Slow Notes: On slowing down, finding clarity, and following what feels good
Sometimes pressing pause and taking time to reflect is the best way forward.
Little notes from me about what I’ve been up to, with personal stories and honest reflections from my own journey of living life more slowly and simply. A gentle space to pause, notice the quiet moments, and appreciate the small things that make life feel rich.
One unexpected joy on our holiday was finding a book in our Airbnb called Everything I’ve Ever Done That Worked by Lesley Garner. It’s full of little pieces of wisdom and reminders that are very much staying with me. I love stumbling on books like that when I’m not even looking for them! As I obviously couldn’t bring the book back with me I made sure to note down all the lines from the book that I wanted to remember. But as I loved the book that much I actually purchased a copy on my Kindle, along with two more of Lesley’s books!
Here’s a little reflection I noted down while reading the book I mentioned above, which made me think about one of our walks amongst the trees in Matlock Bath where I also spotted my very first treecreeper creeping above me:
I opened up the Merlin app on my phone, and a treecreeper came up. I looked up, thinking that it must have made a mistake! Above me there were lots of little birds fluttering about. And then, just a bit higher still, I caught sight of a bird that (just like its name) seemed to creeping along the tree!
As I read this line in the book I’ve been reading, it reminded me of the treecreeper moment from last week:
“If you look up, you will expand your world. You will see clouds, weather, the colour of the sky, the stars and planets, the flight of birds, the pattern of branches, the silver trail of planes. If you look up, you’ll notice all the creative, expressive, witty, quirky things that architects, builders, sculptors do that nobody notices.” - Lesley garner
It reminded me that by simply just shifting your perspective like looking up, and slowing down for a moment, you can open yourself up to a whole new world of experiences, possibilities, and creativity!
Over the past few months, I’ve been working quietly behind the scenes on some new things for Makers and Creatives, which I’ll be launching in the autumn! I’ve not really shared much about them yet, but I’m very excited and can’t wait to start sharing more very soon. I’ve had some ideas for a while now, and it’s felt really good to create and bring them to life. I’ve made a deliberate decision to move slowly with the process rather than rushing to get it all done, and I’ve found that’s helped so much. Taking my time has given me the space to enjoy creating, while letting the ideas settle and evolve naturally, and it’s helped me feel more grounded and confident in what I’m building.
I’ve also been paying more attention to what helps me feel good and work better as a small business owner. Creating space, keeping things simple, letting go of unnecessary pressure, and honestly all of that makes such a difference. I’ve found over time that it’s easy to overcomplicate things when actually, there’s a lot of power in keeping it light and focused. That’s something I love helping others with too, and I’m very much still learning it myself every day!
I’ve taken a little step back from my Journal of Soulful Reflections recently (which you may have noticed), just a short break while I figure out what’s next for it. I’ve realised sometimes pressing pause and taking time to reflect is the best way forward. It’s okay to hit pause on something that doesn’t feel like you anymore and to step back, re-evaluate, and give yourself space to think about how you want to move forward. Sometimes that reflection leads us in a different direction, and what once worked may no longer serve us. Allowing yourself that time and gentleness can make all the difference in finding a path that feels right… and that’s exactly what I’ve been doing!
So here’s to more ease, inspiration, and following what feels good!
Until next time…
So true, I do love to spot a tree creeper too ❤️
Lovely post! It’s good to slow down, pause and check in with yourself to see if what you’re doing is still in tune with your beliefs. Giving yourself permission to step away or change path is a very strong thing to do.