Things are winding down to the end of the year, and that is always a good time to pause and reflect on the year that has passed. It is also a great time to look at any changes that you want to make.
I know, I know, we all have big plans of kicking off the year with lofty goals of getting fit, losing weight or giving up smoking. Sadly, most of those resolutions die in the dust within a few days of the new year starting. We start off full of enthusiasm but soon revert back to our comfortable routine and decide that we will try again some other time.
I admit to being guilty of this year after year, but this year was different. This year I decided that I was going to set intentions rather than resolutions which might seem like mere semantics except it felt different too. I had read a quote that said, "You'll never change your life until you change something that you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine" -- John C. Maxwell. So I took a long hard look at my daily routine and started making small changes, not all at once but slowly and steadily over the year.
(1) Journaling
The first change I made was after I read "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron. This book had been on my radar for a long time but I kept putting it off. I came up with excuses like "I'm not an artist." Or "I'm not creative." Finally I just gave in, bought the book and started doing the exercises. It is a 12-week course in discovering yourself and unleashing the creative aspects of who you are.
This simple practice of writing my "morning pages" became the cornerstone of my day. I started in January and have kept going all year and I can't see me stopping any time soon. I also translated it into a free Self Love email course I did in January and will no doubt build onto it and expand it as part of various other programs I do.
Journaling helps me to process my thoughts. It uncovers the doubts that hold me back, it shifts my perspective when I have an argument with anyone, it opens up my creative channels and gives me a place to flesh out ideas.
I have become a journaling convert and cannot extol its virtues enough. I have been recommending ti to anyone and everyone who stands still long enough. If you haven't given it a go before then I highly recommend getting "The Artist's Way" and diving in.
(2) Making my bed
The next thing to change was I started making my bed every day.
I know. So simple, right?
I have always been comfortable being a bit of a slob. Thankfully my husband is too so it has never been an issue. Then I read an article about how simply making your bed each day makes you more productive and elevates your mood so I gave it a try and they were right. I work from home and every time I walked into our bedroom seeing the bed all neatly made and tidy gave me a little lift.
Later in the year I read another article that stated that making your bed everyday creates an ideal environment for dust mites (thanks Internet!) so now I compromise and make the bed most days and on the weekends I through all the blankets back and give the bed a good airing, vacuum the mattress, air the pillows and breathe a sigh of relief that now all the dust mites are gone (temporarily).
I love our bedroom and making it feel more like a sensual haven with clean sheets, scented candles, Himalayan salt lamp and keeping it tidy and orderly creates a much more welcoming environment.
(3) Tidying my kitchen
We have already established that my housework skills are not great so the latest change has also been to do with tidying up -- every night before I head off to bed I take the time to load the dishwasher, wash any saucepans that I used, wipe down all the benches and take out the trash and the compost. Yes, I was slack before and never did those things. Yes, I know, my mother would be horrified too. Let's move on.
Starting each day with a sparkling clean kitchen means that I no longer have the distraction of needing to clean up before I get to work. I also don't have to rush around cleaning up before people come over.
(4) Gardening
I have (finally) taken an interest in gardening and this summer we are putting in a herb garden and a much bigger vegetable garden. I have started making herbal tinctures, compost tea for the garden and herbal teas for us to drink. Spending time watering the garden and harvesting all the goodies from our garden makes me feel incredibly content and is reconnecting me back to my hippie roots and to my sense of my inner Goddess-ness. Gardening, digging my hands into the soil grounds me and reminds me that we are all part of Mother Earth.
None of these changes were earth-shattering -- instead they have been a gradual shift and an internal quest for a more grounded, centered life. I can't wait to see what shifts and changes the next year brings.
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