I’ve been back in the bay for almost a year, after being gone about that long in 2011, and have been in heaven revisiting all my old stomping grounds, and really rooting into my space in San Rafael – about 20 minutes north of SF. The nature connection here is incomparable, so I get out in it when I can and think, “I live here.” The desert in Arizona has a distinct beauty to it that will always pull on me especially in the spring, but standing in redwood groves WHILE looking at the ocean, well it makes my heart beat a happy tune.
And there’s a lot to be happy about. During this past year, I decided to really focus my business specifically on helping one group of people – women struggling with conception (so send 'em my way if you know of anyone who needs me). As I’ve been making that shift in my holistic practice, I’ve been sooo happy with all the clarity and ease that’s poured in.
I always wondered how my background - as a teacher and school counselor - was going to weave into my holistic work, and now that I see that I’m essentially helping all the kids that are TRYING to come in (by helping their parents clear the path) everything suddenly makes so much sense… and I’m really excited about all the plans I have in 2013 to start getting this work out there to large groups of women, rather than a handful at a time.
Meanwhile, something I’ve always struggled with is maintaining a balance when it comes to work. I’m a hard worker and I’ve always held more than one job at a time, because the career I yearned for didn’t exist before I created it, and I had to experiment a bit to figure out some details (at one point I was a holistic healer/food server/reading specialist).
But I never made much time for travel or fun. Meditation, creativity, and inner-work, yes. Silliness and adventure, no.
And this year, I’m starting to offer holistic fertility programs online, which means I’m working my way up a new professional learning curve… technology, the internet, and marketing. I know I’ll be tempted to throw myself completely into it in 2013, but my intention (I’m sort of not into using the word “resolution”) is to also have FUN!
So while there is a lot I hope to accomplish this calendar year business-wise, I intend to simultaneously play. A lot. I’m buying a bike and rollerblades. I’m visiting the trampoline house. I am considering hang-gliding. I want to use the passport that's been sitting, blank, in my drawer for the past three years. And there’re a few more ideas on my list.
I’m not going to worry about how fun feeds my work process, or whether it ties in symbolically to any of my personal processes (although I’m sure it will). I’m going to approach having a good time the way most people do, without a ton of contemplation attached… to prioritize leisure, rather than fit it in if there’s time left over.
As for you, do you like to form new year’s resolutions or do you wait until spring to try and develop new habits (which is the time of year best suited for making big habit changes)?
I’m curious if you can find among your new year’s resolutions, a POSITIVE thing you want to ADD into your life rather than thinking about stopping this, or cutting down on that. If you approach your resolutions from an additive perspective, you’re much more likely to be successful. And a successful small intention, like drinking more green drinks, is going to feel better than a huge intention that only sticks for a few days, like cutting out all sugar, carbs, and dairy. :)
So here’s to a happy, healthy, more love-filled 2013! May your hearts continue to open wide this year.
My very best to you all,
Mary