Musings :: thoughts from the past year...and plans for the year ahead

I'm writing this on the day before my birthday, taking a little time for quiet contemplation and reflection. As I grow older the years begin to merge and time seems to pass, and so for me taking a moment to sit back and reflect is important. Like the blossom in this photo, this year I've felt that I've come out of a hibernation that I have been in for a few years and have started to awaken from a slumber.

Whilst sitting at the train station this morning I was overcome with thoughts and reflections on the year that has been, and I felt a deep excitement for the year to come, and so I started to jot them down...I invite you to grab a cup of hot tea, settle in for a few minutes and read my musings of the year that has been, and the plans I have for the year ahead...

The past year has involved movement forwards in all areas of my life...

...I've spent time reconnecting to me and what I love doing. Taking moments to breathe, think and believe in myself, I've built a stronger me and someone who now has a braver approach than before.

...I started writing a few of chapters of my book and reflecting on how I got to where I am today. Waves of nostalgia and pivotal moments in my life started to jump out of my memories, many had laid dormant for a long time. The memories have allowed me to give a gentle nod to the past and to smile at others too.

...I have started to connect the elements of my life together. Like a dot to dot, I'm starting to build a picture that has always been there but not quite fully in view. Only by taking the next step and joining one dot to the next have I started to create something that I'm very excited to see shape into an image I very much want.

...I re-discovered how I prefer to learn and what sits well with me in terms of expectations I have on myself. I'm adoring the coaching course I'm taking, with a great atmosphere, inspiring people and the balance of theory and practical teaching it has shown me that this is a way I enjoy learning. Personal study and revision have been filling my weeks recently and I'm seeing once more how much I love diving in, making connections and bringing my learning into whatever I do.

...I have learnt to go with my intuition more than ever before. I have stopped doubting myself and am just letting it be. Many of the decisions I have made have been based mainly on intuition over the past year. I have decided to be brave and go for things that are slightly out of a zone of comfort that I move with. The decisions I made have been worth it.

...I have let go of elements of my life that no longer fit my values and who I am. I've forgiven myself and let things be. Having a belief that the pivotal decisions and moments I have had were just part of a journey I'm taking, has enabled me to feel at peace with decisions I have made. I can't begin to tell you how freeing it feels to have more belief in myself.

...I have realised even more what I want to be doing moving forwards in my life and how I would like our life to be. I'm getting closer to the image of my career portfolio that I'd like to have and moving closer to a life outside of work that I want to cultivate.

...I am gracefully dancing out of the doldrums and enjoying every moment of it. From projects at work, to pushing my dreams at pace, to planning a handmade wedding, to planting seeds and planning a business idea...I'm loving the energy I have at the moment to juggle life when it feels full. I really do have all the resources I need.

...and most importantly, the love of my life Mr C proposed and made me so very happy. I am excited about having our wedding ceremony to mark our life together so far and our life ahead.

My thoughts and plans for the year ahead...

...Tomorrow I'm starting my journey into my 34th year. Mr C and I are heading off to Venice for a long weekend away for my birthday. I love getting away on my birthday as we are both doing something that we love, travelling and discovering new places.

...In May I'm heading off for the Sisterhood creative retreat. I'm excited to be spending a weekend away using my camera even more and meeting fellow creative women. An escape to west Wales is something that I am really needing, to take a break from city life, smell the sea air and get out of my comfort zone and challenge myself.

...I will be completing the coaching course and gaining a qualification this year. I'm looking forward to implementing even more of the skills that I'm learning and using them to help build the portfolio career I have planned.

...My blog will have more focus in my life and will see a renewed look later this year. I'm looking forward to attending Blogtacular in June and meeting more wonderful bloggers and saying hi to those I met last time.

...In October Mr C and I get married, and together we are going to create a day that reflects us as individuals and as a couple, with a focus of the whole process being a relaxed, chilled out and fun experience.

...I'm going to make coaching more of an element in my life over the next year. Through self-coaching and coaching others I hope to continually develop my skills for the rest of my life. I'm very excited about what this will bring and the route I will be able to take moving forwards.

...and finally I plan to have more of my book written and a creative workshop delivered by my next birthday!

Making time to reflect and plan has enabled me to move forwards in what I do and renewing my plans for the year in line with my birthday is something new that I will do each year moving forwards. I hope that you will join me over the next year and beyond, to watch my journey unfold.

What do you do to mark your birthday? Do you like to take time to reflect each year?

Awakening...

Like the blossom on trees and spring flowers starting to appear, my time of dormancy is coming to an end. It's time to awaken...You may have noticed that I've been a little quiet over here and there are good reasons for that. I made the decision to take advantage of winter, the time of year when hibernation is part of the natural seasonal cycle. Hibernation brings with it the chance to focus energy where it is needed most. Perhaps for me this winter has meant a focus of energy on my roots, of who I am, what I do and what I plan to make happen this year. It has felt the very best way to spend my time and has given me the much needed energy to begin our wedding plans, make changes to my day job and focus on my personal development of becoming a life and business coach...

Planning our wedding started full force at the start of the year when Mr C and I made the decision to set our date for October this year. The decision to get married with under 10 months to go, meant that we triggered a surge of decision making and bookings to enable us to firm up a few key plans. We've taken time to get our heads straight, work out what we really want for our day and decide what is really important to us. We've started piecing together a day that stays true to us, our values, our beliefs, and have put time and energy into planning how we want our wedding day to feel. We want our celebration to be chilled out, relaxed and fun and these three words are at the heart of everything that we want to experience on the day, as well as during the planning phase. We have really embraced the words as a guide which has helped us sense check all that we are doing.

