I was already thinking about the 2023 growing season last summer so when I sat down to reflect on this past year and put my vision board together I saw a lot more “hows” than “whats”. Warm colors and quiet landscapes drew me in more than anything. I know that I want to do more this year, but I want to do it slower.
This past year was intense, enlightening, challenging and, at times, overwhelming. I thought that I had a clear idea of of what I hoped to achieve but everything felt like a whirlwind. More often than not I was rushing to catch up and I lost sight of a lot of my goals.
2023
This year I want to be able to really savor my time. Even when I’m busy and the work is hard. I want to slow my mind down. To really pay attention, learn and document what I’m doing and the progress of all my flowers. I want to cut back on overtime at work and take more personal time to fly fish and hike and go for drives. And I want to dedicate more time to my family and friends.
North Star fuels me. It demands a lot of my time and I love every part of it. Even in these beginning phases that are often times filled with stress. I could easily let it consume me and spend every non-working hour working on the flower farm. But years from today, I want to be able to look back on these years and have more than just memories dictated by the growing seasons. Looking back I want to remember leaving for the river before the sun comes up, dipping my feet in cold mountain lakes after long hikes, and enjoying countless sunrises and sunsets.
Every year I will grow more and more flowers. I’ll take more and more events. Soil building will continue to be a never-ending project. As I find ways to extend the growing season, that will take up more of my time as well. I don’t plan on scaling back with North Star – I plan on doing the opposite. But being intentional with my time at work, on the farm, and in my personal life is the only way I think I can find good balance in what I’m doing.
In 2023 I see so many more flowers than last year. I see gatherings with loved ones, mornings spent on the water, and evenings watching the sun go down.
Questions I ask myself when I want to self-reflect:
- Am I happy? Why or why not? What do I feel like is contributing to my happiness?
- What challenges am I facing? How can I overcome those challenges?
- What changes do I want to make in my life right now? How do I begin?
- Where do I spend most of my time? What am I doing and do I enjoy it? Can I change this?
- If today was my last day, would I be happy with how I’ve lived my life?
- What are my goals? How can I make a plan to achieve them?
- Do I feel run down or like I’m lacking drive? Am I burning out? How can I improve this?
And my favorite….
- What do I love about my life?
No matter your life, it’s a hell of a life to live and I believe that it’s important to reflect on ourselves and our lives to identify areas where we are doing good. Doing good for ourselves. Good for our loved ones. Good for this world we live in. Because if we’re not doing any good, then what good are we?
