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Simplifying my life in 2012
For 2012, I chose simplifying my life. Gee, I started the year with high hopes of gaining clarity of thought and making positive life changes. Whilst ambitious, I thought it was achievable as I would be following clever Deb at Home Life Simplified's nifty 52 weeks to simplify your life challenge. Breaking the year down into manageable blocks of time seemed a fantastic way to go.
And it would have been.
That is, if Mr PB hadn't lost his job on 9 January 2012.
It fair knocked the wind out of my sails and took me months to right Planet Baby's ship. Overnight, life became so much more complicated. The best I could do with Deb's project was print out all her posts and file them away.
I felt incredibly guilty at not being able to carry through with it and apologised to Deb several times as I felt I was letting her down. Crazy, I know. Every time, she reassured me it was okay and that I could pick it up at any time. So true. It's not going anywhere! I'll revisit it another time.
My hope for 2013: grow
Source: vivaterra.com via Jane on Pinterest
I have this Pinterest image stuck on my moodboard, directly in front of my computer. Apart from wanting to make something similar for Planet Baby, it really resonates with me right now.
Given recent events, Mr PB and I are in a real state of flux. We're trying to work out what really matters to us both and whether those values and interests can be parlayed into profitable income sources. A bit of 'Loving what you do and doing what you love'.
It's unfamiliar terrain for him as he's been the sole breadwinner for us for so many years. Stepping off the hamster wheel is discomforting.
But I'm trying to view it as not something to be scared of. Rather, I'm looking at it as a huge opportunity for growth. For us both but especially for me.
Maybe now my health's on the improve, it's time for me to step up to the plate after years of child rearing and commit to earning more income for our family, beyond what my Etsy shop, Planet Joy, is bringing in.
So, to focus my mind for what lies ahead this year, I'd like to grow in my:
Business - I really want to realise Planet Joy's full potential. It brings me such happiness to create beauty for others. And the sweet satisfaction of earning money again can't be dismissed.
Relationships - Over the past few years of survival in our family, I haven't been able to invest as much time in my close relationships as I'd like. And I miss that easy intimacy and companionship. I know it's all there, just waiting for me to plug back into it again. I'm blessed to have such fantastic friends like that.
Health - I want to continue on my path of reducing my medication. I've made a huge breakthrough in the last few months and want to keep up the momentum, all guided by my doctors.
With the medication changes, a few extra kilos have crept back on which is disheartening after I'd managed to lose 24 kg recently. I want to lose that weight as it felt fantastic when I was near my ideal weight.
I loathe running and can't afford a gym membership. I don't mind walking and Hobart has many hills so that's a possibility!
The other thing I really want to do is try yoga with my friend, Romy. She's a sworn devotee of Bikram Yoga at Studio New Town and bought me a gift pass for 10 lessons for my birthday. I've done Ashtanga Yoga in Sydney before and loved it. I hope I don't pass out in this 40°C version! She is fabulously fit and toned and tells me it's all the exercise she does. That's enough to sell it to me!
Profession
And the last one is something I touched on here - I want to study intellectual property law and get my professional brain cells firing again. I need to give this a shot to see if I want to stay practising law. It should be exhilarating to feel some growth in an area of my life which has lain dormant since India was born 5 years ago.
So, there you have it - my one word for 2013. Your thoughts? And do you have your own for 2013? Do share - you might inspire someone else!