With my day job and career plans I've realised that I've had an awakening of sorts... During the past two months I have allowed myself do something a little differently and to challenge myself. With a big project about to begin in the next week or so I've been reflecting on past learnings, preparing and making the most of this time to establish a few new elements in my role. I want to enhance what I'm doing each day, to reinvigorate myself, and enable my job role to tap into areas of my skill set that I know I can comfortably deliver but have not yet shown in a work environment. Deep down I know that I have been putting too much energy into burying what I can do, hanging around in the doldrums and sitting on the sidelines being safe.  I know deep down that to feel reinvigorated I need to take control, make it happen myself and not wait for anyone else to tell me what to do. Taking that control has given me the chance to sculpt something that I'm really very proud of, with a fusion of my creativity, knowledge and delivery skills I'm seeing the true me surface once more.

As you may have read in a blog post last autumn, I'm undertaking a dream of mine to train to become a life and business coach. The time on the course has gone so quickly and we are now nearing the end of the training. I am really going to miss the incredible people that I've been lucky to meet who teach the course and the fellow students that inspire me in so many different ways. Being in a learning environment since September has enabled me to believe that I can push myself and study again whilst working, something that I was unsure I wanted to do again. I know that learning is a core part of who I am and it's where I thrive the most. There is something special about this coaching course and learning environment that has sparked something in me that no other qualification has done so far in my life. I know that passing this course is very important to me and my future plans and I feel very lucky to be part of it. I don't know when I will have the privilege to learn again in such an encouraging environment, so I am making the most of the final weeks of the course. I have been immersing myself in the subject and studying as much as I can, and setting myself a daily check in to ensure that I'm applying what I'm learning every day.

I've awakened a process of change in me that I'm really enjoying. I'm grasping it with both hands as I take a journey I haven't been on before. When I think back to the very moment of realisation for me that signalled I needed a change, I can see how very far I have come in the past nine months. The closing keynote that Anthony Peters made at last year's Blogtacular conference was that moment for me. In his final few words at the conference he said, "Are you doing what you love? Or just what is expected of you?", these words still bring about a huge emotional reaction within me. From a feeling in the base of my stomach that moves through my body to the surface of my skin...through to a few small tears that fill my eyes...the feeling is quickly replaced by a knowing desire to push myself to move forwards with a feeling of excitement and relief. I can wholeheartedly say that I am now doing what I love, and not what is expected of me. My wall of feel good messages has helped me bring about a focus of momentum that I needed.

I know that all I needed was to give myself permission to make the change and to believe in myself. I gave myself the gift of dormancy, to plan and prepare, and have given myself permission to make steps forwards. I can see and feel that I have awakened from a slumber and like a bulb planted in the soil, absorbing nutrients and resources from the surrounding soil, I feel that for the first time in a while that I've created an environment ready for a new shoot to begin to surface... Taking the time to hibernate was what I really needed to prepare myself and get ready to grow again. I needed to dream, to believe in myself, to own my plans and feel the achievement in the changes that I'm making... I have taken a brave move to awaken the resources in me and to awaken my heart.

Blogtacular 2015: My key takeaways

On Saturday 13th June I attended my first ever blogging conference. After taking a month off blogging, having a holiday abroad and sitting down at my desk on rainy Sunday I can at last tell you about the experience. It is one that I will never ever forget and I very much hope to repeat next year too. The joy and emotions I felt during the day were off the scale and I felt that I had found a community I really click with and who just get it. I'm sure that for those bloggers reading this you will know what I mean as blogging can be quite a solitary activity, so meeting people face to face who are fellow bloggers and are as passionate about it as you is something really special.

Blogtacular 2015 had a the perfect combination of inspiring speakers, enthusiastic bloggers all held at the stunning Royal Institution. Blogtacular as I mentioned in my last post is "a place for bloggers whose hearts beat with creativity to come together to meet, share and inspire" and it didn't disappoint. Meeting enthusiastic bloggers has enabled me to reframe what I do, feel more connected with my blog, and appreciate again the hard work that goes into creating content and blogging.

Stepping away shattered after the day, I felt full of hope and brimming with ideas. I felt a huge wave of raw energy, from meeting enthusiastic people and hearing about how they spend their time and how they build blogging into their week. I've been pondering the key things that I've taken away from Blogtacular and trying to digest everything. All the sessions I attended left me feeling really inspired, informed and feeling that plans are achievable.

Emotionally I felt a real mix. Since the conference I have been feeling excited and enthused by all that was said, from the continual theme discussed of collaboration, to dealing with fear, through to creativity and finding inspiration. However over the past month I've felt the need to pause and take a step away from my blog, take a deep breath, and look at what I do and how I've been feeling about my blog. I've needed the head space to just sit and think about many things, as well as blogging. I hate having gaps on my blog but when you just freeze when you sit at your laptop it's a moment when you need time off and to work things out.

I wanted to let you know all about the conference and what was said, however for me the best way to sum it up is by telling you about my biggest takeaways from the day and what they have helped me to develop.

Self discovery

Before I headed to the conference I was pretty nervous as well as excited. I look back at the nervous me and see how much courage it took to dive in and just start talking. I'm a chatty person normally but sometimes get stuck for words in the most unlikely situations. When I arrived at Blogtacular I made a bee line for a table on the edge of the room and I just went for it. Taking a trusty comforting cup of tea I spoke to people who were feeling like me and gradually with more courage I got stuck in and gained confidence to just talk. On my journey to the conference on the Friday I wrote down my feelings and what I had hoped to get out of the day. I know that I've walked away with most of these ticked off.

