Tag: Life

88 Days to Christmas 😱

I know right! Where has the year gone? On the bright side, it means we still have 95 days left (at the time of writing this) to achieve the goals we set for 2024. It doesn’t sound like much, but it’s enough time to close off what you have started, at least.

Photo by Steve Johnson on Pexels.com

2024 Goal

I have been reviewing my year thus far and I have to say that it hasn’t been too bad of a year. 2024 is my year of Less. Most importantly for me, I needed to declutter my home. I am thrilled to say that I am about 70% of the way there. My kitchen countertops are clear. My dining room area is clear (most days at least. What is it about table tops that attracts life’s bits and bobs? 🤷🏽‍♀️) My lounge is looking neater and I finally figured out how to keep all the electrical cords out of site. I hate to say it but I do need to get rid of some of my books as I am never going to read them all. The sight of them overwhelms me sometimes. Next in line: my wardrobes.

Tough love is Tough!

Raising a teen is a challenge like no other. This past school term has been a push to get my son’s marks up. I think he forgot what he is capable of. I had to set strict boundaries to get him focused throughout the term. The hardest part of tough love is the toll it takes on the person giving it. I have always hated saying no to my son, but I also accepted that there were times when no was the only answer. This term was a term of an almost constant stream of “no”. It broke my heart to have to do it and to see the frustration and disappointment in his eyes. At the end of the day, it was all worth it, and even he couldn’t believe some of the marks he achieved. He was so thrilled that he couldn’t wait to get to the car with his report, so he called me and told me about his marks as he walked the few 100m to the car. I was so happy for him and very relieved that his hard work had paid off.

Working and Learning

At work, I have learned to look at things with a marketer’s eyes. Letting go of my technical mindset and methods for doing things has been tough. I am not there yet but I am grateful for the opportunity to grow in this manner. The one thing I have also had to learn is that, even though I am changing the way I look at things or articulate them, I must not doubt my instincts. It is so easy to doubt yourself when learning something new.

Tea is my New Best Friend

My health has been on a bit of a rollercoaster ride this year. I have finally lost most of the weight I had gained this year. My blood sugar is getting back to a good space. My cholesterol has been looking good, but my blood pressure has suddenly jumped up this year. Thankfully, it was almost back to normal this week, but I will keep monitoring it. I have reduced my caffeine intake as a start and am enjoying trying out new caffeine-free teas. Right now I am alternating between rooibos, rose petal and vanilla tea, chamomile tea and ginger tea. The rose tea and chamomile tea are definitely smoother, so I have them at night or when I feel stressed. The rooibos is more earthy in flavour and it seems to also curb my snacking habit. I need to monitor this a bit more to see if it really is helping. Ginger is supposed to aid digestion so I drink it after a meal.

6 Years into my New Reality – an Update

Lastly, this week, it was six years since my mum crossed over. Looking back, I am amazed at how much I have changed since it happened:

  • I am no longer drawn to articles and books on how to grow my confidence. I am a whole lot more confident in myself.
  • I am more aware of my strengths, and I spend my time trying to grow them. Right now I am drawn to mental models and strategic thinking.
  • I have clearer boundaries in most areas of my life.
  • My faith has grown stronger. I find it easier to let go of people and things that do not positively serve me or my son.
  • Most importantly, I know who I am.
  • I still struggle with committing to/focusing on one thing, but I am aware of it which is a step in the right direction. As Dr Phil says, “you can’t change what you don’t acknowledge”. I will continue to chip away at this block until it is no more.
Cheers to the end of another successful quarter! Photograph: Author’s own

So, it’s 88 days to Christmas. I must admit that I have started eyeing new Christmas ornaments in the stores even though I know I have too many already. Note to self, though: It is your year of less. Walk away from the ornaments!😅

How is your 2024 going? What are you most proud of? Do you still have goals that you want to achieve before this year is through? Let me know in the comments. I would love to hear from you.

Thanks for stopping by. Bye for now

A Quarterly Round-Up…Q1 2024

Hi Hi. It has been a long minute since I last wrote. I have to admit that I have been feeling out of sorts over the past few months and once again, my mum came to the rescue. This time the message came through my best friend.

Healing

I haven’t had a heart-to-heart talk with my friend in years. She lives in the UK and we both let distance and life get in the way of our connection. On Thursday evening we took the time to have a veeeery looooong call and she told about her last conversation with my mum. It was exactly what I needed to hear and I spent Friday morning just crying my heart out because it was what I need to do. I have been feelng a lot more grounded since then. My year will get better from here on out. Thank you my friend and thank you Mummy for coming through for me from the other side.

A New Hobby

I have discovered that I actually really do enjoy photography. I was inspired by an iPhone photography influencer on Instagram. I didn’t quite realise what great pics I could take with my phone. I just have a basic iPhone 13 but the camera is still great. I am still playing around with it and I am just starting to figure out the editing apps. I am so excited! Below is just a few of my attempts. Forgive me if the collage looks extra big. I can’t seem to make it smaller.

Portrait of Shoes
A sunset from my window
Floral portrait
Floral Potrait II
Just me
Shoes
Multifaceted Me

Sink or Swim

Work has been challenging as well but I have been enjoying each new challenge that has come my way. There are days when it feels like my brain has actually expanded. I feel both exhausted yet energised. It’s so weird. I am learning a lot but I am also putting my strengths to work and I get to work with some of the best marketing minds in our business right now. I feel very blessed.

Life’s Knocks

Of course, all has not been rosy. I have gained weight instead of losing it and have been beset with aches and pains which has irritated me. I am working on sorting these issues out but until then I guess I will just have to grin and bear it. I also reconnected with another friend that I believe is like a soul mate. We connect in a way that I have never connected with anyone else before but we have disconnected again for reasons that are what they are. I do believe that we will connect again. Now is not the time though. Until then I will carry on but I will miss him dearly.

Growing and Learning

Lastly, my son’s grandfather took him and his brothers to the UK to watch Liverpool play. I am so grateful he had the experience. It also opened his eyes to the fact that there is a big wide world out there with so much to see and to do. The travel bug has now bitten him so now I will have to start saving for a trip for him and I. It’s a great problem to have!

That’s it for now. Thank you for popping by. Please feel free for any photography tips. I am eager to learn more:)

Reflections #2 – Time Will pass anyway

Today Facebook reminded me of a 10 year old post. I was celebrating having enrolled for my BA in psychology and anthropology. Everyone thought I was mad. Today I am counting down the weeks to graduation day for my BA Honours in psychology.

It was a reminder that the time will fly by anyway. Time’s passing is out of my control but what is in my control is how I use it. Sometimes our dreams and goals seem so far away and we give up because we think it will take too long to achieve. The reality is that the time is going to pass anyway so go out and do that you have always wanted to do. One day you will look back and realise who much you maximised your time on this earth instead of wasting it in fear of “how long a dream or goal will take to achieve”.

Haven you ever chosen to do something even though it would take you what seemed like forever?

That’s for popping be. Be blessed.