Despite my best of intentions to check in here more regularly this year, I realise we’ve already skipped straight past January! So hello, and goodbye the first month of the year, and welcome February! I do hope you’ve had a good start to the year? It seems that there’s quite polarised views of January, I know that some welcome a slower pace after the madness of the festive period (in this part of the world at least), and I see others jumping straight into planning and goal setting. Finishing one diary and inking the blank sheet of the next seems to create a disproportionate amount of pressure and expectation!
I’ve made a big effort to treat January as I do any other month or the year. I enjoy planning and have a structure and scheduled life. But despite a relatively quiet Christmas (well as much as it ever can be spending time together as a family & stepping outside normal routines!!) I recognised I was craving quiet and reflection, not loads of planning. So I gave myself time to ease into the month, to get back to the daily flow of work, school, nursery and all the essentials. And to plan when I felt ready. To be honest I’m still getting there. And that’s just fine. I’ve done what I’ve been able to, and enjoyed the process. I’ve got time set aside on Friday to do a three-month plan – because I feel ready for it now.
This has been the third year I’ve chosen a word for the year; I know this is not for everyone but I love the way it works as a guide or anchor when prioritising, considering different opportunities, or testing how I feel about something. This year I’ve chosen NURTURE. It feels perfect for what I feel I need in my life at the moment. It works on so many levels – investing in my relationships, my mind, body and health, my Popcorn + Crocodiles side hustle! It felt more intuitive than in previous years – perhaps there’s an element of familiarity now with the process, and perhaps I managed to hone in what I needed. As usual I used Susannah Conway’s ‘Find your word’ 5 day email course to guide me through the process and thoroughly enjoyed doing it
Have you spent time planning your goals for 2019, perhaps reflecting on 2018, or deciding how you want the year ahead to feel? There are so many resources available to help around this, it’s almost overwhelming, so I hope you’ve found something useful that suits your needs. Or if you’re the sort of person who prefers a little more fluidity and flexibility, I guess you have avoided much of this!
Catch you soon – I was going to cover loads more here but in the interests of getting the news flowing, I will stop there for now. Happy making and I’m looking forward to spending more time here over 2019.
