Turning 40 and the year of no sh!t

turning forty and the year of no sh!t

After my extended trip away to India I came home with a real sense of wanting to keep things super simple and in alignment with what really mattered to me most. India has a way of reminding me that I really don’t need much at all to be happy – the less stuff I have the less I have to worry about.

My routine in Mysore was simple – wake up early, drink my tea, warm up a bit, ride my scooter to the shala, practice for 2 hours, come home, have breakfast, and then the rest of the day I was free to do as I pleased. I took a lot of work and books to study with me thinking I would have heaps of time to get into stuff I haven’t been able to do in a long time. And yes I did have the time but I totally didn’t have the inclination. I needed time to do nothing and to be spontaneous when I did want to do something. I needed white space. My life since Elsie arrived has been so structured around her needs and dictated by routine that was not my own that I craved time to just see where the day took me, for me. I could either fill it with worthwhile activities(chanting, sutra studies etc) or I could just jump on my scooter and explore the city for a few hours or I could have a sleep (in the day! oh imagine!) And that’s exactly what I did and with no pressure to actually achieve anything. I just wanted to try and soak up each day as it came and see what unfolded as I knew that it would a long time before I would have that chance at white space again.

I arrived home on 1st January and I always enjoy setting myself a few intentions big and small for the year to come. The last few years I’ve had a bit of theme to my year. Last year was the year of getting strong and reflected on the 39 things I’d learned at 39, the year before that the year of no rushing and the one before that was the year I became a Mum (so the theme was ‘survive’!). I was pondering what I would like 2017 to be about and craving the same white space I had experienced in India. I had deleted all my social media apps of my phone while I was away (to create space for all the photos I was taking) and I was reluctantly putting them back on my phone and I realised I didn’t want to waste my time on shit anymore – and the opportunity of having no shit felt really good. Then it came to me in a flash – this year was going to be the year of no shit.

Just as a side note – I really don’t like swearing online – I feel it’s not necessary but sometimes there’s no better word. But I will refer to shit as sh!t from here on in.

I decided that I wanted to buy no sh!t, eat no sh!t, and take no sh!t – you get the picture.

Buy no SH!T

I’ve been a minimalist all my life so I’m constantly de-cluttering and I love experiencing the JOY OF LESS. However this year my aim is to not buy any NEW items. I’m really going to try and only buy what’s absolutely necessary and nothing more. If I do need to buy something then I’m going to try for pre-loved first or try to use what I already have. For example, I’m going out for dinner for my birthday in a few weeks and I wanted a new dress to celebrate. Instead of buying something new I opted for a vintage 60’s hostess dress. LOVE! I saved myself $60 and it’s a one of a kind. Of course I could have gone for just wearing something I already had as I do already have quite a few vintage pieces I’ve collected over the years but I let myself off the hook ‘cos its my 40th and it’s special.

Eat no SH!T

We eat pretty well. Harry has been my greatest influence on changing my eating habits over the last decade. His knowledge about food is astounding and continues to keep me inspired to eat well. However coming off three years of severe sleep deprivation we’ve both gotten into a bit of a lull with our recipes and are both pretty bored with what we’ve been eating week in week out Harry does most of the cooking in our house so my aim is to start trying out some new recipes on him to give him a bit of a break. I met a beautiful girl called Monica from Mexico when I was in Mysore and we had a great time. She told me about so many delicious vegan Mexican recipes that I’m going to be incorporating them into our weekly menu.

Take and Do no sh!t

Turning 40 this month has been a big deal for me. I’m actually really grateful to be turning 40 and proud of myself for all that I have overcome and dreams that I have achieved in that short time. I have many more dreams that I want to fulfill and so I just don’t have the time to put up with sh!t or waste time on doing any sh!t that I don’t wanna do anymore. It’s all about mindset. I read a great quote the other day “If not now then when and if not you then who?” and it really got me excited about the future. My yoga practice has been a huge influence over my mindset. It has shown me time and time again that if I just have faith and then do the work then anything is possible. On and off the mat.

So what’s your year going to look like? Remember you have the power to make it whatever you want it to be. You just to set your intention and then do the work to make it become a reality.

See you on the mat you so can conquer life off the mat.

~Allison

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