2018: A Knight of Swords year

For the past six years I’ve chosen a word to help ‘guide’ me through the year ahead. 2017 and 2018 however were a little different in that I chose a Tarot card too! Boy - did I underestimate the importance of that decision ha.

My word for the year (which I neglected to share here anywhere online oops) was FOCUS. I knew I had a lot of work to do with my Lighting Diploma and at work, and I also thought that it would be perfect for my photography too - my intentions were to knuckle down, focus on my goals and get to where I wanted to be in a sensible fashion.

AND then, on this day last year - I pulled the Knight of Swords as my Tarot card for the year. He’s still sat in my purse now. I felt a little frustrated pulling a Knight as the court cards are not my most favoured and I often struggle with their application - my 2017 card was the major ‘Strength’ card and I understood that and its application (and necessity frankly) very well. I was pleased to see a sword though - the suit of thoughts - it was indeed going to be a year of thinking and of trying my best to focus them.

What I underestimated though, was the knight himself. Knights are people of action, they charge, they fight, they defend and they honour. They move forward towards their goals and they do it with a straightforward intent. The knight of swords especially knows exactly the way they want to move forward - their thinking is already done and they have decided on a course of action which they are implementing with their full force and power.

And boy did I move forward at pace in 2018 - I charged into a engineering degree which I’m still sure could possibly be a huge mistake ha, we threw ourselves into raising two little kittens in the Summer (I’ll share more about those soon I promise) and I’ve thrown myself into the deep end with work and life in general. 2018 flew by but I think that perhaps rather than the time itself moving faster, it was me barreling through it, harnessing the Knight of Swords and trying my best to hold on for life.

Do you have a word for the year? How did your word for 2018 go for you? I did indeed focus, I had to, but perhaps not on the things that I initially thought I would haha.

Check in soon for my word and card for 2019 - I’m hoping the tarot card I pull later this evening is going to be a little less intense (though now I’ve said that… I’ve probably jinxed it!) and a little more aligned with the word I’ve chosen haha.

Happy new year everyone!!

Previous Words

2018: Focus (and Knight of Swords tarot card)
2017: Happy (and Strength tarot card)
2016: Earnest
2015: Give
2014: Inspirit
2013: Alleviate

4 Simple Goals

Well... following on from the last year - this seems ambitious as out of my goals for 2016, I only managed two - though to be fair, it could be because of number four (breathe and relax...) that I wasn't too bothered about pushing myself to do the first two. However, I do think its a good idea to set goals at the beginning of the year just to give yourself some guidance and something to aim for. So here goes...

1. Make time for my diploma and do well in it.
    
2. Pay off my stupid overdraft. Its really not a lot to pay off but I've let it linger for too long and it really needs to go!
    
3. Pass my driving test. This one is definitely going to happen this year but I'm putting it on my goals anyway because its something I really want to do.
    
4. Read 6 books. Crazy that 12 seemed ambitious last year when looking back. So 6 it is.

So there we go, those simple enough right? Lets hope I can do it!

p.s. No photography goals this year - one 366 project is enough for now haha, maybe next year!

4 Simple Goals

The mysterious thing about blogging is that time seems to have no meaning when you remember posts you've written - it feels like hardly any time has passed since my last wrote  '4 simple goals' post but I'm sure when I go to check my archives it will probably have been at least two years... (edit - 4 years! whaa?!)

However a good idea is a good idea no matter when you do it and I'm glad to say that once again, I have 4 simple goals for the year ahead. Exciting huh!

(Photo from A Beautiful Mess way back in 2010! I love that its yarn, I wasn't doing crochet or knitting the first time I used this image... but now its relevant, how funny.)

1. Meditate and do yoga nearly everyday.

Every day seems crazy ambitious but nearly every day I like the idea of definitely. I've read a few things recently that have solidified this goal for me. One was an Instagram photo from my friend Che talking about intention and the other was a Lena Dunham quote (which I can't find now, typical) about exercise being for the mind and not the body. Last year I had a solid yoga routine before the wedding but it, along with some basic self care habits, went out of the window (I know, silly me) as the wedding became more and more of a focus. It was necessary at the time, I couldn't see anything else that could give but now my intentions are the health of my brain and I know now that it isn't something I can let be a compromise anymore. So I intend to practice yoga, meditate and ground myself so that my mind is prepared and able to cope with the year ahead.

