A Happy New Year or just a set up?

I have to give some personal background to the rationale of this article. I wanted to apologize, but I won’t as the sharing of true stories help us to develop and understand ourselves, writes April Dawn.

My mind flashes back to December 2016. I had set so many thigs up to make sure 2017 started off as I wanted it to. My website was completed, a plan of action was written and I, AprilsDawn, had tried hard to rid myself of negative and toxic energy like all the other individuals looking for the New Year to be different.

I had already decided that I was going to take action. My life had to change. The plan was to hand in my notice, get some temp work and grow my business. I was also going to dedicate time to my sons and extended family.

January 4 2017: I sit at my desk at 9am. An hour later, I’m in my manager’s office and hand her the letter.

“It is with great regret that I have to resign from my position” I said.

I continue with “the reasons are that I cannot work in an environment that is draining me of my life and offers no development or prospects. Secondly, I have to collect my sister from Dallas, bring her home and help look after her.”

My manager looked understanding and responded: “do you have a job to go to?” I replied “no” and when asked how I intended to survive, I said “I have faith in God and in myself.”

I felt liberated. I had followed through with my plan. This was to be a new beginning, doing what I wanted and taking control of my destiny. However, the dream was short-lived. My sister died the next day – 5^th January 2017 and I did not achieve the rest of my New Year Plan in 2017.

After everything I have said, I can honestly believe I have grown as a person more this year than ever. Death can be dark and sad but it can also be enlightening and optimistic. During those bleak early days of the loss of Luisa, perspective came very quickly. The job I had held on to for years to ‘get by’ was no longer important and the fact I had walked away from it just before was a bonus to my resolve. Also, where I thought my heart was broken through the breakdown of my marriage, nothing actually prepared me for this loss, a true broken heart.

In all of this, 2017 has been the Set-Up Year instead of The Year!

I Felt The Fear and Did It Anyway.

I understood the meaning of True Love.

I got a job in an environment where I could pray freely and be silent if needed.

I was still being of service to others without being drained of my self-worth.

I no longer questioned myself and my ability.

I stopped running from my greatness and stepped up my game

Faith and self-belief is all I had, in addition to precious memories helping to keep the light on in such dark times in moments of indecision where depression and self-abuse would take control.  Now, I’m at the end of another year and I’m calling 2017 ‘The Year of the Set Up’ and my aim is to continue the work started.

The moral of this post is this: New Year’s Resolutions are great and it’s good to have a plan. Still, sometimes the plan may not work out as the vision created because we don’t always get our Disney ending but we make do with what we have and grab hold of the silver lining, even if it’s a small one.

The Plan for 2018

Undeterred by the experience of 2017 I am happy to have a plan for 2018, and intend to execute my vision in four 12 week phases. Although 2017 afforded me to re-evaluate what was important I still believe there is room for more introspection. This plan could be the set-up for 2019 or form part of ‘Your Year 2018’.

Phase One –

Weeks 1 to 4 FREE FORMATION – Starting by identifying the chains that bind and restrict us from being free. Identifying negative emotions such as anger, feelings of dis-satisfaction, or even questioning our resistance to forgiveness.

Phase Two –

Weeks 5 to 8 POWER PULSATION – This is where we begin to feel our power and respect the power we have. Taking control of what we want and letting go of everything that we don’t

Phase Three –

Weeks 9 to 12 FABULOUSNESS UNLEASHED – Now is the time to start re-connecting, building networks, building friendships. We are making the effort and putting the work in to reach out to others and share our fabulousness and recognizing their fabulousness too.

I invite you to participate with me and will post directions on my Facebook page and blog posts. Lets go for it.

Happy New Year!

AprilsDawn x

Learn more about AprilsDawn here www.aprilsdawn.com/contact

You can also tune in to the AprilsDawn Show on NLive 106.9 – Sundays 5pm – 7pm