Dealing with overwhelm

Since the conference (and before) I've had feelings of overwhelm as I'm feeling a little unsure about next steps with my blog. I've felt a little unsure about what to write, despite having a big list of post ideas it is all a bit too much.  I've felt overwhelm of the industry I am part of. I feel a tiny fish in a sea of bloggers, but deep down that overwhelm is calmed by thinking of the key people I met, and how I really believe being authentic and doing what I want is just how it will go for me. I don't have to implement all the ideas just what fits with what I'm doing. By taking a break away I've simplified my plans and thoughts and dealt with the initial overwhelm.

Practical skills

I attended a DIY blog design session and discovered a few things that started to slot in place, determined I spent a Sunday afternoon after the conference updating my blog design, switching on the mobile view, and trying to get my blog a little closer to something that represents me. It's simple, fresh and still has some of my favourite colours as touches. Without Blogtacular I wouldn't have had the confidence or practical skills to even try this.

Connections

I can't tell you how many wonderful bloggers I met on the day. Over the next few weeks I'll be continuing to take time connecting up with everyone I met, by reading their blogs, adding them to my social media connections and Bloglovin feed. I'm thinking about doing something creative with the business cards I collected, I want to remember the day through the talks but also the very inspiring people that I met. Meeting such an array of talent, enthusiasm, people keen to share their knowledge and awesome advice, swept me away and left me feeling really lucky to have been part of the day. I met only a fraction of the people there and those that I met were so very down to earth and authentic. I also discovered many bloggers who live near by too.

I felt energised by all the insights I gained and all the lovely people I met. Meeting fellow bloggers face to face was one of my most favourite parts of the day. For a few minutes you get to meet the person behind the blog, for a few bloggers I think I gushed a little too much about how much I love their blog, but hopefully this has given them a little bounce in their step knowing how much people love their little space on the web.

Going with your gut

I'm a big believer of the 'does it feel right' decision making process. I felt a huge gut reaction that I needed to attend the conference and that turned out well, I experienced and learnt more than I could ever have imagined. With the choice of speakers during the day and the busy schedule you have to select which sessions to attend out of three choices. At each point of the day I went with my gut, knowing what I most wanted to find out and how that fits with me at this phase of my blogging journey. The choices I made based on my gut reaction panned out so very well in many ways.

I have learnt to begin to truly trust my gut feeling once again. Over the past few weeks I have had a few things going on where I have just needed to trust a feeling to help me make quite a few big decisions. I've finally decided that some of my plans that I had so very much wanted to action, and what I feel I should be doing, but just don't fit with me and my life any longer. It can be a hard pill to swallow and process. Going with my gut has made me feel good about the choices I've made as it has freed up head space, time, and has opened me up to looking for something new and a different route.

Feeling inspired

I was most inspired by the engaging and deeply authentic Marta Marie Forsberg who talked about Creativity and Inspiration. Her story, her determination and her recent discovery of what she wanted to do made me feel very emotional listening to her story. I've only realised over the past year and a bit what I would really love to do (see my About me page) and hearing about what she has done has made me that more determined to take the next steps forward.

I felt inspired by the women I met during the event, so many different blogs each with their own real enthusiasm for what they create and write. Finding new British bloggers has opened my eyes to a whole new world of content and styles.

The day ended with an incredibly moving talk by Anthony Peters who talked about his story and about going against the grain. He is the creator of a documentary about creativity in the digital age called Made You Look. As a closing keynote speech it was just perfect and linked the handmade and digital space that many bloggers are part of and was very inspirational.

And so...

My memories of the day and the experiences I had still make me feel giddy and a little emotional when I think about them. I can't tell you how much I found out about myself, let alone about the world of blogging.

Heading away at the end of the day we were greeted with a generous goody bag encapsulated in a pretty tote. The generosity of this event was huge, from the knowledge sharing of everyone attending to the time Kat and Kat must put into making it so inspiring and finding great speakers.

My Blogtacular tote is hanging on my shelving in front of my desk so that each time I sit there and see it I'll remember the learning, feelings and experiences of the day. I heart Blogtacular and will definitely be going again next year.

If you want to join the virtual conference and see each of the talks that were filmed, head over to Blogtacular to buy a virtual ticket for the conference this year, it will be worth it! I've bought mine and can't wait to be inspired once again.

Regaining a balance - using my fringe hours

It's been a busy few weeks hence me having a bit of a blogging break. I am at last back in a place where I feel that I'm re-establishing a balance. I don't know about you but when I have lots going on it sometimes feels like I don't get anything finished or achieved, and things I love doing slip off the agenda.

For me over the past month or so my day job has dominated each week. I've been working on a few large projects, trying to juggle them with my day to day tasks and changing priorities, it has led to a particularly challenging but interesting month. I'm continually surrounded by changes, a reactive workload and daily shifts in focus that impact on my role. Sometimes it makes me feel that I don't know if I'm coming or going, as I jump from quick win to quick win but I seem to get lots achieved and I enjoy the challenge.

I wanted to share with you how I'm regaining balance in my life after a busy period of time at work. I recognise that my day job will always be busy and that I'll structure my working day with a focus on key priorities, delivering as much as possible. But what I have noticed is that at end of the day I've missed prioritising the time I put into myself outside of working hours. It just didn't seem as productive outside of work as I am in the office. I was coming home tired and not wanting to do anything for myself. I felt that it was time to address it and regain some balance.

