My Phrase of The Year - Year of Wonders

There comes a time when you just have to go against the norm and embrace the unknown in order to see your dreams come true. It means a great deal of discomfort, but when you know what that discomfort is about and that it is nothing bad, then it becomes bearable. 

This year brought a lot of change for me. I learned to start saying no and even though it cost me relationships, it brought new ones. Ones that lined up with where I want to go and my truth.

In 2018 many of the things I was believing for, big things, came to pass. I was thrust into this open space for my soul to breath and opportunities came flooding in. Within a year I experienced even more of my dreams come to pass.

Yet I found that the lack of pressure from difficult circumstances made me idle when it came to dreaming even bigger. 

I settled.

As soon as I became aware of this and started to really think about what was next for me, I knew it had to do with my truth. This is when I started to set boundaries and use the word "no" in order to strive to live my truth.

Possibilities & Wonders

It soon became clear that my truth involved something far bigger than I had anticipated. That I would have to move outside the comforts of the proverbial box to a place so vast it would require a decision to much like Neo's in the movie The Matrix. Sounds corny, but for those who have been there, you know what I'm talking about and appreciate the analogy.

There is no going back.

So I made the decision to leave the box. 

Now I'm in unknown territory. But this is a very good place to be because this is where the field of potentiality is. A place where anything is possible.

At this rate you may wonder what the hell I'm talking about. But stay with me. 

When you're in the unknown you are in a place of searching and finding your way. This is crucial to living your truth. In the words of Nancy Hillis, the unknown is "alive and mysterious". It's a place of growth. 

You see the system we live by today pretty much controls how we live and think. How we do things. It leaves no space for miracles, possibilities or wonders. It cultivates a certain pessimistic outlook.  

But when we embrace the idea of a new reality, one in which your wildest dreams are possible, you go against the majority and many will not understand. Yet some will be inspired and encouraged to follow. 

And this is how my phrase for the year was born. Actually, that's not strictly true. My phrase came about in a serendipitous way. I was set on the word "Wonders", anticipating 2020 and beyond being a time of wonders coming to pass in my life. But one day I was in a charity shop looking at books when one caught my eye. The author had the same name as me and I saw the word Wonders. So I pulled it off the shelf to take a look. My heart leaped at what I saw.

There and then I knew 2020, and beyond, would be my year of Wonders. So I took a phrase for my "word of the year". 

Join Me!

Now I plan to share my journey. Here on my blog and other social media platforms. Even more intimately however, on my Patreon where I will create content to help you cultivate a life of wonder and possibilities.

Check it out here: https://www.patreon.com/GeraldineJayne

So what is your word for 2020? Do you have any goals or dreams you would like to see come to fruition? Do you wish to dream even bigger but never thought it possible? Let me know in the comments below! 

Here's to a magical new year filled with wonders! 

A Leap Into The Unknown To Find The Magic

Do you ever find yourself craving for something different? Everyone seems to be doing the same thing and no matter where you go to find inspiration it seems to be lacking.

This could be in all areas of life.

This year I have found myself in something of a paradox. I want to grow as an artist and as a person. I want to learn and express my truth in my art. But in order to do that I have to let go of everything I think I know. 

To create the new I have to uncreate the old.

To find what it is I'm looking for I have to leap into the unknown. 

This is all well and good, exciting even...but what about when you're in a position of inspiring others? What do you say or do? How do you let them know? 

"Oh hey, buckle up because I can't prepare you for what lies ahead. You're either going to love the ride or want to jump off part way."

Time To Trust My Higher Self

These past few months have mostly been about saying "No" and letting go. Stripping myself in the kindest way possible of people pleasing. It wasn't easy. People were offended and felt rejected. That was never my intention. My intention was to put myself first for a change.

Self-care quotes may be all the rage at the moment, but when it comes to truly implementing it in your own life, suddenly friends who are known to be riding that wave of posting positive quotes on all their social media, take offence to you actually taking it seriously for yourself.

Don't be put off. Keep going, the rewards to your inner life are extraordinary!

Leaping Into The Unknown!

I didn't realize it at the time but the landscape of my life was being cleared for something new. 

But now I was being prompted to do something even more uncomfortable...

Let go of all I thought I knew.

In art that means all those lessons you took part in online. The books you read, YouTube tutorials, etc. 

Come back to yourself as a child.

Start a fresh with a blank canvas.

Embrace scribbles, marks, chaos AND simplicity.

Something New

This is where new ideas are formed and birthed. 

I have had ideas for my videos specifically, but have always felt so overwhelmed. Both by perfectionism and people pleasing. With both those things out of the way and replaced with an attitude of experimentation and exploration, those ideas now have the space to develop and grow.

This is where you bring the new and exciting into the word.

This is what it means to create.

Often we copy....

               techniques....

                         Ideas.....

                                Styles....

                                      etc.....

