I can't believe we're already a week into this new year.
I remember when I first found out I was pregnant, I felt like there was no way I could wait nine months. It's just the longest period of time imaginable, and I'm really not very patient at all.
A little over a year later, & I can not BELIEVE how fast that year has passed me by.
I feel like I can safely say the last two years have been the best of my life.
Traveling, being with Chris, my job, my art practice, friends, family & this baby. It is so simple, really. Life can be so, so simple. I don't think happiness is always easy to find, but I have found that it fills me up, when I keep everything pared back.
I'm not into resolutions on their own, if you want your life to change you have to make lots of small changes. The resolutions of 'excercise more, be happier, eat less' etc are too vague and kind of just expect failure.
But I'm hugely into writing down goals. I first started realising the importance of writing down your goals after watching my mums success.
About six years ago, my mum was talking to a lady about setting goals. She asked my mum what she would do if she could do anything, no obstacles, what really excited her. My mums dream was to own a food store, making real, fresh beautifully baked things, straight from the oven to the people. Not made the day before and sitting in a refrigerated cabinet for three days like most cafes. She wanted to make everything from scratch. She wanted to use free range and organic ingredients, so that all the meat & dairy came from animals that lived happy lives. She wanted to create a place that made people happy when they ate there.
But in my mum's eyes, there was no way that it could be financially viable. Organic produce is expensive, no one would be able to afford to pay the price.
Regardless of this, she was told to write that goal down, & hold on to it.
Four years later, mum was working away at her bench rolling pastry. She had been operating her small business, by the name Little & Friday, for three years. We had made the transition early on to free range eggs. Then the milk, then the meat. Many other aspects of the produce we brought in was slowly switched to organic. Working away at her bench that day, she realised that she had done it. She had achieved her goal. Not overnight, but slowly, one day at a time getting closer to what she truly wanted. Little & Friday has been around for five years now. Two stores, two cookbooks, a massive vege garden & a whole lotta staff.
Write your goals down, people !
I've been working out a few things that are important to me that I would really like to aim for (& bullying Chris to do the same.. not there yet, haha).
Some of my goals for 2014:
Learn the Ukulele - I've been wanting to learn an instrument my whole life, but nothing has ever stuck. Almost everyone in my life is extremely talented musically, so this is probably something I will be practicing in secret when no one else is around. I've been looking at some youtube tutorials and I'm really excited.
Develop my ceramics - I would really like to develop my skills when it comes to ceramics. I've got piles of ideas & things that I want to make, I just need to focus and get it done. I am aiming to start manufacturing these items to sell, either online or at some craft markets.
Make more time to eat with people - This seems like a weird one I guess, but it brings me so much joy to cook and eat with people. It's something I want to do once a week.
More yoga ! - All I want to do is like, 15 minutes 3 times a week. I hate setting goals that are too attainable & failing, so I think this is doable.
Gratitude, gratitude, gratitude - 5 minutes a day appreciating what I have.
Keep in touch - Write to people that I don't often see. This is probably my biggest failing as a human being. While I'm here, I may as well take the time to thank everyone that sticks by me, regardless of how inconsistent I am with my contact. This past year has been particularly unreliable, and I'm sorry ! Aiming to do better from now on in.
Unplug - Spend one day each week completely technology free. It's not lost on me how tragic it is that I actually have to make this a goal.
That's basically it. I hope you guys are writing goals, too. You gotta know where you're going, to get there.
Happy 2014, pretties.
H x