I think we can all have phases and seasons in life where we find ourselves slipping away from how we want to live. I'm determined that when it happens, I recognise it and get life back into balance as quickly as I can. For the past three weeks I've been determined to use more of my spare time to fit in the things I love doing. Inspired by The Fringe Hours by Jessica Turner (see my last blog post about the book), I've been thinking about what makes me tick and trying to work out how to fit in more of what I love doing. I decided to start a new routine to try and fit more of a variety of things in before and after work.

Since the new routine started about three weeks ago I've been getting up 20 minutes early to head up to our attic room and do yoga before getting ready for work. At first getting up early was hard but I felt the benefits by day three and now it is part of my weekday routine. Yoga, with its gentle stretching and breathing, starts the day off perfectly for me. I've had a break from yoga for quite a few years and I am a lot less supple than I used to be. However every few days I can feel my body stretching further and gradually perfecting the poses. I love yoga as it's the type of exercise that is progressive and one where you can take small steps. What gets me out of bed early is how calm and ready I feel for the day having started it with yoga. I love standing in the early morning sunlight and taking time for me before the day begins. I'm noting down in my diary when I do yoga so that I can keep track of things in my new routine and feel a sense of achievement.

I think the focus I have put on myself has helped balance things in other areas too. I've started really thinking more about what I'm eating during the day. In the mornings for breakfast I switched my normal cows milk for almond milk on my porridge and have started adding seeds and more blueberries to make it feel more satisfying. Each morning I've made time in my routine to make a salad for my lunch, packed full of colourful vegetables, seeds and protein. It has definitely been a good move as it is a lunch I really look forward to and it fills me up. I've had a few slip ups at work (heading to the vending machine for chocolate!) on very busy days but those aside, each day I'm having more fruit, seeds and nuts to keep me fuelled and energised. 

As well as a new morning and lunchtime routine I've also tried to gradually add new things into my evenings too. Whether it's cooking something new, spending time on my crochet or sewing projects, reading a book or magazines, or catching up on admin or housework. I'm making a conscious effort to spend less time watching TV and doing more small tasks during the week. I used to lump together lots of tasks into the weekend and could never get them all done. However with my new routine I'm using more of my weekday fringe hours, freeing up the pressure I put on the weekend to complete a list of tasks and having more time available to see friends, family and work on projects. I'm someone who is organised but sometimes things are not quite as organised as I'd like them to be. Getting a few things achieved in the week before and after work helps clear my mind and gives me a sense of personal achievement.

Tonight was one of those moments for me. I left work late, read my book on the train and wanted to fit something else in...I was determined to write this blog post. I just wanted to write and post on my blog mid-week to mix up my normal routine and see how it went.

For me finding more fringe hours in the day has felt like a gradual process, one that is continually moving forwards and changing. I've started to work out what I can fit in and realistically achieve in the fringe hours of the day. Changing my morning and evening routines has helped make a start in regaining more of a balance in my life. I feel that I'm achieving more and this makes me feel more alive and happy...When I settle down at my desk at work each weekday morning I love the feeling I have knowing that I've already fitted more into my day than I did a month ago. I wonder what else I will fit in to my day over the next month...I'll let you know.

Have you thought about your fringe hours and how you could be fitting more in? I'd love to hear about what you are doing.

From the bookshelf - The Fringe Hours

It's been a busy month! At last on a Bank Holiday Monday I've managed to take a moment to stop and write about a book I mentioned back in March. The Fringe Hours by Jessica N Turner, is a book that I hugely enjoyed, so much so I re-read it again over the past few weeks. I've found this book a guiding hand in helping me make the most of my time. I'm someone who has been using my spare time reasonably well for a while but I am always looking to mix things up and find new ideas, The Fringe Hours has helped me do just that.

The Fringe Hours is about how to find time in the day to do things that you love and how we should focus more time on self-care. The book is based on Jessica's research collated from over 2000 surveys completed by women. It's a collection of ideas, thoughts and quotes from women showing how they feel about needing time for themselves and how they are using their fringe hours.

Using themes from her research and her own methods of finding time, Jessica has written a book that is divided into four parts - Explore, Discover, Maximise and Live Well. The sections work through a set of stages. Firstly exploring why women don’t tend to prioritise self-care, then discovering what we most want to do in our fringe hours, how to find where the fringe hours are within our own lives, how we can work more activities into our day, and finally how to live a more meaningful and well rounded life using our fringe hours.

What stuck with me most powerfully was the definition of the fringe hours... 

“fringe hours are those little pockets of time throughout the day that often go underused or are wasted altogether” p84

The deeper explanation was just beautiful...

“a fringe hour is literally a limited or appointed piece of time that is found in the margins of a day…The primary definition for fringe is something that is decorative. Think about it: fringe typically makes a piece of clothing, an accessory or and object more beautiful. Fringe does the same of life. Activities and passions pursued during the fringe hours make a life more beautiful and the participant feel more alive and more uniquely herself.” p85

On reading this I felt a rush of warm positive feelings and it made me really see the benefits of taking the time to pursue my passions.

Throughout each section of the book there are questions that encourage personal reflection. When I reached these sections I sat and thought about my answers to the questions posed, sometimes taking a minute or two and others thinking more deeply. The chapters are a good length and suited to picking the book up when you can. I read mine on my commute and when I came home from work, both small chunks of time (my fringe hours!) and getting through the book at some pace. 

