In a world where I try to be all things to all people, the sea empowers me to focus, be strong and achieve more, 2017 will be the year of the ocean.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a crowd-pleaser, a performer, a puppet of epic proportions, with strings connected to many, it’s time to change. I’m a change-maker, a crowdfunder, a mother, a business owner, a partner, a friend, a surfer and a marketing maverick. What I’m not, is good to myself. This is my lesson.
2016 was a learning curve, mostly, because I nearly broke my body and my mental capacity. My mind was a tangle, my passions distorted and my focus shot into a blurry kaleidoscope of light, colour and sound, with tremendous confusion.
The biggest achievement in 2016 was a shattering understanding of what it means to be alive. That I have a huge life, that I can’t do it all, but with care and attention inward facing towards my own health and body, I can be more powerful than even I knew but it starts with slowing down, breathing and looking around.
What a journey, from internal chaos to external clarity. My top tip for anyone looking to take on 2017 is to take the time to reflect, measure and change your own life, before trying to impact on others. In the long-run, they’ll be the ones who benefit.
I came across Thrive while trying to piece an almost fractured mind back together after five years without a break, not stopping in a quest to be…. what? A shell of a mother, a hollow employee and a dark eyed, dark souled whisper of my former self. I’ve learned a lot. Who knew sleep could be so good? Who knew we’d forgotten the importance of knowing ourselves and our limits? Who knew we were allowed to be human, to break, to reform ambitions, to take different paths and to importantly, deal with our inability to please everyone.
I’m blessed, I’ve dodged a life-altering collision of giving it all to everyone but myself and damaging my soul. I’m 32. I’ve got time to to reflect and adjust, to become a better me so I can be better for others.
I don’t do resolutions, but my commitment for 2017 is to dedicate more time to the sea, to surf, a passion that’s given me so much, and never taken anything back. To not only search for fitness, but discover in the silence under the waves the clarity I need for the health of my mind and spirit. To value time with my family, to consider and focus energy on my career and my own business with razor-sharp intensity, leaving space to grow as a person.
2016 taught me I needed to live better. Not just survive.
Originally published at medium.com