Well we made it! Here we are at the last day of the year. I couldn’t let it go by without a quick post to wish you all a happy New Year. I still have one more post about agents in VO, but the holidays got the best of me so I figured I’d save that for January. Right now I just wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude for all of YOU, my peeps who have been along with me this year, for your comments, posts, shares, enthusiasm and connection. The fact that I could write something that might help someone in some way, anywhere, is an absolute honor and a privilege, and feels like part of a lifelong heart-mission that I’ve become willing to commit to. So thank you for helping me become more me!
This time of year always has me in self-seeking, soul-searching, ritual-mode. Here are a few favorites I’ve been playing with:
What do I want to release/ what do I want to bring in? I like to ask myself these two questions and do some free-writing about them both. Reflecting on the past year I begin by stating what I’d like to let go of. Then I do the same with what I’d like to welcome in. This year I’m wanting more calm, more joy and more focus. I’d like to let go of stress, angry driving and complaining. I find it especially powerful to burn this writing when I’m done, or offer it up to Mother Ocean, if that’s a possibility (assuming it’s biodegradable paper, that is!).
3 adjectives: This one is new, and comes from a wonderful year end strategic planning/closure workshop I attended last weekend with Kristine Oller (She is wonderful, btw, check her out!!). The exercise was to write down how you’d like to feel this coming year (as opposed to focusing on what you want to do or achieve). After some spontaneous free-association, the ones that resonated the most for me were: creative, supported and healthy. Supported is such a new and exciting possibility to me! It’s not that I haven’t been supported before, necessarily, but that this year, I’d like to feel more supported. To that end, I’m hiring an engineer for all my audiobooks, moving forward…what a revelation! I already began to do that with my last two books and it fits in perfectly with my desire to feel supported in the year ahead! I’d also like to go back to my Sunday habit of shopping and food prep for the week ahead, so I have healthy food available during the week that doesn’t feel hard to deal with. And if that feels too hard or I know I won’t have time for it, I will hire a food delivery service for the weeks that are crazy. I’ve been having fun researching some super healthy options. They are not inexpensive, but I think they are totally worth it. Finally, I will be practicing saying no to more things this year, in order to hold space for the things I do want. This isn’t always easy for me to do. I’m looking at it as an experiment for this year.
Choose a word: Last year a good friend told me every year she chooses one word that will serve as her touchstone for the year. It sort of encompasses everything you want the new year to be about. Last year I chose “Expansion”, and indeed, it truly resonated throughout the year. It seemed my entire life this past year was about expansion – physical expansion (we bought a house!), career expansion (more blog writing and leading workshops through Deyan Institute) and family expansion (my father-in-law came to live with us for nine months and we had a friend living with us for two!). This year, I’ve chosen the word magic. It came to me rather quickly and resolutely. I’m ready to let the magic in, to be present to the magic that’s always there, to welcome it, to trust it, to ride it!
My homespun theory: Since the beginning of my adult life, I’ve had this theory that whatever you do on New Years Eve / New Years day, and how it sort of “plays out”, sets the tone for the rest of the year. Somehow, it always seems to end up being an interesting foreshadowing of what’s to come…so I’m careful to be cognizant of the choices I make on these days and I try to be tuned in to what comes up around me.
It’s funny because I woke up this morning at 5:30am, completely unable to sleep another wink. Checked my emails and browsed Facebook from bed (one of my super no-no’s, something I truly kick myself for doing every time, but there you go). Went into my freezing studio and set up my new space heater, which promptly blew the power, reset everything, only to have the smoke alarm start beeping for some reason until I snatched out the battery. I have been texting back and forth with friends about the plan tonight and find myself absolutely unable to concentrate on anything for more than a few minutes. The truth is, the energy and anticipation of the last day of the year/beginning of the brand new is so palpable, I am really feeling it.
I thought I’d be off today. Doing yoga, organizing and cleaning my house, preparing for the year ahead, having downtime with my husband and my dog. Instead, as it turns out, I’ll be in my booth for 6 six hours recording. I’m grateful for the job, and grateful for sneaking in this post, too! Tonight will be spent with close friends at an intimate party and tomorrow I will do no work! Rest and renewal are on the agenda…So it’s looking like a nice combination of work and play (with some surprises sprinkled in!) and lots of simplicity and intimate connection with the people that I love. At least that’s my intention…we’ll see how the next two days reveal themselves!
In any case, I am wishing you whatever it is that your heart desires this year. You deserve it and you can have it! If you haven’t already, consider taking a moment over the next 24 hours to reflect and get quiet. Pay attention to what emerges and write it down.
Happy 2015 (…that is so futuristic, yes?? Something about it that sounds more futuristic to me than 2014! And it makes sense because the future is HERE. I’m reminded that there’s no more waiting to do things I’ve always put “out there” for “someday”. The time is now and the universe supports our deepest convictions and desires!).
Mazel tov! Peace! Blessings!
Oh yeah! I’ll be featured today at 2pm EST/11am PST on April Holgate’s wonderful audiobook site, Eargasms. Stop by and comment here for a chance to win a free download of one of my audiobooks, plus check out a different narrator every hour today! I am lucky to be in such wonderful company!
2 comments. Leave new
What a great post! It really did describe, but in much more conscious and even deeper depth, what my last two years had been like. I am definitely going to incorporate some your techniques moving forward…I feel it provides even more clarity in ones goals.
For me, 2013 was the year of awareness. Awareness that what I was doing wasn’t filling my soul with the energies that I believe work should fill. We have to do it to live so we should get some energy from it. This began my mind turning to things it craved – creativity with writing and voice. I always wanted to go in the direction of VO but felt scared, unsure, and it seemed too daunting. That year though, my mind shifted to not wanting regrets.
2014 was the year of action, getting it rolling. Diving into the classes, getting a strong demo, submitting to agents (no matter how humbling no responses are), submitting to contests and agent listened exercises and seeing my feedback improve each time, and finally getting a voice coach and really seeing new strides.
2015 I believe, for me, is the year to not go back, to push harder, and make this dream real. I’m not going to sugar coat it. I know it will be a challenge…I know it won’t be easy, but I know that the talent is there. I don’t think I’d get the feedback I’ve gotten if it wasn’t.
For 2015, it might be ‘believe’. Believe that this year it breaks through…not in the crazy dream ways, but land an agent, get some steady billable gigs, maybe a recurring gig or two. Start to be able to rely on it as my profession.
I thought support was sooooo true. I’m hopeful to get more support in 2015. What I’ve had so far is good, but I’ve realized we need a lot in this life to make it. I’m not turning any support down and am getting less bashful asking for it. (hint, hint, nudge nudge…kidding…kinda… lol)
I need that less stress as well. If only to learn how to shed that. Saying no to things is a start. I need to do that this year as well.
So many things you wrote in this post hit me square. 2015, the year of believe, support, and full-on action.
It’s a lot, but none of us are getting any younger. We have one life, let’s make it stand out!
Thanks for this gorgeous, heartfelt post, Britt! Happy New Year and wishing you all the best for a truly groundbreaking year!