Stepping into 2023.

They say that the older you get, the faster the years fly by. At the end of each year I find myself thinking, ‘but how can the years get any faster?! They already fly by so fast!’

At the start of 2022 I chose the word ‘expand’ to be my word/theme for the year. I wanted to expand and stretch myself out of my comfort zone. I wanted to expand and scale my current offerings for work. I wanted to expand my connections with people & meet more like minded souls. I wanted to expand on what being ‘Wildly You’ means and really embody it.  

I’ve discovered that it’s all well and good to set yourself a theme/word for the year… or set goals or intentions… but it’s another thing to remember them as you move through the year! I’ll be honest. The further into the year I got, the less I remembered my theme for the year. I wasn’t as intentional with it as I would have liked.

But maybe subconsciously it did still play a part, because I do feel like I expanded in many ways. The solo bus adventure up through the centre of Australia being one of the big things that stretched and expanded me!

I want to mix things up a bit this year. I feel like I need some more spark & fire in me. Some goals to work towards, but not slip into my old ways of being a workaholic. I want to set goals for both life & business. I want some thing to work towards instead of just cruising along.

I had an idea of creating a bucket list of things I want to tick off for 2023, but the more that I think about it, the more I think, ‘but if I want to do something, then I go and do it. I don’t need a bucket list to make me do it.’

I’ve decided that I want to try the ‘theme’ thing again for the year, because there’s a particular thing I’d really like to focus on this year… I will share what it is later in this blog post (it’s a vulnerable share!). 

To avoid forgetting about the theme like I did last year, I will have quarterly check ins with myself, and I will mark them in my diary so I don’t forget!

I’m also thinking that each month I will set myself a little goal or focus. I won’t set them in advance… I’ll set them each month as I go, so I can set goals that feel aligned at that point in time.

As I reflect on 2022, I feel of a mix of emotions. The year started slow & steady at my farm house, with a couple of little trips in my bus. Then I did bus trip up through the centre of Australia, which was terrifying, exciting and empowering. Then we found out dad has cancer, which was devastating. I sold my bus, which I actually felt totally fine about.

It’s the year that I fully embodied the digital nomad lifestyle. I worked from my farm house, mum and dads house by the beach, and from lots of different locations in my bus.

I always dreamt of the ‘work from anywhere’ lifestyle, yet when I put it into practice, I realised it wasn’t actually for me. My routines and home keep me grounded. My home feels like my safe space where I can let my guard down, dream, create and get things done. I can get into a flow state, as opposed to travelling when I need a day or too to calibrate to my new surroundings, get back in the zone, chase internet/phone reception, etc. 

I still LOVE exploring new places. I still want to do that moving forward, but I’ll time it with my work schedule. In between work projects such as group coaching programs, masterminds, etc, will be my time to go and explore.  Exploring is great for sparking my creativity and inspiration, plus I love the new people I meet along the way. Yet when it comes to executing things and getting work done, I operate best from home.

A key highlight for 2022 would have to be my bus trip up through central Australia to Darwin and back. I was so nervous about doing it, but knew that I couldn’t not do it because I’d forever be wondering ‘what if I did?!’

I recall many times where I’d sit in the drivers seat and take off for the day, with the BIGGEST smile on my face thinking ‘how cool is this!’ I was actually surprised at just how much I loved it! But in the end, as I craved my routine more and more, I felt very ready to head home.

Living the bus life also highlighted something quite significant… my vision has always been to create a freedom lifestyle where I can work when and where I want. I realised during my bus trip that I had created that I was living it… but there was something missing. That something missing, was to have someone to share this life with. 

I’ve proved to myself that I can do things solo and that I am comfortable with my own company, but now there’s a desire to experience this life with someone. I want to experience it with someone because I believe it makes life that little bit richer again.

So I’ll cut to the chase with what my focus is for 2023… it’s going to be putting myself out there in the dating world again. In all honesty, I haven’t put myself out there for a couple of years now. Working from home in a farm house hasn’t really helped my odds of meeting someone, and whilst travelling around in my bus was great for meeting new people, I was never in one spot for long.

