Happy 2014

They’re funny things new years. It’s a natural cleanse and catharsis I find, from the build up of ‘busyness’ of the end of the previous year. I don’t know about you, but I find myself seeing the things amplified in December that I feel dissatisfied by, in either my day to day or in general in my life and of myself. This amplification serves as courage to identify what I’m going to refine, build upon, toss out or work to improve come the new year. I also see everything that I love and am grateful for in bigger size, which motivates a swift kick in the bum of all the icky stuff to cleanse from. Do you find you do or feel the same?

Towards the end of last year, I realised I was working far too much and on far too many types of things. My mind was fragmented, my energy well and truly spent, and phrases like ‘I just don’t have time to exercise at the moment’ crept into my mouth.

Thing is, we have time for whatever we want to fill our day with. We decide.

Sure, there’s a bit of operational ‘have to’ in there, but there’s a lot we can delegate or share, and there’s also a bit of busy stuff we prioritise that just doesn’t deserve the priority it’s given. Spending an hour of facebook for example and saying one doesn’t have time for exercise… Just saying 😉 Then there can be the situation where there are a few too many days in a row that you don’t do things that satisfy, fulfil nor make you happy and they need to be our personal alarm bells when they creep in. Listen well and pay attention to those.

So, for me, I let go of a couple of clients in my social media / digital consulting work, and I politely declined to continue doing anything drinks related from now on (used to be a well known mixologist believe it or not and had continued working with a couple of my favourite people like Gourmet Traveller because I really like the people, not so much the subject, but where passion lies no more, one must let go and close doors to make space for good new things to grow and new ideas to have time to be cultivated and grow.)

I realised that my work load was affecting my getting done of work I wanted to achieve most – writing and creating for you guys and inspiring little every day changes for a better us and a better world as a result.

I realised my ideas were coming less and less to fruition.

I sighed after a pang of disappointment in myself every second Friday when normally a newsletter would go out.

Too many 1am candle burning nights after learning my perfect rhythm of at least 4 nights 11pm bed in 2013.

Flabby, weak, jiggly body bits that are usually toned and strong.

Resignation is certainly not my style, nor is filling my day with things that take me from my path. So 3 months of all of that whirl winding into amplification mode of dissatisfaction was quite enough thank you.

I am welcoming 2014 with open arms and as I sit here drinking a Gin and soda water with loads of fresh lime, to the backdrop of howling cyclonic winds outside in Mauritius, I say thank you to the universe for showing me back to where I’m meant to be. Love me a bit of renewed focus and energy, don’t you?

So if you’re after the same, I suggest simply this:

The best thing you can do during these early days of the new year is make a couple of lists

1. List what made you happiest, gave you the greatest feeling of peace and satisfaction in 2013.

2. List what frustrated you or even made you sad or feel down- repeated daily tasks, big things, people, fake weirdness foods, blocked energies

3. List what you really wanted to do (little and big things from organise photos, to starting a compost to starting a business type stuff) but didn’t get doing in 2013, and what you’re dreaming of achieving for yourself, family, community.

Then, double all the bits in No.1, ditch or outsource as much as you can from No2 and decide that you are worth choosing how your days and year play out in 2014 so that the bits in No3 come to fruition in 2014.

It’s actually that simple. I’ve done this the past 2 years and I cannot tell you the results.

Baby step it out, chunk it down, tackle what you know you can reach for to propel you to a happier, more fulfilled life. You will radiate energy that attracts like people on the same courageous path to leading a full and happy life doing what lights you and them up and positive energy and success in yourself and in those around you will only create more and more. It’s magical, it truly is.

A super Happy New year to you and your family. There’s absolutely no reason why 2014 can’t be your best year yet, so let’s hop to it. As Mary Poppins would say “Spit Spot, and off we go”… except maybe minus the spoon full of sugar 😉