2. Read at least one book a month.

It's kind of crazy to be making myself do this because I love reading, but its another thing I just haven't been making the time for in the past 12 months. I've started books but then lived up to my blog title and been easily distracted by other things and I'm starting to get frustrated with my lack of focus and dedication to things I start but don't finish.

Books I have on my pile to read include: Empathy by Roman Krznaric, The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle (which amazingly I haven't read, though I have read A New World), Daring Greatly by Brene Brown, 59 seconds by Richard Wiseman and The Monk who Sold his Ferrari by Robin Sharma... if anyone has any recommendations for something similar, or something totally different, I'd love to hear them.

3. Take at least two film photos a day, every day.

I keep starting but not finishing 365 projects with my phone because I always get bored of the digital format. So this year I'm going to try it on film. I cant wait already. I shall be writing the photos down (either on my phone or in a little diary) so i remember which day was which and of course, sharing the photos here :)

4. Breathe... and relax

Last year was so hectic and stressful - but my goals above are all things I love - reading, yoga, taking photos - not things I hate or feel I must do for anyone else other than myself. I want to enjoy my year and the ways above are all things to help that - not hinder it. So if I miss a day - I'm going to try not to stress myself out about it and remind myself, that I'm earnest (2016 word, see what I did there?) and my intentions are good and come from a healthy place, not an unhealthy one. Relax and breathe!

Have you set any goals, intentions or even new years resolutions for the year ahead? Share them in the comments!

My word for 2016

Eep, so here we are - a new year! Happy New Year to you - I hope its the year you dream it will be. 2015 was such an amazing year for us and I'm excited to see what 2016 holds for me and for my Husband too (not bored of saying husband yet).

It took me a lot longer than its taken in previous years but I'm very excited to say that I finally have a word, woo! For a while after writing my last post I thought it was a different word - become - and although that word terrified me as it was pretty hefty, it took my final session with a counselor (I'm going to write another post on this... don't worry its coming) for me to realise that I'd already become the person I want to be - I just have to keep working on it - the hardest part is over. So rather than being a word for a year  - become was unintentionally my word for December 2015 - and what a word it was. 

So where does that leave me for 2016?  Well - initially back to being a bit flummoxed if I'm honest - become seemed like the perfect word to work with - but it really wasn't relevant anymore. And as I said to my counselor - I feel like the next 12 months are going to be so important, although I couldn't tell you why or whats going to happen, I just feel it.

So I started with words like - genuine, real, honest - and once again bounced around some words on Theasaurus.com where I saw my word a few times before I properly looked at it and thought 'huh that's it.' In fact, I was pretty stubborn about it for a while, searching for other words even when I was nearly certain but every word I looked at somehow seemed to come back to the same place... So, with the universe trying to tell me something and me finally listening - here is my word for 2016.

earnest  

1. serious in intention, purpose, or effort; sincerely zealous.
2. showing depth and sincerity of feeling

As well as loving the definition - I also read this amazing quote not too long after deciding earnest was my word.

"Earnest implies having a purpose and being steady and eager in pursuing it."

It seems silly to have a quote that seem to focus on a purpose when I don't really know what the purpose is, however what I do know now, more so than this time last year, is that I am on the right path. I haven't gone far along it yet, so I really don't know where its leading, but the end of last year was such a huge shift for me in terms of 'where I am and where I want to be' that I know now that if I do start to take myself and the things that I can do seriously, with intent and more importantly, feeling... then I don't think much will be able to stop me. I just need to do the work and be patient and I think this year that's what I'm going to be doing.

Isn't that exciting?! I have no idea whats going to happen this year - especially compared to how eventful 2015 was - but I don't think I've ever felt so excited to see how a year turns out.

How about you? How are you feeling about this coming year? Do you have a word to help you through? Let me know in the comments!