I’ve got back on the dating apps, I’ve started following some social media accounts that teach about dating and relationships, and have started reading a book that was recommended to me. I’ve told friends that my focus for the year is finding that special someone, so they feel like they’re on a mission to set me up with someone, haha. The word is out there and I’m going to put time and effort into it.

I did actually go on some dates towards the end of last year, and that experience alone taught me so much. There’s nothing like actually getting out there and dating, to teach you so much about yourself and other people. It’s also made meeting new people feel a little less scary.

The truth is, over the years I’ve put so much energy into my business and personal development. A dear friend of mine said to me a couple of months ago, ‘Steph, you’ve always put so much work into inspiring others and your business. Maybe it’s time to focus a bit on relationships?’ I think she was spot on, and that solidified my decision for my 2023 theme to be about dating and relationships.

Ok, so now back to 2022. I feel like 2022 was quite a playful and adventurous year. However when it comes to my business, I feel like I could have achieved more… but when it comes down to it, I didn’t focus on it enough. I did start my Youtube channel which I see as a win, and I ran some successful business masterminds, which I loved. Plus I continued to evolve my online yoga membership (Nurture & Nourish Yoga Collective), and had some fantastic business coaching clients. 

I don’t think I really had the capacity to focus on new business projects. As I said earlier, running a business whilst doing the bus life thing wasn’t as easy as I thought. Then when I got home from the bus trip, within a few weeks we discovered dad has cancer. That was super confronting. I helped out where I could with taking dad to appointments, plus helping on the farm, and once again, just didn’t have the capacity for new work stuff. If anything, I was trying to keep my diary free so I could help out when ever I could.

Discovering that dad had cancer really shook me. Especially at the start when we didn’t know what kind of cancer he had and how bad it is, etc. The waiting game was torturous. It made me realise how quickly life can change. It also highlighted a few things I need to consider moving forward… things such as, this farm house that I live in won’t always be available for me to live in. I’ve started wondering, ‘where do I want to live?’ That’s something I really don’t know.

Dad has started chemotherapy and has been an absolute trooper. No complaining. He’s just getting on with life and working as hard as ever. He can’t help himself. He’s a classic farmer that just LOVES farming. Fingers crossed that with his determination, positive mindset and treatment, he will pull through the other side. He certainly has lots of family and friends cheering him on.

With respect to work projects for 2023… I see some in person Pop Up Yoga Classes. A change of direction with my Youtube channel now that I’ve sold my bus. A signature online Wildly You group coaching program (this has been in the pipeline for a long time, and been requested by lots of you!). I’m super keen to do some in person Business Masterminds in Adelaide, and excited to continue to grow and evolve my Nurture + Nourish Yoga Collective.

On a little side note, I’ve also recently sold my ‘The Goddess Events’ business. The contract has been signed and the deposit has been paid. The official hand over happens later this month, and I am so happy to be handing it over to such a wonderful soul. I’m really excited for the new owner as I know she will do amazing things with the business. I will share more on that once it’s all officially gone through.

I feel like 2022 was a year for me to play, explore and be reminded of the importance of connection with loved ones. It’s set the foundation for me to remember that life is precious. Do the things that you dream of doing; don’t leave them to chance; and treasure time with loved ones.

For 2023, I want to keep in mind what I learnt in 2022, plus explore the world of dating and be open to love. I want to be of service to more people through my business with my coaching, online programs, events & membership. Being able to help people feel free to be themselves and live a life that they love, really lights me up. So the more of that I can do, the better.

With my motto of being ‘Be Wildly You & live life your way’, I want to remind you that you can create a life that you love. If you’re not happy with a particular area of your life, perhaps now is a good time to stop and ponder what changes you can make. 

Same goes with how you feel about yourself. Do you feel free to be wildly yourself? Do you know who you are deep down? If not, maybe it’s time to explore that a little? 

Here’s your reminder that you are unique and gifted in your own way, and capable of more than you probably give yourself credit for.

Happy New Year. I hope that 2023 is all that you dream of and more.

Be Wildly You.

Steph x