Annual review 2023-The really important thing is simple
My first annual review as a blog article.
The first sentences are somehow difficult for me. There's a lot to write about, but it doesn't all belong here.
Since 1.12. I always reminisce, read my newsletter magazines, look through the photos on my cell phone, read my last Rauhnacht diary and browse through my notes in the 5th anniversary book.
There was a lot of personal stuff going on behind the scenes, not to mention the internal processes that went along with it. Like many of us.
There were always external events that felt like I was at a standstill because I simply didn't have my head clear at times. As if a telegram was constantly being sent from above with the text: -Stop.- Pause. That's not your path right now.-
So I devoted a lot of my time to gardening in the summer months. That was good as a balance. When I look back, the thought of a Zen garden comes to mind. Maybe because I bought two small fig trees in the spring that had grown so beautifully over the summer. One of them had even set its first fruit, which really surprised me. Our little cat princess loved sitting under the fig leaves. I automatically think of Siddhartha and ask myself: “What does this have to do with the current times and me?”
Our princess under the fig tree. She can chill out underneath it for hours and warm her fur in the sun.
The need to sit under the elderberry in the evening becomes stronger and stronger, I give in to it and feel the peaceful energy. Just sit still, breathe, listen to the animals, notice the rushing of the river, feel into yourself. The complete opposite of expressways, big city noise, the latest headlines, the next social media posting and the dozenth tip about: Do this, do that or How to do it... right. Have you ever noticed that we seem to have done just about everything wrong in our lives? Or at least that's how it's conveyed to us over and over again with similar headlines. I keep wondering if and where we took a wrong turn.
Higher, faster, further, more beautiful, more elegant, more modern, more hip... I thought we would finally get out of this section and take things back in a big way. I hope it comes across correctly. Nothing against learning or new things. I deal with things that interest me. But some things make me think about whether it's really the way we're told, or whether we're going around in circles too quickly until we get dizzy.
My review of my own 2023 goals
What did I have planned for 2023?
- Start the Make it Pretty blog : Combining network marketing in the beauty sector with spiritual topics was a big hurdle for me. The classic route with make-up videos etc. wasn't the right one for me. It took me 2 years to find a way and implement it. This required a lot of letting go.
- Reduce social media : I registered on Facebook in 2013 and to this day I still haven't warmed up to it. 2023- Time to drastically reduce it and realign the focus.
- Collagen cure : Restarting the cure after Corona messed up everything in the body in 2022. I'm still successful.
- Publish 45 blog posts : I wrote 60, published them and deleted a few. 33 are now visible left.
My 2023 annual review
Implement the idea of the “Make it pretty” concept
A quick look back. In June 2021 I registered with WordPress after giving up on the shop a month earlier - and didn't warm up to the system. The more I read and wanted to work my way into it, the more it blocked me. So in the fall I contacted Shopify to at least get the rest of the store's items online. How practical that there was also the opportunity to write a blog there. (Which I deleted again and am now reviving). So the WordPress blog faded into the background and remained -not visible-. In 2022, it felt like nothing was making progress online. With the astrology training and the better understanding of myself, I was in a development process until the end of the year 22. The concept of the Make it Pretty blog emerged in my head and in 2023 I wanted to implement it. I'm using January to familiarize myself with WordPress and so I started in February with the goal of writing a blog post every week. Things were going really well at first, until I noticed that things were going in a direction that I no longer wanted to pursue. So everything goes back to the beginning in May/June.
Reduce social media
I was tired of Facebook and Instagram. The rapid pace and constant changes drew so much energy. I have been less active there since the end of 2020. I said goodbye to my business page and then created another one. Opened a group to delete it again. A constant up and down and the inner voice again and again - end it. I wanted to delete my last FB business page on Advent 1, 2023 and I can't - whatever the reason, I haven't found the error yet. This will be a to-do item for 2024.
Newsletter thought differently: A newsletter magazine that suits me.
In March I got to know Steffi and her newsletter magazine . Yes, I really liked the idea of setting up the newsletter differently. After 4 weeks, the first issue of the newsletter was published in April 2023. The feedback was really great. An opening rate between 50 and 100% confirms that I have taken the right path and reached the right people. Thank you at this point to my loyal readers.
Making fruitless soil fertile: My insight in November
We've been messing around in the small biotope called the "garden" for about 4 years. In the clayey soil, all vegetables and fruits grow very poorly or not at all, so we started building up last year. With success, as it turned out, and made my gardener's heart jump with joy. Suddenly sunflowers grew, self-sown, which previously simply refused to settle. I learned a lot about gardening and was able to throw a lot of old knowledge overboard. Now we harvest rocket, spinach and Asian salads from the balcony even in December.
With a few plans for the coming gardening season, I sat in the kitchen one November morning having coffee with my favorite craftsman and said: "The house is on barren ground above Todweg."
Why did we move here again? - True, because of the peace and the great view. My favorite craftsman just said: "Maybe it's our job - you would say now."
