Hello incredible people and Happy New Year to you all!
How are you feeling and did you enjoy Christmas? That’s an honest question, not the sort where we all answer “Yes it was lovely. You?”
There’s a huge expectation on us all to have a wonderful Christmas. That is not always the reality and it’s ok to say so. This year for me was ok, but to be honest I’m glad it’s over. I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy myself at all, we had some fab times, especially with the kids when they were with us.It was their Dads turn to have them and considering I have been doing this since they were 3 and 5, I found it incredibly difficult this year, it’s never quite the same without them.
I do have to quickly mention Saffie who was so sweet and made Christmas Day for us, she opened her presents and was hilarious, by the time she was done with hers she wanted to help us with ours! Really was like having a toddler around!
Anyway wether you had the best Christmas ever or the worst it’s all part of life and if it really wasn’t a good one for you it doesn’t have to be any indication of the year ahead, which brings me onto the following.
As you know I have been working at The White Company in the lead up to Christmas for a couple of months. I did apply for one of the part-time permanent positions but I wan’t successful in getting it. I have to be honest and say that I was completely gutted! It wasn’t how I was hoping for the new year to start. Working there has been such an enjoyable and educational experience, the people, staff, customers and the products. Earning some money was also a huge bonus! The staff were so lovely and I was never made to feel any different to the permanent staff, as I think most of the seasonal staff would agree. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. I’m going to talk more about dealing with disappointment in the next post.
Anyway I am now feeling really positive about the new year and what’s in store. I was thinking about my post this time last year Not all Singing and Dancing which you may find helpful if your not feeling it. So much of how we move forward in our lives is our attitude. I also had a look back on Time for Change and the list of things that I hoped to achieve last year. Before I went back to look I had decided in my head that I had ‘failed’ as I didn’t think I’d done anything on there, it felt so good when I realised I had.
Here is a copy of the original list
* a photography course
* a writing course
* invest more in friendships
* step out into new ventures and not shy away for fear of failure
* help others to realise and achieve their goals in life
There are several things I have done to step out and not hold back because of fear such as doing my first vlog last year. It was only one and I have been meaning to do more, but it does still make me feel very far out of my comfort zone, maybe this year should be the year of doing more vlogs – watch this space and remind/encourage me. I took 2 creative evenings which I never thought I could do, travelled to the Faroe Islands with others from church and saw God do amazing things, along with several other adventures.
I’d like to think I invested in my friends more but that is something I want to pursue this year also. As you can see from the list there were several other things i.e photography and writing courses which didn’t happen, but I’m not worrying about what I didn’t do but focusing on what I did do.
What did you do last year that you hadn’t done before? It can be really hard to remember over a whole year, it can become a bit of a blur with the amount of things we have going on. Let me encourage you to take some time, make a cuppa, sit down and think over the last year. What did you do that made you feel proud? What did you do that you weren’t so crazy about? What change would you like to see this year? They don’t have to be huge things, we have to start somewhere. Maybe write a list of some thing or some change you want to see by this time next year and see what you can do to bring that about. Obviously there are some things in life that we can’t change such as other people and their choices but we can always choose how we act and react.
It really did me good to look back and I hope it helps you too.
As I said no matter how your new year started it doesn’t need to define the rest of the year. Focus on good things and possibilities for the year ahead.
I would really like to hear from you and how you’ve been including Christmas and new year and any plans you have for this year.
Sending you all much love
Kate x