We do this in our own way of course but there is always a sameness at the end of the day. That inspirational something. 

A uniqueness. 

Fresh from the source.

My word for 2020 is in fact three;

Year of Wonders.

It is my goal to leave the past behind and embrace wholeheartedly wonders for my life that I could not have discovered while trying to be someone I'm not. 

Only when you embrace your truth do you embrace the wonders that lie ahead for you. 

The magic really is in the unknown. But are you willing to embrace the unknown to find it?

     

NOvember - My Personal Experience in Learning to Say No

Google NOvember and you will see that there are many campaigns encouraging people to say no to some pretty serious abuse. Such as drug abuse or violence and sexual exploitation. 

But as the hashtag is expanding to include other topics, what about day to day things that may be seemingly insignificant to some but are causing stress or anxiety to others? It's these seemingly insignificant things I started saying no to this year...

Looking back on the past year, and decade, gives opportunity to put a lot of what has happened into perspective. With plans being put into motion for 2020, I would like to move beyond all that has happened.

To all I have offended. It has never ever been intentional. This year I needed to learn to say no and walk away from things/places that were not good for me. And I needed to say no to things that I simply did not want to do. I have been such a people pleaser for so long that saying no felt impossible. And it came at a cost...that cost was my truth.

In order to speak and live my truth I knew I had to start learning to say no. 

As I started to say no and it offended someone, they had no idea the strength it took within to say it. Inside I was terrified. 

Next came the time to start walking away. This was scarier because I knew I would be misunderstood. 

And I was. 

Earlier this year I walked away from an online group. Actually I left a few, but only one caused misunderstanding. I literally just walked. I snuck out of the back door. No drama. I had my reasons...many of them. They had been building for a while. But I decided that I would keep them to myself in order not to cause drama or sway opinion. 

However, it didn't go down too well. I caused offence just by leaving and such an action was extremely misunderstood. Being put down to a single fact...I left because I was offended myself. 

Not true.

But you know, it's okay. 

It's okay because I have more self-confidence than I did a few months ago. Saying no does that to you. At one time it would have bothered me but today I close the door. I'm moving on. But before I do, I want to say this to everyone who I've upset.

I'm sorry. I'm genuinely sorry my actions offended you and I'm here if you ever decide to put the past behind and move on too. 

I am not sorry for my boundaries. 

I am not sorry for standing on my morals and principles. For speaking up about injustices.

They are so incredibly important to me. It took a lot to be brave enough to start living by them. 

Years ago I vowed to not be a victim, waiting for someone to come save me, but to try and be the best version of myself possible. It's only now I'm learning that boundaries and no's are part and parcel of that.

I genuinely wish all I upset the very best. Next year is going to be an incredible year and I really do hope your dreams become a reality. But if we cannot go into 2020 together, that's okay. Just know they are no ill feelings on my part. 

Geraldine Xx

Principles - The Closing of a Decade, The Beginning of Another.

This year has been beyond incredible for me. Dreams have literally come true, goals smashed, and opportunities, bigger than I imagined, present themselves to me. But in order to build on all these, I know I have had to make damn sure my foundations are right.

When you start to build something everyone knows that you better get the foundation right. Otherwise, the more you add to the building, the more likely it is to fall. But there is also a cost to building right, namely time, patience and standing against those who wish to cut corners or use cheaper materials. 

It's not much different when it comes to translating this over to how you build your life. 

At the beginning of the year, I was faced with a lot of tough choices. Ones which were important to me, but would potentially upset friends who took them personally. I drew a boundary and it was instantly mistaken for rejection. I made decisions based on my own well being and principles, and it was perceived as foolishness. But where I experienced negative responses from friends, in came an unexpected opportunity, offer or a new friendship.

It was really tough, but somehow things were made better by the good that often followed. 

As the year went on I began to notice that a lot of people were choosing money over morals. Enabling poor business practices by supporting them for their own financial gain. Often at the risk of losing out financially again. Yet in the same breath saying they feel they have no choice.

BS.

There is always a choice. 

It is our principles, our guiding morals, that determines our choices. This involves facing our fears. In fact it will expose them...fear of lack, fear of what people will think, FOMO, etc etc.

It's how we handle fear that determines which choice we make. 

Sometimes, either choice will upset someone. It's a question of do we go with what's right, trusting things will work out, or give in to fear at the cost of what's right, losing good people in our life. 

I understand this all may sound a bit cryptic, but this year really has for me been about making sure my foundations are right. That my core group of support believes in me and my vision just as I believe in theirs. Because when something incredible comes up in your life, you want to be bloody well certain that the right people are celebrating in it with you. 

I think this has been what 2019 has been about. The closing of a decade and the preparation of another. I am at that time in my life where I don't want to waste another moment sacrificing what matters to me in order to please others. When we do this, we also sacrifice our truth and all the good that comes with it.

Something to think about as we head into a new decade!