Welcome to 2017 and I wish you every happiness for the year ahead.
I’ve been travelling in Australia (I’ve been to Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, Northern Territory and New South Wales) and was on a boat in Sydney Harbour for the new year celebrations. This has been something I’ve wanted to do for years and this has been the perfect time, what better way to enter my 60th year, and I’m going to make it a fantastic one.
FACING FEARS
It’s tempting to play it safe, to stay within your comfort zone but does that help you to grow?
I’m scared of heights. To be more accurate, I’m scared of falling, but I avoid being high up. However, one of the ‘must-do’ activities in Sydney is the harbour bridge climb, and as I hovered over the buy button, and was feeling nervous just making the booking, I talked with Simon and whether I did, or didn’t buy the tickets I’d wish I’d done the other, so tickets were bought.
On our holiday, in Western Australia, I did a tree top walk, which was high up, with a grid floor but there were sides to the walk way and I realised the bridge climb would be similar.
This helped to allay my fears. I also rode on the worlds’ longest chairlift in Launceston, Tasmania and although scary I did fine.
We flew into Sydney on 29th December and had the climb booked for 0930 the next morning. I wanted it to be the first thing I did so I couldn’t back out. I hadn’t realised but we were the last group of the day, and year, and I was the last off the bridge.
I’m sharing this as this is something I was very apprehensive about and I faced my fear, but I did it and feel good. So, what fear do you need to face?
BTW, I’m also scared of spiders, but the next day with my new-found confidence went to the Australia Museum for the Alive and Deadly exhibition where I’d come up close to spiders. It was fine, no problem at all.
NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS
Have you set some resolutions (goals) for this year? It always seems a strange time to make plans, often they are ill thought through – they aren’t SMART goals, and so we fail, and feel bad.
What I think is better is to wait a couple of weeks and think more deeply on what you want to do. My next newsletter, in a couple of weeks, will give you some guidance on how to do this, and enjoy the process.
LOOKING BACK
I think this is something that you should do, to look back on the year just gone and think about all the good things you have done. These don’t need to be major, they can be small, and can be from any aspect of our life.
When I look back on 2016 I am pleased that I’ve spent time on being me and experiencing life rather than whizzing through and missing out. On this overseas trip, we’ve taken a slower approach – why fly when you can drive, and to enjoy the journey. I’m taking this approach to life, and taking time to enjoy just being and to appreciate the now. I’ve been much better at this than in the past. This past year I’ve read more books, taken time to exercise each day, moved ahead with my dancing, and generally maintained my weight – this is enough, and this alone makes me think I’ve had a successful year. I shouldn’t forget that I’ve also had a book published – Find Work at 50+ and worked with some fabulous clients, you know who you are, and got involved in a successful media campaign.
REGRETS
We all can have regrets, the goals we didn’t reach, but rather than focus on that I’d rather take it as the progress you have made. I don’t think we need to share these with others but I do want to encourage you to stop thinking about the things that didn’t go right, or failures, but to think of the progress you have made. One step forward is good!
Happy New Year
Denise x