Over the past few years I've spent time reflecting and have taken time to work through a lot of the concepts covered in the book, mainly about how I wanted to use my spare time and where to invest my energy. The questions in The Fringe Hours provide a really good starting point to enable you to focus on your own thoughts and feelings about your spare time and attitudes, helping you to find your own answers.

I felt a real connection to this book and maybe deep down it is a book that I wished I'd written. I discovered my fringe hours a while ago, fitting in listening to podcasts on my commute to work, finding time to read the many magazines I subscribed to, breaking things down into mini goals, having numerous hobbies and interests, and deciding to create smaller projects to pick up and put down when I fancied. Before I read this book I knew that I needed to find a way to look at my spare time in a different way and to try and fit more in.

What helped me whilst reading the book is how much of a connection I felt to the author. Jessica scrapbooks, reads magazines, crafts and seems to be really busy, however she has found ways to fit things into her day in small chunks to use the most of time. However a key difference is that she is a parent. Initially I wondered if this book was going to be just for women with children but the way that it's written is suitable for all women and suitable for non-parents like myself. The main focus of the book about investing more time on self-care resonates with everyone, and the book really allows you to think about how you can be doing more of what you love. There are parts of the book I feel close to and other areas that don't quite resonate with my life, however overall this book was a boost that I needed to focus once again on my fringe hours. 

The Fringe Hours has made me want to press forward with my goals even more (take a look here if you'd like to read about them). I've recently been looking at my routines and I've started a refreshed journey of how I can use my fringe hours even more effectively to make more time for living a happy and creative life. It's pushed me to start putting my plans into place, making time to action some of the steps needed to move forwards in my life and complete a few things on my to do list each week.

The Fringe Hours is a truly practical, down to earth and honest read. I really adored it and I'd highly recommend it. The Fringe Hours feels like a book that I will always have around on standby to lend to friends, or to be near my bed when I need a motivational push and ideas to help me focus on fitting in more time for the things I love.

Taking a summer break and refreshing my goals

It's that time of year when a summer break away is on the cards. Taking a well deserved break has brought me a new focus, a fresh outlook, a new enthusiasm and revitalised my energy banks. A few weeks ago Mr C and I took a week-long trip away with friends to escape and recharge. I used the time to relax and came back with refreshed goals and a new focus on my plans.

On a Friday afternoon, I set my out of office message on my work email, added a few final things to my suitcase, and Mr C and I excitedly drove to the airport. We parked up and within about an hour my body relaxed for the first time in months. We decided to have a different summer holiday this year, one that meant escaping. We headed away with some of our great friends to a stunning villa in the mountains of southern Spain. We stayed in a remote location with fabulous views, it was perfect and just what we needed after a particularly challenging year.

We quickly adjusted our routines and felt the benefit of being somewhere so remote. Quality time was spent with our friends, we read our books, slept lots, relaxed in the sunshine, swam frequently each day in the pool and ate incredible home made food. Mr C particularly enjoyed reading a few cook books and whipping up lots of yummy tapas and cocktails throughout the week, and we all loved it too! What I loved was the feeling of switching off from work, from the internet, and from things going on at home.

I spent lots of time during the week admiring the incredible view (the one in the photo above) and finally felt I had the head space to really process the past few challenging months. I can't tell you how much I loved changing my routine, stopping and not rushing around. I made a real promise to myself to ensure I took time out for me on the holiday and I certainly achieved that. I embraced the simplicity of the day and let my mind wander. I managed to tap into some of my passions while we were away, I took photos, read a few magazines, learnt new things from books and wrote in my journal.

During the latter part of the week my brain went into planning mode, I let it as it was creative planning and not work related! Whilst sitting on a sun bed and looking at the view, listening to great music and inspiring podcasts, my mind wandered. I started thinking about the year so far, processing and thinking through what has been, and also thinking about how I wanted to shape and fill the rest of 2014. I took a piece of paper and started to note down thoughts as they came into my head.

I'm a list maker, a goal setter and enjoy making time to reflect. I've written before about my new year reflections and my word for the year...but this time it was different. Great plans and ideas were flowing and they had a real clarity to them. Many of the ideas I had already kick started but I was able to think through the ideas and refine them to help me push closer to what I'm hoping to achieve this year. The list that I made fell into two areas, my blog (goals and ambitions) and my life (personal development and lifestyle).

Looking at these lists today, a few weeks on from the holiday, I can see how really valuable taking the time to stop has actually been. I don't think that I would have made such progress with my ideas and they would have had such clarity to them if I didn't have time to really stop, switch off and allow my brain to wander. Stepping away from the hustle and bustle of morning routines, an exceedingly busy and challenging job, my commute, and day to day distractions, has made a huge difference.

I felt compelled to share my experience with you and I thought it may be good to write down a few takeaways from my week away...

Firstly, taking a holiday and going somewhere with no distractions can be a huge benefit. Mr C and I tend to take city breaks and are keen to find a place to stay with free wifi and pack the time away with lots of sightseeing, but actually not having these things on the agenda really allowed us to stop and disconnect. I think Mr C and I will now try and build in more relaxing holidays to ensure we get the benefit of just stopping.

Secondly, I came away from having a week away feeling refreshed and ready to add a new gusto to my goals. Making a promise to myself to relax and make time for my thoughts allowed me to process thoughts in a more productive manner and with much more clarity than I could've done. I was able to see how much I've embraced the year and how I'm planning to embrace the next few months ahead.

