2014 = a watershed.

(This seems a bit like a mathematical equation, darling. Explain yourself …)

It’s been a year in which the first six months brought in two great achievements: publishing my first novel and finishing a semester of study as a postgraduate student at the University of Sydney. The second half of the year was the exact opposite and I struggled to find my feet. December brought in a ‘recovery’ of sorts and my creative juices started flowing again. There’s one absolute certainty in the middle of all the uncertainty: I will continue writing. There’s also a nagging reality: I need to add more streams of income to the ones I currently have.

A few days ago I emailed a friend of mine, and I expressed my wishes of a greater sense of self-awareness for 2015. Her reply—more or less— went like this:

“After the year you had, you’d probably expect a bit more than just self-awareness.”

Her comment left me wondering whether I’ve become a bit of a conformist. As I was going about my daily business today, bang! I had one of my brainwaves. A few days ago I read a new definition of insanity:

 As far as I’m concerned, I’d swap ‘insanity’ for ‘stupidity’ here. However, either one or the other are the complete opposites of self-awareness.

In other words, aspiring to stay as self-aware as possible entails a very open pair of eyes and a sharp mind to spot opportunity and to take informed decisions. It also involves allowing myself to try a different way of doing things, because at the end of the day if I do the same bloody stupid thing again, and again, and again, how can I expect to achieve different results?

In any case, make no mistake: I want to become rich, famous and influential. Luck is of the essence—good luck, that is.  A serendipitous shift of fortunes. The appearance of a positive something that wasn’t there before.

Right now I’ve become painfully aware that my stomach is kind of empty and I need to get dinner ready ASAP. All the same I want to wish you a very happy New Year. May 2015 bring in everything that you want or need, and none of what you don’t want or don’t need—and a lot of self-awareness to make the most of each and every situation.

Thanks for following this blog and for reading me! FFJ