How is your month of June going? The weather has turned summery in the UK and of course, now we complain about the heat. I knew I had fully integrated the British culture when I realised I mentioned the weather in every single conversation. See, that's what I am doing right now!

Did you decide to make June an experiment? Did you start a new habit or project? If so, how is it going? Ups and downs?

Is there ever a time when everything goes smoothly? Life gets in the way, an unexpected battle appears, and it feels like all the thoughts and hopes that went into our planning are going to waste, but no, wait! It's alright. Who said it was going to be perfect? Who said you needed to be perfect? No one. NO ONE! Or maybe just your dumb inner critic... Are you still listening to that monster?

Every day, we strive to steer our boat in the right direction as it is constantly moved off course by the current and the waves. I like planning and setting goals but I know that obstacles will get in the way, so I have learned to be very flexible with timeframes and just focus on progress.

The goals I have set for June mostly do not need to be met by the end of the month but I want to be able to see some progress in those areas. I know that a little progress over time will make a difference. We just need to start, keep the goal alive and carry on. For instance, I am decluttering my house very slowly. It's not that I have that much but I find the process emotionally draining. Getting rid of things from the past requires us to let go of the good times and the dreams now defunct. It is so hard, especially now that the boys are adults. I loved mothering them so much. I must let go of them as I let go of cute little outfits and weekly menus from their school. I can do that slowly, a little bit at a time. Even when I declutter my own stuff (books, clothes, teacher stuff, old projects, I find it emotionally charged. This month, however, I am making good progress on that front because I have decided that I wanted to feel a different energy in my house and in myself. This little shift in perspective is proving life-changing as someone who will never have me as a client would say!

The shopping ban has been a lot more fun than I expected, maybe because I decided to see it as a fun experiment, a sort of bet against myself: could I go one month without buying any book or online class, anything that wasn't essential? I guess that knowing it is only for one month makes it easier. It has also reinforced the fact that I have more than enough and increased my sense of abundance.

There is one goal that I want to work on every day and that, obviously, is the most challenging, but I set myself a minimum of ten minutes which helps a lot. Even when I am exhausted, I just sit down, do a bit and keep my promise to myself.

We all have good days and bad days. On bad days, it is worth saying with humour, "I am excited to do some bad work today", some bad art, writing or whatever your project is. When we set a goal of doing something every day, then our job is to hold the space for it, regardless of the quality and quantity produced. "Done" gets top mark every time.

I like 30-day challenges but, in truth, every day is a new project and a new chance to do or see things differently. Remember, all you need to do is just make it a little bit better.

Valerie 

http://valeriemarsh.com