So I bet you were expecting to open this page and find me banging on about writing goals, hopes and aspirations for 2016? Well sorry to disappoint you, but you’d be WRONG! I love a good goal I really do, and I’m sure by now that my lovely and regular readers will have by now, cottoned on to the fact that we can plan, change and design our lives by working out what we actually want from them!
So what am I getting at here? Well actually I’m beginning to see a pattern emerging… One by which I see a huge amount of people piling pressure onto themselves to be this perfect being; to be a fantastic partner, doting parent, keep that beautiful house, of course that killer body, interesting hobbies and a fulfilling job just to wrap things off nicely. So why are we so unhappy?
When we let go of the expectation of perfection, we can begin to value who we really are. Without the pressure, we relax and the anxieties subside. Consider how you are on holiday, surely a better version of you? So where does this pressure come from… Your social group? the media? Your parents? You know, I could debate this until the cows come home but the fact remains, there is sadly only one way to go from perfect.
I was called a ‘free spirit’ by no less than 3 people in the past few weeks and it got me wondering what it really meant (hey, I’ve been called a lot worse!), I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s the fact that I don’t really mind what it means, that gives it it’s meaning. People will always have an opinion on your life and how you live it, but it’s what you do with that opinion that really matters. In these times of extremism, perhaps it’s time to celebrate moderation instead.
I love this area of leafy Essex, I love the people that I meet, the adventures that I seem to get myself into. 2015 finished with a bang thanks to the release of my (co-written) first book, this year brings the publication of the second one… about learning how to axe those pesky mid-life addictions and just get on with being fabulous! Happy 2016, what a privilege it is to meet you!
Nicola Beattie, www.axeingaddictions.co.uk
