How was your Christmas and New Year?
I nice mix of restful and fun I hope. Mine was great, being just back from Malaysia, we managed to catch up with most people and enjoy the festivities. I was a little under the weather meaning it was a steady festive season but New Years Eve was fun. A night with a few close friends making cocktails and catching up after not seeing them for blooming ages.
It’s been a while since I gave this space some serious attention. What with packing up to leave Malaysia, doing leaving things in KL and actually moving back to the UK I have been pretty stacked! Also it is hard to write when you aren’t quite sure what you are doing with your life. Questions like, ‘Can I still write a predominantly travel based blog, when I live in the UK?’ seem to pop up when I am thinking about what to write. Anyway I’ve decided I can and I will just keep writing. I’ve always been pretty loose about being a travel blog, so I figure I will just keep doing me and see how it goes.
So Hello 2019. Not one for resolutions, because frankly, does anyone really ever keep them? So often they are based in changing who you are, cutting things out or drastic measures. They make life dull and without joy that we drop them asap and then feel like a failure for doing so. Hence don’t set them, then you don’t have to drop them and don’t have to feel like a failure.
I am thinking about the future in different ways. Trying to visualise where I want to be in 12 months time, can I say running a beach bar? No seriously I am thinking about where I want my little fledgling freelance business to be and what small steps I can take right now to make that a reality. So no changing myself or drastic measures, just planning for a brighter future.
So, what things can I do now that will impact my life 12 months from now?
A big one for me is belief. As a creative I, like so many others, don’t believe in my ability and will talk myself out of so many things. so this year I am going to jump in feet first and try to believe. You see I know it is all about attitude, if you believe you can, you will succeed. Determination is something I don’t struggle with, anyone that knows me, knows that if I want something I more often than not get it. So my theme tune for 2019 is Attitude Belief and Determination by Martin L. Dumas Jr – just putting it here for future pep talks.
I have talked on here a bit about my struggles with mental health issues. I want to be more open about the struggle and look out for myself in a more proactive way. I have taught myself to spot the signs of a downward spiral and tell people, break myself out of my head with a walk or some downtime that focuses on self-care. It has taken me nearly 20 years to get to this point so, it takes time.
I want to keep travel on the agenda, Ben and I have decided to take trips instead of give each other presents this year. An easy way to make travelling more affordable.
I want to make my home into a green house. Living in Malaysia, everything is so green, cafes and shops are full of plants, you turn a corner and there is a jungle ahead. I always loved gardening so I want to indulge that passion by having lots of indoor plants and really giving my garden so love. An excellent thing for the old mental health too!
There you go a few small things I am going to do to make my life richer this year. What do you want to do this year?