Finally, on returning from the holiday I made sure that I wrote up my ideas in a notebook. The notebook lives on my desk in my craft studio, I've found that I am regularly turning to these plans to give me an push of enthusiasm if I'm not feeling it after a busy day.

I hope that this summer you are able to take a trip away or take some time out for yourself to feel the benefit of switching off, escaping from the normal routine and gaining a new and enthused focus on your own goals.

The Pink Button Tree - the meaning behind the name

When I named my blog in 2011 I chose 'The Pink Button Tree'. I wanted to create a name with real meaning which would be my identity, define what my blog was about and for it to be a focus of the vision of this space. It wasn't created in an instant but when I found it I knew it was right. I've explained name to family and friends early on, but I haven't expressed its meaning in detail here. As my life goes through a change and my blog is evolving what better time to share with you the meaning behind my blog as it moves to its next stage. If you've wondered why I call my blog The Pink Button Tree read on...

Pink...

It is one of my favourite colours. I love it in every shade, from vibrant pinks through to pale pastels. I love vintage pink roses and peonies, pretty pink cardigans and patterned scarves, and love pink gingham and floral fabrics. I am always drawn to the colour pink. Wearing the colour makes me happy, gives me energy and makes me feel uplifted...it makes me smile. I want to make you smile, feel uplifted and inspired by reading my blog.

Button...

For me a button is a symbol of simple creativity. A practical and useful fastening, it brings things together allowing them to be whole and to work as they were destined to. My blog is about how I'm learning simple crafts and getting creative. I want to talk to you about how I'm learning, show you my practical handmade projects and approaches, with the hope that they will inspire you to bring more creativity into your life.

Tree...

For me the tree symbolises the journey of my life. A tree grows from one small seed and gradually over time, uses the energy and resources surrounding it to grow into something stronger, bigger, becoming something that lives beyond our own lifetime. I like to think of this tree as a cherry tree. It grows from a seed, changes with the seasons during its life, it blossoms, it grows fruit enabling it to pass on its seeds, allowing others to grow...

...When I was about 9 years old our school were involved in planting saplings in a local park. We were all invited to plant a tree in the park. We were able to choose what tree we wanted to plant, I chose a cherry tree as I loved the idea of growing a tree with pretty blossoms with the potential of growing fruit. As I've grown up I've tried to visit the tree to check how it is growing. However gradually over time as I've grown up, I've moved away from home and I've missed regular visits to the park. The last time I looked I had lost the exact location of my tree, there were so many other trees growing around the same space making it hard to find...but I knew it was there, I just needed to try and find it again...

...After arriving home from a life changing three month trip abroad at the start of 2011, I realised that there was something missing in my life, something I once had, but something that got lost as I went along life's journey... I'd lost my creativity and had left behind my creative hobbies and passions in the years I was studying and working. Just like the tree in the park, my creativity got lost, it became masked from view as other things grew bigger around it...While I was away travelling I decided that I wanted to reinvigorate something in me, to try and find my creativity again. When I came home from my trip I decided that I wanted to plant a new seed in my life and grow a new tree. I wanted to bring new creative handmade passions into my life, to keep learning, growing and developing...I rediscovered my creative passions that I learnt when I was young, and have spent the years since then growing my creative skills, my interests and dedicating time to reflect on how I want to grow and develop. I've become super passionate about photography, gardening, sewing, crochet, knitting, making things for our home, documenting my life, and sharing things that inspire me...I've let myself grow and have dedicated more time to being creative...it has brought me huge happiness.

...I want to continue growing and feeding the tree with my energy and enthusiasm, keeping a close look on how it is growing so I don't ever lose it again...I want to share my creative journey with you, talk about the bumps in the road, the different directions my journey is taking me, and the seasons of change that I experience as I grow my creative passions...I want to continue to grow my skills, to live life to the full, and pass on my thoughts, how-to's and inspirations. I want to pass on a seed to you...to inspire you to grow a life yourself, that's creative, simple, fulfilling and handmade by you.

My One Little Word for 2014 :: Embrace

My One Little Word for 2014 is Embrace...

The process of deciding on a word for the year started by writing a long list of words that spoke to me. I used lists of words people have used over the years and a list of my thoughts about how I want things to progress for me this year. Ali Edwards, the inspirational memory keeper behind the One Little Word course, says that 'your word may find you or you may go searching for it'...

Something about writing the word EMBRACE on the list of words I had made me put a little star next to it. I felt an odd sense of warmth towards the word and felt drawn to it each time I read through my shortlist. I know that in my life so far I have relied upon and gone with my gut reaction for many things, and this type of decision making process has proved to always give me the right solution when I've needed to use it...so I went with EMBRACE for this year.

EMBRACE feels like a natural step forward from GROW for me. Maybe for me last year I needed to GROW, grow from a new seed, grow to find me again, and to grow new things in my life...and now it is time to EMBRACE that growth, embrace me and push forward.

The photo above was taken be me in 2006 when I started to embrace my love and passion for digital photography and looking at the macro details...there's no manipulation with the photo, it's just what came happened when I pressed the button. I love this image, it's a raw expression of me and what I wanted to capture. This photo prompted me to push forward with a love of photography. Using this photo as my image for EMBRACE symbolises a few things for me and by adding my word has helped me focus on the word even more. The image for me symbolises that my favourite flower has opened, it has grown...and now it's time to embrace to moment of being open and blooming. There may be some blurry edges but in the centre there is focus...

