got my paints out again and now I am completely hooked! ❤I have been transported right back to my childhood and doing what I loved the most – drawing Disney characters! I have been experimenting with a new style that doesn’t involve hours and hours of detailed work like I used to do. I have done simple watercolour with a scribbly ink style and I am so pleased with how they have turned out. Here are just a few…
It has felt so liberating taking my pen at the end and scribbling over them – anyone that knows me well, knows this would be a big thing for the perfectionist in me to relent to!
I often remember what Tony Robbins says, ‘Success Leaves Clues’. I have enjoyed this so much and I feel so calm and in the flow when I’m drawing and painting, I know I need to have this in my life more. So…I have signed up to 2 painting classes in the next few weeks and I am soooo excited for them! It meets so many of my needs – to be creative, to learn something new, to meet new people, to do something out of my comfort zone, to express myself. I can’t wait!
I wonder what you love that gets you in that state of flow, where time almost stands still and nothing else matters? 🤔
For some people it’s playing an instrument; for some it’s hitting golf balls at the driving range – what is your THING? It’s completely OK if you’re unsure – like me, you might want to cast your mind back to when you were younger – what did you love doing then?
Life is all about balance. Too much of anything is unhelpful. Balance doesn’t mean splitting your time equally between things because that is often unrealistic to do. Sometimes, throughout the year, certain areas of your life may become more of a priority than others. It is just about making sure you have a bit of everything.
Here is Susan Jeffers’ Grid of Life from her book, ‘Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway’...
Where do you spend the majority of your time? Would you say you have a balance? Are there areas that need some attention?
I have heard a few people this year say, ‘I hate this ‘New Year, New You’ thing!’ The New Year doesn’t have to be about setting big goals or completely changing who you are and what you’re doing. Sometimes it is just about reflecting on what’s working and making some minor tweaks. I would recommend that you do this throughout the year, not just now, to help you to stay aligned with what you need and what is most important to you. That is where you will find the magic and the happiness you crave and deserve.
It is completely OK if you haven’t got New Years’ Resolutions or big goals! It may just be a case of continuing with what you are already doing and maintaining it. It could just be a year of taking your foot off the gas slightly and enjoying what you have previously worked so hard to create.
I like to spend the New Year reflecting and planning. It can sometimes be a bit tricky to know where you’re going if you don’t have a bit of a plan. You wouldn’t drive to Scotland without a rough idea of how to get there and how long it might take. You wouldn’t get in the car and just hope that you will get there. You would probably at least have a glance at which roads may be best to take or avoid and what you will need on your journey. We are never in control of the future and where we’re going to end up as the Universe may have a very different plan for us but you don’t have to let life just happen to you. You can design a life that suits YOU.
If you would like to give your life the once over and see which areas you could make some adjustments in then I have attached a link to my free ‘Design a Magical Life’ tool that can help you to do just this. We spend so much time planning our next holiday or planning our wedding but how much time do we actually spend time planning our life? Settle in with a snuggly blanket and a cup of something hot and get to work, creating your own magical future.
If you would like or need someone to help you along on this journey, hold you accountable and help you to overcome the barriers that stand in your way then that is where I come in. If you would like to book your free Exploratory Zoom Call to have a chat and see how I can help you on your journey then click the link - https://form.jotform.com/223236046533046
I hope you have the most sparkly 2023. Bring it on!!!
Have a magical week, you beautiful people 🌈💜🎉
Comments