Life Design Action: Seal the Deal

Requires: finishing power, hand shakes and full stops

Does not require: wax stamps, contracts or signatures

One thing that rarely jumps into my mind when considering new ideas/projects is, “will  I finish it? Will I complete it? Will I seal the deal?”

Too often Enthusiasm gets in first and before Logic has a chance to pin me down and slap me in the face a few times, I’m already running down the road, waving the idea around like a sock, shimmeying up the drain pipe and standing on top of Tesco Express, shouting “listen to this amazing IDEA!”

Of course, the idea LOVES this.

The idea is high on life; super excited at being born; squealing with happiness.

Yet, it is also innocent. It has no idea that it’s just been born to the ultimate slap-dash-sally.

Mmm.

It’s true.

I have a track record of being great at birthing ideas, but not necessarily sealing the deal. This can be quite hard on my ideas. After all, the poor thing has no idea what it has done wrong. They don’t know that gradually, as time ticks on, I will become overwhelmed with all the other ideas I am housing and that they will not get the time and attention they deserve.

Eventually put aside, that idea will begin to wander around the house like Casper the Ghost. At first it will eagerly await being reignited. But then, as time goes on, they’ll notice other ideas – old, incomplete ideas just like them – cluttering up drawers, files and attic space.

As idea makers we really owe it to our ideas to seal the deal and try to get them as complete as we can. Otherwise our houses – and heads – can end up very claustrophobic and hot. Rather like a residential home in a heat wave.

***

  A little while ago I went to France to the House On The Hill. On my return wrote this post: What Every Woman Needs.

Since then I have been determined to seal the deal on those ideas. Here’s how I got on:

A Room Of My Own

The idea was to create a “space” of my own. This meant no children, no Ads, no washing, no traffic. Just me. Interestingly, by creating more internal space for my self, the need for a physical space was diminished. Instead the bedroom has been transformed into a place of serenity and calm.

Meet …. the Sanctuary. Ta-dah!

As tranquil as The Sanctuary feels, creating the space was not so Zen.

For example, I should have known did not know Ads food/coffee love would extend to paint with romantic, gourmet names. He insisted that Dark Truffle it was a colour of class and beauty. It was not. It was the colour of a sun-baked cow-pat.

This caused conflict between us until eventually we compromised with “Pale Cashmir”. (I told him it was called “Latte”.

Next I got v over excited and bought a buttock-clenchingly expensive mirror from a rustic et elegant boutique. Thought £300 for a full length mirror was quite reasonable until Ads highlighted that it was framed in scaffolding boards. I disputed this passionately until fact was confirmed by irritating builder friend. Was momentarily stumped, but then straightened shoulders, put nose in the air and declared that scaffolding mirror was still more tasteful than cowpat feature wall.

(You can see the Extremely Stylish Scaffolding Board mirror in picture above).

Thankfully, both agreed on gorgeous blinds made from “Festival” fabric; raspberry and lime. Dressed sash window in organza which makes it feel all bohemian and billowy when the window is open and the breeze is blowing in. Ads found an old gramophone in a local antique shop. He brought it back, along with a pile of old records. It is now sitting very proudly on top of the chest and so when we get bored of the Sanctuary being Zen, we can turn it into a Vintage WWII Rave.

An Independent Income

I have two coaching companies; one established, one fledgling. Both remind me very much of that book “Megs Eggs”. You know when she has eggs and they hatch and dinosaurs come out? That’s what my companies are like. Small dinosaurs of gorgeousness who are growing and need vegetables to eat.

 The deal we have is that I look after the dinosaurs and they look after me.

(And when they’re really big I get to ride them really fast down the high street).

Real food

Our veg patch is crazy. We have harvested and pickled our beetroot. We are eating strawberries and spring onions and Welsh onions and all sorts of other lovely things.

AND – guess what? Yesterday I went out kayaking with Ads and caught two mackerel on the rod! Felt like I was suddenly capable of facing a whole world apocalypse and could still feed my babies.

Having said that, I’m not sure I could do the whole – you know – killing bit.

That was Ads’ job. I caught them. He killed them.

Presence

I have been actively being present and resisting the urge to then write all about it (this is why I stopped writing about my Chi Building). Writing about presence seems to contradict the whole thing somehow.

Instead – I have drawn you some pictures of Auditory Mind Balm that I use when meditating on the beach.

A Daily Walk

Turns out I’m too impatient. I’d rather run. Good thing is I am pretty unfit at the moment, so a run generally turns into a walk.

A Louis and a Dillis

I have a Nelson (left) and a Florence (right). They are brother and sister.

Nelson is an outside, wild bush-man cat. He doesn’t pester me for food, hangs out in the flower bed dust baths and is generally the Bear Grills of the Cat World. He is relaxed, cool, image-driven and independent. When he’s not checking out the local birds, he’s driving a 1969 Boss 429 Mustang.

Florence kills things, brings mice into the house then releases them, brays like a savage donkey and generally irritates the hell out of me. We have issues. I think she might have been my mother in my past life. She nags, mews, gets in the way on the stairs and leaps enthusiastically around my head when I’ve got PMT. She doesn’t have a driving licence as she never leaves the garden.

Me and Flo need to work on our stuff.

But I secretly love her.

Green Oak to Burn

Okay – so. Something strange. When I started to write this post, I came to the Green Oak bit and realised that I have completely forgotten to consider my winter firewood. This is the difference between me and people who don’t spend a fortune on Calor Gas. They THINK in advance.

Anyway, I’d then gone on a Run/Walk through the nearby jungle and spotted a tree that has fallen down. Someone has already been chopping it up for their own firewood.

Over the next month I need to source a chain saw (with batteries or possibly a very long extension lead) and I’m going to chop some of my own wood. I know that Ads is going to want to be manly and take over, but now that I’ve caught a fish, I think I can also chop my own wood. Will let you know the results.

Hand-Pressed Artisan Expression Juice

Well, I haven’t made anything with my hands. Except some scones which tasted of Baking Power. And to be honest I got Pix to do the main bit of the making because I hate having greasy hands.

Key Point: Ideas may stop trusting us if we habitually fail to fulfil them. By completing the projects/goals you’ve started, a powerful message is sent to the Big Ideas of the world. Before you know it, increasingly creative, brilliant, beautiful, transformative Ideas will start to fill your mind. And ideas are what change lives in this world.   

LOVE to YOU