I’ve started this month's prompt on the One Little Word course run by Ali Edwards. Our first set of tasks is really allowing me to discover more about my word for 2014. One of those is finding my image or symbol of EMBRACE, and I've been brave and embraced putting it out there today. I'm spending time exploring my word, I'm not rushing the process. I'm taking time to feel really connected to my plans for the year.

I may share more posts about my word this year, like I have done here, and let you know how I’m getting on. At the moment I’m just going to be with my word, let it into my life and see what the year brings. I'm really looking forward to it.

...Onwards with 2014, onwards with EMBRACE...

Have you chosen a word to make more visible this year? I’d love to find out if you are doing One Little Word and what word you have chosen. 

A Review of my One Little Word 2013 :: Grow

Over the past year I've been on a journey to include GROW, my One Little Word, as a core part of my life. I wrote about using this process at the start of 2013 and mid way through the year. I will be using it once again in 2014 to help me bring certain things into my life this year because the process last year has changed me...

One Little Word, it is an online class delivered by the fabulous and inspiring Ali Edwards. Ali is a super talented memory keeper and was the first blogger to inspire me to do Project Life. Each year Ali delivers her One Little Word course about choosing a word and bringing that word into your life. Inspired by her passion and her long running course I decided in January 2013 to start a new tradition each year to follow this class. It didn't disappoint, it brought huge change into my life.

On the first of each month Ali delivered an inspiring video chat about our focus for the month ahead with our word, and provided resources related to the journalling prompts so we could explore the word in more detail through writing, planning and getting creative.

At the start of the class we created twelve intentions for the year that I used to help shape the year ahead. The intentions I decided on for me proved a pathway for my journey through the year. I wanted to GROW. I was able to focus my thoughts on how I wanted to progress with my word during the year...instead of new year's resolutions I used these monthly intentions for 2013…

Grow closer

Grow my savings

Grow creativity

Grow up
Grow stronger

Grow and bloom

Courage to grow

Grow wiser

Grow a new seed

Make time to grow

Grow a cosy home

Grow an idea

It’s hard to know where to begin to tell you how influential the year was with the course and my progress with my word. What happened was a truly inspiring year for me. It has been a private journey...I've written in my journal about how I got on with my word during the year, talked to some of my closest friends and family about my word, and each month taken time a look back at the intentions to keep myself on track.

Surprisingly each of these twelve areas found themselves into parts of my life last year, many meaning different things to me personally than what may be obvious when you look at the list. What happened for me was a transformation and big change. I wont go into detail here, it really is just for me and my diary, but what I will say is that this process is an inspired way to bring into your life new things and make your word truly part of you.

When December arrived last year I was truly saddened that it was my last month of my word. I know that GROW will be there in the background, never forgotten and always impacting. I can’t say goodbye to GROW. The changes and everything the word brought into my life, and the influence it had on me, will always be there. Grow enabled me to explore new things, it got me to where I am in life right now.

Thank you Ali for a truly inspiring year! Onwards for 2014 with my new word for the year and another year of being inspired...

Taking the time to reflect :: Powerful resources to try for 2014

January is a month when many of us take on the sometimes daunting task of thinking about self-improvement. After having time to think many of us end up creating a handwritten list of resolutions for the year ahead. From experience this can work really well or you can find yourself reviewing a list the following January that you've forgotten about and you never get the list completed. Perhaps this year you may like to do something different to help you plan and dream for the year ahead. I've found some really powerful resources in the blogging community that I have used this year, and last year, that have helped me plan and shape the year ahead.

I'm a huge believer in reflection and taking time to create and cultivate a life you want to live. For many years I loved the ritual of writing resolutions in January and enjoyed the process of ticking things off the list, but somehow by the end of the year there were always a few things on the list I never managed to tackle. I decided a few years ago to find new ways to approach developing myself, making changes and reflecting on life. I made reflection something I liked to pick up every few months, by revisiting plans and keeping a focus each month. I managed to make real progress with plans and experiences I was hoping to introduce into my life, I've moved on from things that were blocking the process, and took a step forward towards things I really wanted in my life.

January is a hard month to start brand new things, with the short days, dark evenings and cold weather, it can be a hard time to make a fresh start. Over the years I have found that the month of September tends to be the time when I really re-think things in my life and make changes. Perhaps the change of season brings with it a natural shift in my senses, a time to shed old leaves and prepare for new ones. September is a time of the year typically associated with the start of an academic year and the start of new courses. For me this time of year has always symbolised and signalled a fresh start during most years of my life. Perhaps this is why September ends up being my favourite month of the year. A fresh start. A time to focus on developing and growing.

So what about January I hear you say! I find that January is a great time to reflect back on the things I’ve tried to start making part of my life a few months previously. By January I've finally managed to shed last years leaves, and start preparing in January to hunker down, hibernate and get myself ready for creating a productive set of new leaves by Spring. I tend to spend a lot of time during the month reflecting on life past, life present and hopes for the future. During the month of January I have seen the start of real change...I've made some of my biggest decisions that have shaped the course of the year and outcomes for the years ahead...all of these big changes I had started preparing for since September. 

With the start of the new year, a fresh push to start new things and create change, can really start to begin. Last January I started a few new ways of reflecting that I am excited to carry into 2014 and to tell you about.

Project Life...I started Project Life in 2013 to document each week of the year. I wrote a blog post about using Project Life at the end of 2013 and how it enabled me to reflect, think positively, and allowed me to be grateful each week, and get my photos into albums.

