It started after months of being off topic in life and then months of feeling like a failure, over thinking things and analyzing every move I had made the past three months. Some would call what I did the first quarter of the year soul searching. I agree, but over thinking fits too. After that I started doing what I do best, researching.
I desperately tried to put words to what went wrong and then figure out how to fix it. One thing I focused on was knowing myself and listening to my body and my intuition. We all have those split second moments that speak to us and then we ignore them because, well, they no basis in reality, right? Wrong. Hindsight is 20/20 and all that. I can pick out each time I didn't listen to myself. Whether it was not eating when I first thought about it or not saying no to a new venture because I couldn't remember I had good reason to do so.
Those situations happened way too often and time flies no matter whether you are accomplishing your goals or not. This self reflection coupled with my enjoyment for creating things led to self care. What makes me happy or at least feel better? Making things with my hands, music, laughter, baths, being warm, fed and clean, having space to work, family, friends, writing, art, beaches, color, having enough money, parks, looking at pretty things and helping people. That's my personal list and I endeavored to adjust my life to making sure to get those things when I needed and wanted them.
My next step was to improve my productivity. One does not run two businesses without being productive. They run you otherwise. Thankfully self care research led me to bullet journaling. Finally, a place I could write everything down. Kim of Tiny Ray of Sunshine really opened my eyes with her blog and business bullet journal post. I had been struggling with administrative stuff because all the forms and spreadsheets on my computer screen seemed too much and not enough. I don't know if this makes sense but the screen was not big enough. I always felt like I couldn't see enough.
Anyway, bullet journaling led me to Kara Benz's Boho Berry and the Getting Things Done method. Boho Berry also led me to, or back to because I have come across her before, Marketing Creativity by Lisa Jacobs. Think 90 day plans like the NiceOps Planathon but for an entire year and I think my head blew up when I read Your Best Year 2017. But that was just business.
Bullet journaling also led me to changing habits and habit trackers I use habit trackers to make sure I take care of myself physically and to keep my business endeavors on track. It also led me back to having daily routines, keeping memories, art journaling and spiritual journaling. Oh and YNAB! The more I could remember the better I felt. The more I took care of myself the better I felt. The more I planned the better I felt. The more I did besides read because I didn't get lost for days in books and stories online forgetting that there were other things in life that I enjoyed and missed out on, the better I felt.
By no means is my life now perfect. I still fall back into bad habits. I still argue with myself about eating. This is just a reflection of how 2016 went for me. I can happily tell you most of what I did from July on which is not the case for before that. And not because that's an older time period. I have been more present and more active since then.
My cousin got married at a family home and she is one of the happiest people I know. I went to Camp Anime and had a better time than the previous year. My coven work has been going good. I finally made it to the beach in California. I read tons of great books. I dressed up and went out for Halloween and my birthday. I went to Kcon, enjoyed every second of it and made some new friends. A man I consider a brother got married and he and his wife planned a spectacular wedding all by themselves. They also bought a house and moved in together. Thanks to an old friend I now have a better relationship with my money and bills than ever before in life. The holidays were pretty damned good with family and good cheer and love even when good cheer was absent. I made twice as much in sales than I did last year. TWICE!! That is mind boggling.
I also have goals for 2017. But that's a post for another day. In 2015 I wrote vaguely about my plans for 2016. This time I wanted to be more structured and concrete and transparent. Details on that will come in my next blog post. So look out for that.
~Lashette
Scarlet Moon Creations
Excelsior Events, Inc.
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