So dear reader, you might remember I wrote about my Depth Year here and here.
(Just wanna know about the new e-course? Scroll to the bottom, sunshine!)
To recap, mine has been a Low Buy Depth Year.
What does that mean?
I committed to going deep with what was important to me and letting go of or avoiding shiny distractions.
As for low buy, I crossed my heart to only buy what I truly needed. No excessive consumer rubbish that would end up in landfill.
We’d just bought a new house when I committed to the low buy clause, so that was tricky.
Wherever possible I bought:
Vintage
Secondhand
Artisan
Bespoke
That’s been the go. And it worked. (Apart from that armchair I bought from Harvey Norman. Eek!)
So what went wonky? How did I fail?
Well. I failed in a way I didn’t see coming.
About a month ago (yeah, it took me that long to twig) I thought, this Depth Year gig, it’s not really rockin’ my world. Why does it feel so lacklustre?
I thought about it…deeply.
Holy shizzle!
My Depth Year felt ho hum because depth has been my default for years!
I naturally go deep. I drill down. Remember Liz Gilbert on Super Soul Sunday? When she talked about jackhammers and hummingbirds?
Yeah, well, I’m a jackhammer. Basically, I live my life one inch wide and a mile deep.
If I find something I enjoy like say, um, creative writing, I jump in boots and all. And I don’t pop up again for YEARS.
It’s the same with art.
And in 2014, I discovered the world of online coaching and entrepreneurship. I did another serious DUCK DIVE.
I went deep — read all the things, completed all the courses, listened to all the podcasts, YouTubes, all the wise and wonderful people. I threw myself into creating girlandduck.com. I’m still deep inside that experience.
Ditto Paganism. Me and Goddess, we’re like that now.
Low buy?
I do that naturally, too. You see, I’m not a big shopper.
I love beautiful things. But I can’t bring myself to ‘overindulge’. I’m proud to wear the same frocks for years. I own two pairs of jeans. Ten pairs of shoes. (Is that a lot?)
I don’t own a microwave. Or a clothes dryer. Or a food processor. Or a kitchen aid. Basically, gadgets rarely ring my bells. I look at them, all shiny and seductive in the shops and imagine them in ten years’ time. Rusting on top of a rubbish heap. Covered in seagull poo…
I’m not perfect. Hell, no! I’ve bought Lego.
And hoorah for art supplies!
But, you know, I’m just not that into STUFF.
‘Perfection is not when there is more to add, but no more to take away.’ Antione De Saint-Exupery
(Just wanna to know about the new e-course? Scroll to the bottom, sunshine!)
So Depth Year is coming to a close and with it many other endings.
I’m closing Q and Q Friday. This current season is the finale.
I’ve moved out of my studio, too — I’ve brought the whole dog & pony show home.
I wrote the final Danny Best book (book four).
I wrote the final Truly Tan book (book eight).
But.
While there’s been lots of endings in 2019, I’ve continued to do life in much the same way as always.
My Depth Year has been ho-hum because it hasn’t been a challenge.
It’s been too comfy. Too easy!
Was it wasted, though?
Hell no! Look at the insights it gave me!
If you feel called, DO A DEPTH YEAR! You’ll get so much clarity!
But, for me, 2020?
I’m goin’ WIDE, folks!
Now there’s a kick arse challenge.
Talk about freaked out!
WTF?
How does a jackhammer become a hummingbird?
How do you go wide? What does that even look like? Imagination ZERO when it comes to, well, dabbling, travelling, flitting about without schedules and deadlines and serious goals…
Hummingbird equals SCARY!
I consulted a dear friend. (She’s super wise. She’s got an HONOURS degree in Wise.)
She reckons it’s possible to go wide AND deep. At the same time! Who would have thought?
So I’ll give that a go.
2020 is barrelling towards us. A new year. A new decade. A new way of being.
I’m NOT ready. I’m NOT organised. And I’m definitely NOT comfortable.
But I know I have to trust. Experiment. Let go of the reins— even if only for a little while.
Who knows where I’ll end up?
I’ll keep you posted, dear reader!
Jen xo
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