Take the Time to create the Design to create your Life

Wahh!

Autumn has turned up early. Whatever happened to Indian summers and being fashionably late?

One minute it was sultry breezes and now it’s all whirlwinds of rain and wind, bruised skies and my massive sunflower is dancing in crazy winds.

Little confession: I lit the fire the other day.

Ads walked in the heat-cave and nearly fainted. When he looked at the fire, crackling away, he gave me the “reeeeeaaaally?” look.

I shrugged. The horse chestnut leaves have turned orange overnight, after all.

Truth is, I secretly love this time of year when we can start pulling in, raking the soil and lighting garden candles in the early evening. Half way (and a bit) through the year is such a nice time to reset, recalibrate, debrief with ourselves.

On Sunday (the last day of August) I was up super early and out of the house by 8am. I was off to run the first Life Design/Goal Mapping coaching programme since the man cub was born. The venue was at the end of a long, winding track and it led to a converted barn with the most stunning of views.

NEVER have I fallen in love with a space so much.

Even my Power Point got all over excited and flickered rainbow colours when I took a picture.

And whilst the participants of the programme spent the hours developing and mapping their dreams into goals, the sun shone its radiant heart out. 

 Oh – and this lovely piece was chalked onto the chalk board. I had to show it to you.

What better advise for life?

It was a great day and, as always, amazing to see a bunch of cool people CONSCIOUSLY take time to design the next chapter of their lives.

I say consciously because it’s so easy to live in a constant chain reaction. Do you know what I mean by that?

Life flies by, with summer turning to autumn and weeks turn to months in a blink of an eye. Suddenly a whole year to pass without any really thought about what you want to create within that time.

Do you ever schedule time to really sit and decide how to best use the months ahead?

It is SO easy to do.

And quite Zenning.

Simply …

Haha. I’ve just noticed the spelling error in my illustration above!

Wnat.

What is a Wnat, I wonder?

Sounds like an autumn nut …

Following the Life Design/Goal Mapping workshop, I have been doing my own bit of recalibrating, debriefing and visioning for the final turn of this year. Maps are being created for lots of different life areas, from my health, to this blog, to family time and work/life balance.

One of my main missions for the next cycle is to complete the Gorgeousness Life Design Playbook that I’ve been dreaming about all summer. This idea was inspired by a journal I made for some beloveds last Christmas. It was like a handwritten thicket of worksheets and spaces for dreaming, musing, planning and actioning.

In between the pages I designed were envelopes, postcards, seed pouches, trinkets and all sorts of random surprises.

One person who received it said, “That was so special – so perfect. Bethan, you have GOT to send it out into the world.”

So I thought I would.

It didn’t occur to me then, but it has now, that Grow Your Own Gorgeousness also began its wonderful flight into the world as a handmade book made for my soul sisters at Christmas.

I think I’m destined to make handmade books forever.

Handmade karma.

Strangely, two days ago, another friend who had the playbook suddenly blurted to me, “Oh, I didn’t manage to have my midsummer tea party!” (One of the projects in the book). Then she leaned in and added, “I look through my Eat Your Greens Book every night before bed.”

I looked at her weirdly.

Then I remembered that the post card I’d used as the cover said “EAT YOUR GREENS” on it!

I think that the Gorgeousness Life Design Playbook is probably a better a title.

A little more explanatory.

What do you think?

Anyway, all this has been confirmation that I need to get this book written/updated and given wings to soar out to anyone who has some BIG dreams up their sleeve for next year and want to make those dreams a reality.

So today I’m heading off to get new art supplies. And some paper that feels right. Right paper is so important … don’t you reckon? Also, getting the kids ready to start school again tomorrow. And I’m also setting up my garden room to work in and having a conversation with my Ads to carve out some time to do the Do.

What are your missions for the next four months?

Where do you want to build on your body/health, your time, your relationships, your art?

Maybe you don’t want to build – but need to focus more on shedding some stuff?

Whatever you are doing, I hope the start of this month brings you a flurry of gorgeousness.

And as many wnats as you need.

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