One Little Word...In January 2013 I started a year-long online class called One Little Word. The process is about having a word to help shape your year. For me it has been life changing, you can find out more about One Little Word in a further blog post this week.

In addition to these year-long projects, I completed a number of workbooks. A combination of all of these courses and projects brought with them real change and successes during last year. I've seen how impactful and felt the power that these resources were for me last year, so I've decided to make them a part of 2014...and add a new one, New Year's Revolution, into the mix as well!

Here are the resources that I’m using to reflect and plan for 2014...

Unravelling the Year Ahead by Susannah Conway

Unravelling the Year Ahead 2014 is a free resource to download from Susannah Conway's website. I love the bite sized sections of the workbook that help you focus for the year. Working your way through the workbook takes you on a journey. Firstly you begin the process of 'unravelling the year behind', thinking about achievements, challenges, favourite moments and then processing anything that needs to be forgiven and things to say goodbye to from the year. The next part of the reflection journey is about 'unravelling the year ahead' and taking time to plan and dream. I settled down one Sunday afternoon and completed this in a few hours over a weekend listening to some chillout music and letting myself think and not get distracted. I would definitely recommend this workbook to work through if you think it would help you push forward for a fresh year. 

Create your Amazing Year - Life and Biz Editions – Leonie Dawson

Create your Amazing Year is a paid for resource to help shape your year ahead. You can buy the workbook online, or download it as a PDF and print it out or type straight into the workbook. As I did last year I decided to print out the booklet but this year I chose to buy both Life and Biz editions. I don't have a business myself but I was keen to see use this part of the booklet for thinking about my blog and other ideas I have buzzing round my head at the moment. These books are packed full and are definitely worth the small investment made. 

The look is very artistic, so if you like very clean and simple this may not be for you. I love the artistic look and feel and can see the passion for art that Leonie has put into every page. The bright colours make the booklet really fun to complete. There are over 70 pages where you have the chance to explore how you can create an amazing year for your life, and if you buy the Biz edition too you there just over a further 50 pages. Then you get a calender to help you plan your year, so it is really worth the small investment!

Working through a number of sections in the Life Edition you start by celebrating and releasing 2013 using a number of prompts, and then set goals for the year ahead. Leonie's booklet helps you break your thoughts down and bring these goals into your life by getting them into your routine. There are lots of things to reflect on and plan for which I love. I decided to work through this booklet over a few days to keep my head fresh and have time to really think. I haven't completed the Biz booklet yet but I have an aim to work through this by the end of January. On finishing the Life Edition I felt really excited about what the year will hold.

New Year's Revolution - Do What You Love For Life - Beth Nicholls

This year I found a new resource from another one of my favourite blogs Do What You Love. The booklet is called New Year's Revolution and you can download it for free as a PDF document and print it out or type into it. There is a closed Facebook community too so you can have encouragement all year. The kit is divided into getting to know yourself, looking back on 2013 and then planning your perfect year in a section called retrospective visioning looking at the big picture and step by step. There is a calender included too to help you work your steps into a diary. I have completed everything up until the February calender so far with this kit. I enjoyed thinking about various things and reviewing my plans in a different way.

What I loved about all three of these downloadable workbooks was the process on reflecting on things I wouldn’t have normally have done. The journey you go through completing these workbooks encourages you to think about both positive and negative experiences that were part of the year past that enables you to and plan for the year ahead. Each of the booklets approaches this process in their own way and has a different feel about it. There are some similarities in the booklets but each of them approach reviewing and reflecting using different questions to help you reflect. Completing these booklets felt like having Leonie, Beth and Susannah sitting on my shoulder coaching me through the powerful reflections many of us need to do and appreciate at this time of year.

For me taking on and doing this for two years in a row has been so therapeutic. Having seen the plans and changes I made last year start to really unfold during 2013 was really positive. However tough feels to look back during January, a time of the year when all you want to do think about the future, the letting go and saying goodbye to the past year enables you to process thoughts and to successfully step forward. Working through the booklets I’ve learnt more about myself, about who I am, what makes me tick, and what makes me fold when times are tough. They have enabled me to explore different ways of reflecting and thinking.

The process of reflection cannot be rushed, I find taking time before the end of the year to start the reflecting process tends to anchor my thoughts and I spend January clarifying my hopes and dreams and plans for the year ahead. I took time to complete these booklets, it wasn’t a race to get them completed. If I wasn't in the mood to pick them up and write, I would skip bits and come back to them. If I found myself tired I wouldn’t push myself to think through the questions, I'd put it away and look at it another day. I didn’t want to miss the questions that required more thought as the outcome would have a powerful impact on how I approach the year ahead. I had space from the booklets for a few days after completing them and went back and reviewed things, adding new thoughts as I processed them. I will keep reviewing these booklets during the year and have added the printouts I have to a ring binder with a pretty cover so it is a pleasure to use it and go back.

Most of us experience a mixed year with highs and lows. For me 2013 had many very lovely moments, I grew, developed and started creating more of a life I loved and recorded it. However I’ve had some pretty huge and impactful down moments too… all of this can take time to process and work out. These booklets have all helped in their own way to process these feelings and experiences, and to help reflect on moments that haven't been the most positive. Doing this has enabled me to create the space to be positive, plan and look forwards for a fresh new year ahead.

I hope that by sharing these resources I have used, it may inspire you to download one, get a cup of tea, sit quietly and reflect. Combining these workbooks were a really powerful way for me to shape 2013. I am really looking forward to striving forward in 2014 with my plans and dreams.

Let me know how you get on and if you take a look at any of the workbooks.