Let’s talk phases.
We all go through phases in our lives. Our look, music preference, passions and much more all change over time. As we grow, we learn more about ourselves and the world around us, and what we take from those lessons shape who we are and what we do next. These changes and the lessons we take from them tend to come in waves, resulting in what we can usually look back on later as a specific “phase” of our lives. Sometimes we have an angsty phase- I’m looking at you teenagers- or a frustrated phase- terrible 2’s anyone?- or, as we go into adulthood and sometimes take a hold of our own phases, enlightened, hustle, or calm phases. (That’s if you’re lucky. You might instead end up with chaos, mourning, or broke phases. Don’t worry, they will pass- they are just a “phase” after all.)
Going into 2020, I am acutely aware that this year will be a very different phase from last year- which itself was different from the year before. And knowing this makes me wonder: How much control do you have over the phases in your life?
As a self-confessed control freak, it bothers me when people say that “you have no control over anything in life”. I know that any one person’s ability to control a situation is much smaller than they think, but it goes against my grain to think that we are helpless in our own lives- it actually feels like sandpaper in my veins when I hear that sentence. That said, life has been known to throw curveballs at us all at one time or another. So, what’s the point?
Let’s have a look at my last two years, and compare them to what I’m expecting in 2020…
2018:
I began the year with the hopes to “get back into” writing. I was going to “give it a try”. I had no idea if I would succeed in any shape or form, or if I could even keep my motivation flowing into March.
I ended up writing around 45k words towards my first novel, began outlining another novel, revisited my poetry, I met heaps of new friends- friends that also wrote and knew how I felt about it- and in no way least of all, I put my dream front and centre, travelling to Bali to a writers retreat.
2019:
I began the year with a To-Do list overflowing with tasks, big and small. I planned to read, write, sell and giveaway. I had every month strategically mapped out, allowing for busy periods and lulls.
When we found out we were expecting our first child, my focus shifted to that of my health. But not before I held three separate giveaways in January, started poetry revisions for my next collection, and finished the first draft of my very first novel!
2020:
When I think about where I’ve been in the last couple of years, and where I want to go from here, I feel so blessed to have everything I have in my life. 2018 was focused on my passion. 2019 was focused on health and family. 2020 will be about finding the balance between the two.
I’m really looking forward to the next phase in my life, as I try to navigate the choppy waters of parenting, while trying to climb the mountain that is creating a career as an author. Along with raising my son and heading back to work as a waitress, I will endeavour to finish my first round of revisions/rewrites for my novel, socialise with friends and family, return to my blogs, learn Spanish, prepare my latest poetry collection for publication and find some downtime for myself. Sound like a lot? It is. But that’s ok, because it means that I have so much to look forward to.
So, bring on the new year. Bring on 2020 and all the vision jokes that will come with it. Bring on the friends, family, chaos and calm. This could be the best, most amazing year of my life, or it could be the most chaotic and stressful one ever. I can’t wait to see which way it goes.
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