I was thrilled with my turquoise vision board produced last year during a day-long retreat with Marion Young and her husband Martin, but this time, I wanted to go bolder. Brighter. I desired something several shades above egg yolk and bought the most dazzling piece of yellow card I could find. I had a stack of magazines, a chunky Pritt stick, and some scissors, all I had to do was close my eyes and ponder on how I want things to pan out in 2023.
The day itself was glorious. Online meditations, followed by a workbook. I had no trouble writing about how I would like 2023 to unfold. A published book, a healthy bank account, and fixing up our house, which is due to be sold in two years’ time were top of the list.
Surprisingly, when it came to constructing my vision board, I ended up with far more ‘luxury’ than I’d anticipated. Last year’s vision board was about sea views, robins, and writing, all of which were in abundance, but it appears I have cocktails, a trip to Japan, and style on my mind this year. I even cut out the words ‘luxury lover’ and stuck them on my board.
I’d almost forgotten how much I love a touch of luxury. Last year, every spare moment was spent editing my novel and with child number two starting university and needing a £6,000 cheque for rent along with an £8,000 vet’s bill, there wasn’t any spare cash in the coffers for holidays, swanky hot spots and the like. I remember now though, that I am a person who loves the idea of swaying in a hammock with a raspberry mojito resting on my lap. I love clothes too and hardly bought any last year.
There is one small hurdle in the way of my luxury lifestyle, namely the fact that with a little nudge from the universe, we’re splashing out on a bungalow by the sea which came at an eye-watering price. Because of this, I assumed that 2023 would be a time of belt-tightening and budgeting, but it seems my unconscious mind has other ideas. Hopefully, it also knows how to pay for these little touches of loveliness.
The word ‘bold’ also features on my board, twice, along with the phrase ‘fearlessly brave.’ This refers to my decision to carve out a career that lights me up and excites me. My work life improved immensely in 2022, but I want it to be better than okay, I want it to be brilliant. There are two things I really enjoy, namely, writing this blog and fiction. Is it possible to earn a decent living doing those two things? For years I have told myself that it isn’t, but why not?
I have started a Patreon page, so that I can create content like this and make a living from it and at some point this year, my book will go off to a literary agent. Magic could happen…if I stop telling myself that people like me don’t earn a proper living from writing.
I had the misfortune of watching an Andrew Tate video yesterday and was aghast at his ridiculousness. It was almost comical, as if Sacha Baron Cohen had created a new, outrageous character, but the awful truth is, this man is a role model to a huge swathe of young men – almost a quarter of a million of them subscribe to his ‘Hustler’s University.’
His advice for going viral is to post something hateful so that it grabs attention. I have no intention of doing this, but if Andrew Tate can produce the most viewed videos ever known on social media, surely there will be people out there who will want to watch mine? I won’t be inciting violence, holding a gun, or pouting like a grouper fish, I will be talking about this, my spiritual journey, and all the inner work that it entails. I’ll be the anti-Andrew Tate if you like, although frankly, that’s not difficult.
2022 was a blast and 2023 will be too. I’m going to make sure of it. Have you done a Vision Board yet? If not, I can thoroughly recommend it. Looking back at them a year later is fascinating, because so much of what is on there ends up happening. Go on, be bold. I think it’s my buzzword for 2023…