External energy moves into the house: summer is upside down
Summer turned everything upside down. We're getting new neighbors. I thought for a long time whether I should even mention the topic. However, it was so present that it appears in short form. I was paralyzed at work. When you work from home you are susceptible to all kinds of distractions, but this was different, we could only "sit it out". The question kept running through my head: “What does it have to do with us?” The answer so far is: "Nothing"
The energy of the woman who came here to die can still be felt, but it is diminishing. I hope she has found peace.
A new citizen sees the light of day - I'm going to be a grandma for the first time.
Last Christmas, the good news from my older daughter was wrapped as a gift. In August the time had come and the little man wanted to get to know the world. A small lion that can "roar" well. He will prevail and go his own way, I'm sure. Until then, he will keep his breath on the little world around him and maybe next summer he will explore the first strawberries with me in the garden, snacking on them.
Suddenly the word time comes to the fore for me. Grandma - I have to get used to that somehow. I don't know if other women feel the same way, but somehow I don't feel like a grandma yet. Maybe I should rethink my idea of a “typical” grandma. :-)
My junior is returning to duty
For the second time, my junior chooses to join the Bundeswehr. He found it fulfilling after completing the first 23 months and then exploring “normal” professional life.
Just like the first time, pride and sadness spread through me. He goes his own way, but does it necessarily have to be the Bundeswehr? I don't know how many mothers ask themselves this question. The other side of the coin always resonates in the background. Trust is key and again a practice session for me. I get through it because hey, it's not the first time.
YES, I want - My second daughter is getting married in the church.
The two sweet ones got married in a civil ceremony in 2020 and due to all the regulations, the church wedding was postponed. This September the time had come.
Emotionally it's quite exciting, the new mascara (advertisement) passes the acid test. Church weddings have a completely different energy than civil weddings. The priest gives a great modern speech, in the spirit of the universe, planets, energy - I feel the words so much.
Then comes the cozy part, the celebration. The two of them prepared a funny yet touching speech. In the background, souvenir images of the civil wedding flash across a screen, we reminisce and suddenly she is very close and present - my mother and the kids' grandmother. It was the last time we were together. And again the topic of time is very close to me.
Letting go: The angels move on
In the fall I have a great need to clear out - again. The angel figures from the shop are packed up and sent to the parish for the December event. It is rearranged and space is created. It feels wonderful. The chapter is closed. Check it - let's move on.
I found an old picture of the window of my little shop.
My 2 favorite blog articles of the year
My year 2023 in numbers
Not everything went as planned and despite the many standstill phases in which my mind wasn't free to work, a lot came together. I am filled with gratitude as I research this section.
- 70 YouTube subscribers . 70 people who are interested in oracle messages and like my videos. Although I upload irregularly and am technically a total beginner making videos.
- 76 members in my Facebook group for spiritual incense. The only group I won't delete (yet).
- 60 blog articles written - 33 of which remained public.
- 9 Make it pretty - newsletter magazines
- 651 remaining pictures sorted into folders (that's memories in 54.2 pictures per month) A few will definitely be added in the last few days.
- 66 Astrological Consultations - what a magical number. The cross sum is 3. My life number. 66- It also contains my birthday.
What else was going on in 2023?
In the fall I spontaneously signed up for Kerstin Sönnichsen 's photography mini-course. Gained a lot of inspiration and a different perspective on photos. It's more fun again.
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With the start of my collagen treatment, recipe ideas for a little variety develop.
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Our Flünkchen feels the need to breed again. Unfortunately the fox takes our 6 ladies in the fall.
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My goals for 2024
- Permanently delete the Facebook Business page . After a little time over the holidays, I hope to find the error in January and then be able to delete the page.
- Continue the monthly edition of the Mach's pretty newsletter magazine .
- Write at least 52 blog posts . Since I found Judith Peters on the Internet in November and took part in the year-back blog challenge, I have been much more inspired and clearer when it comes to blog topics.
- The move from the WordPress blog back to the Shopify blog . Some changes from 2024 have required a decision. Since I have everything together on Shopify without having to do a paid update, the decision wasn't necessarily easy. I've just gotten really familiar with WordPress. Nevertheless, I have to choose a practical and effective solution.
- Change newsletter provider in January. From CleverReach back to the Shopify newsletter.
- Take a summer break . The last few years have always been something in the summer, in 2024 I want to take the pressure off and work towards a summer break.
- Since autumn of this year I have had the inner desire to create a Women Circle . It is on the implementation list for 2024.
- My motto for 2024: Femininity . Combining astrology and cosmetics - a rather unusual combination. But it holds so much valuable personal development, especially for women who unconsciously "reject" the soft and feminine in their tendencies. For myself it was a process.
That was my review of 2023, which I would like to end with my mentor's sentence: "The really important thing in life is of a simple nature."
If you have read this far, then I would like to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for your time.
Make it pretty
Christian
