Pressing Re-Set on the year
Re-Set week started today. It’s a week of early morning classes that I run at my current studio. It's a kind of re-start button for half way (ish) through the year, a chance to revisit intentions, look at what’s important, and where things are headed, to physically and mentally to slow down a little and get back on track, counteracting the rest of a chaotic, non stop summer.
At the intention setting part of the class we revisited our goals from the last 6 months. My overarching priority for this time, and in fact the 12 months prior as well, if not longer, has been the building of my own yoga, dance and Pilates studio. Although we’ve been so busy behind the scenes with planning and paperwork, it’s frustrating that nothing physical appears to be happening. When people ask how it’s going, the only answer I seem to have is “slowly”.
With all this fresh in my mind, and after resetting my intentions again, our studio once again at the top of my list, I drove home at 8.30am today to find a digger…. digging… at the bottom of the drive.
A digger physically creating space for our new studio, next to our home in Sandwick.
Something is actually happening
It may not sound a lot but this is the first “real” thing that’s happened. Everything until this point has been on paper… plans, designs, measuring, red tape, topographical surveys, planning permission, building warrants, funding applications, research …. All very important stuff.
But this digging, well, this makes me feel like something is actually happening.
I want to mark this point, celebrate, jump up and down – today 6th August 2018, at some point between 7am and 8.30am, digging began for our studio.
I had always said to myself that I’d record the process of the build with a blog, but I didn’t want to start until there was something physical to show (and take nice pictures of). So here it is, and here I am with my thoughts on the process.
Set your intentions
I’m a firm believer in manifestations, affirmations and intentions. I don’t think there is magic to it, to me it’s like having a map - you’re more likely to get where you want to go, if that’s what’s at the front of your mind. I asked my class this morning to dream big. I asked the question: “What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail”. And this is it for me. Dreaming big involves looking beyond me, beyond my business. I’m creating a hub, a space where dancers can learn and excel, where people of all ages can come together and dance, do yoga, workout, sweat, relax, make friends, grow in confidence, create art, rehearse and perform. And this digger means we are one step closer to realizing that dream.
I’d recommend intention setting to anyone. In Yoga we call this a sankala, or resolve. You might think of it as a kind of goal setting, planting a seed, or creating a map to follow. Here’s some questions you might want to ask yourself as part of the process…
- What’s important to you?
- Dream big – what would you do if you couldn’t fail?
- What do you need in your life? What do you need to let go of?
- Where do you see yourself this time next year – what needs to happen to achieve that?
To turn this into an intention, put it into words. Something positive, short and to the point. Seal it in – write it down, or just repeat it in your heart. By all means use it – use it in your prayers, use it like a mantra, repeat it as you’re falling asleep. But equally, let it go. Release it to the universe and see what comes back.
I’m sure it won’t all go to plan (any more than it has done to this point), and I’m expecting ups and downs, frustration, exultation and hopefully a happy ending that doesn’t go (any further) over schedule or over budget. But I’m also trying to be realistic. I know this won’t be an easy process. I told a friend once that the whole thing had me feeling stressed and she said, “but this is a good stress – bad stress is your child being ill, a house burning down, losing a job and having no back up – this is something good, something exciting”. And I’ll try to remember that as we go along, though I may need reminding.
Updates will be back here as often as I can manage (and as often as there is something exciting to write about and take pictures of). I can’t wait to share this adventure with you.
The journey of a thousand miles starts with one step - Lao Tzu
