Today is my birthday so I’m writing this post a day early. I’ll be spending the day with my family doing lovely things.
Cake will be involved (those who know me know how much I love my cakes!) along with a delicious strawberry pavlova which is currently being made by my fiancee. As I write this, the air is filled with a delicate sugary sweetness.
In true English fashion, there’ll be cups of tea and maybe an alcoholic tipple or two. But overall, I’ll spend my birthday relaxing with my nearest and dearest.
Reflections on the year
The 38th year of my life has certainly been one to remember. In many ways its been tranformational.
It’s the year that I decided to prioritise myself and go part-time.
Saying “yes” to freedom came as a shock to some people. They couldn’t understand why I would take a pay cut. They also couldn’t comprehend what I would do with all of the free time I had. But I knew I needed to give myself time to work on myself and my dreams.
When your mind is so focused on the 9-5 grind, there’s very little time left to ponder the infinite possibilities of how life could be lived.
And although I can’t explain it, I felt that I was on the brink of transformation. I’d reached a crossroads where I could choose the safety of the familiar or I could open myself up to the unknown.
I chose the unknown.
Since then, I’ve set up my own business as a specialist tutor and dyslexia assessor. I’ve also set up this blog to track my journey and help others who are on the path to debt freedom.
Another wonderful surprise this year was when my partner proposed to me. A few weeks later, the whole country was in lockdown which put an end to our planned celebrations.
As we live apart, we weren’t able to see each other for a long time. However, it gave me more time to focus on my fitness, my blog and learn how to use Twitter – something which has eluded me for years!
I was also able to attend the Pop Up Business School online which helped me think outside the box about my financial future. If you’re interested in setting up a business, I’d highly recommend you sign up.
Looking to the year ahead
I’m not sure what my 39th year on the planet will bring. I’ll spend some time over the next week focusing on my goals for the year ahead.
I’m hoping that it’s the year where I become even more aligned with my true path. Maybe I’ll even contemplate doing a year of less.
Whatever I choose, I’ll be sure to leave some space for the magic of the year to take me by surprise.
Do you use your birthday as a time to reflect? Or do you have any special traditions? I’d love to hear about them below.
Image courtesy of Tatiana Rodriguez on Unsplash