dreams for the year ahead

So, a month into the New Year and already some of my ''must do in 2014'' list has been ticked off.   It's a wide and varied to do list - experiences, jobs for completion, places to visit.

The children have had a wonderful summer packed with holidays with family and friends, and I too have had a great break - escaping home several times with my lovely to far flung spots of NZ but also just hanging out at each others houses with wine and music. We have had the real luxury of lots of child-free time which I become more and more certain every relationship needs. There's been lots of down time for all of us - and the first for me in many years, and both deserved (obviously:)) and needed.  Cooking simply, shopping for food little and often, starting the days slowly and the ending them in the same vein truly makes for a reviving break.

I've also, as always, had another frenzy of sorting and have managed to donate a full car load of things to a day care centre, rehome two outgrown bikes to next size down kids,  sell a heap of things on TradeMe (who knew I even had anything left to sell...) and do another wardrobe cull resulting in a box of lovely things doing the rounds of my friends as we speak.

I've spent way too much money this summer - mostly on holidays and gifts, and of course the new car - but am hopeful that a change to employment (another thing on the to-do list) might help with that. In the meantime, an upcoming payrise with help with the post-Christmas pain.  I want for very little (as long as I keep away from the glossy brochures....) and think that as I get older I become more content with simple pleasures and less longing of 'things'.

That said, there's still some BHAGs on my list for this year - some dependent on the employment situation, and so I plan to keep them under wraps until the way is clearer.  But ultimately I hope for more of the same - fun experiences, meaningful time with family and friends, stable employment, good health and maybe a little more wealth.

It would be easy to offer a wish for the same for all who might be reading this - and of course I really do so with heartfelt sincerity - but it's also so easy to be trite about ''good wishes''.

What do you REALLY want this year? Have you made plans? Dreamed dreams? Are you brave enough to share?

you need a plan!!!

women's business

Things to consider before getting into self employment - with a focus on women returning from childraising

making the main thing the main thing

Last year, I did my best to do some consolidating. It kind of worked...I started paying off a little more debt (that is...I worked more, including a new job). I spent a little more time on stuff for me (dancing of course,,,and achieving my 2011 goals). I made some amazing new friends and spent time really getting to know them.
I guess you could say the words to sum up my year were ''consolidation'' and ''deliberate'' (see my December post on living deliberately
http://mighty-acorns.blogspot.com/2011/12/living-deliberately.html

This year, I think it is going to be about priority and boundaries.  I need to take stock of the things I do that fill my days, and head.  I need to work better at not making too many compromises (with my heart more than my head it must be said).   I need to be clearer with myself, and others, about what my boundaries actually are.  I need to learn to say NO sometimes and I also need to say YES more too.

I'm excited about the year ahead.  I've got lots of things I want to do.  A number of things in the pipeline I've been planning for a while, and some that have just shown up.  There are people I want to spend more time with.  Books I want to read.  Some new experiences to try.

Could you describe your life in a couple of words? How would you like to define the way you live it out each day?  What truly motivates you?  Would an adjective be more effective at giving you focus for the year ahead than a New Years resolution?

onwards and upwards

I've had a really busy work week and still have a couple of fairly big deadlines that are getting closer - instead of waving at me from a safe distance they are now at the finger-wagging-directly-in-my-line-of-vision stage.

But despite being busy, the time has come that I cannot survive with a couple of 'nice little jobs'' any more.  Business is tough right now.  In fact I'd say that the past 6 weeks or so have been the toughest I've seen and I'm hearing that from everyone

So I have been quietly sourcing other work, and looking at how I can increase my income without increasing the hours I work too dramatically.  No easy task. But I am delighted to have found a couple more good potential clients and this is spurring me on.

I am exceptionally proud of my other big achievement this week though - I have built, pretty much from the bottom up (although using a template....) a website for my consultancy. have a look here!

This is the second website I have done this year (the other one is here!) and there is huge satisfaction in it for me, even though I am not, by nature, a detail kind of person.  Writing the content is my favourite bit - and working out how to get everything in the right place and correctly formatted is certainly my least favourite.

It's a good skill to have though I think, and another 'string to my bow'.  I am carefully looking at each of my skills and working out how best I can utilise them. .

The biggest challenge for me is actually putting into practice the advice I give my own clients!  I can happily tell others to plan, to be judicious, to evaluate, to take advice, to be impartial, to focus on the things that are the simplest - all that great advice! - but it is way way harder applying it to myself.

Perhaps I need a coach?