Kia Ora and Welcome to You All,

I hope you are safe, well and ready for the magic and mystery this year will bring :-). With the first month now behind us, you might find you are only now starting to feel like it’s a new year. This has certainly been true for me so what can we expect from 2023?

Here’s my top three insights and over-arching themes to help you:

#1. Set Goals and Be Flexible

I’ve been dwelling on this question for a few weeks now. Just as I’ve been pondering my next steps and starting to make plans, I’ve come to realise that more than anything, we need to be adaptable to change, expected or unexpected.

Create your plans to give your life or work direction, but don’t hold them too tightly, allow them to adapt as needed. There are many paths to the final destination and sometimes the detours along the way bring us new insights and wisdom which help us to grow, evolve and make better choices.

#2. Expect the Unexpected

For those of you in NZ, you may have witnessed or been displaced by the devastating floods we have experienced in Northland, Auckland and Central New Zealand in January 2023. NIWA Weather in Twitter reported on 30 January that Auckland had 38% of its annual rainfall, with most of that happening in just a few short days and sadly more rain due in the next 48 hours. To give you context, that’s close to 5 months rain in 1 month!

Floods. Slips. Carnage. Chaos. Disruption. Death.

One week ago, this was not what we were expecting.

And yet, neither did we expect the outpouring of kindness and caring of neighbours, strangers, and communities working together to help each other. To find solutions. Humanity at its best. A reminder how we are all in this together and we are ‘better together’.

It can be hard to find meaning in these moments when the unexpected deals a wild card into our hand. In many ways, just like the river of water, it forges a new path, whether wanted or not. If we believe that everything is happening ‘for’ us and ‘not’ to us, it changes the way we see things.

Setbacks, challenges and loss are all part of the human experience. When things become ‘stacked’ like one thing after the other, it can be easy to feel down and lose hope. This is where our resilience gets tested and we may find we need new strategies and support from others to help us through. Setting a goal can be helpful to give focus, direction and forward movement.

Deep within is a wellspring of inner wisdom and this brings me to my next point.

#3. Create Space for Quiet Time

Whilst 2022 had more ‘yang’ or outer directed energy, 2023 by contrast is more of a ‘yin’ year.

A year where you will find it helpful to pull back more often from the outer world and pay attention to your inner world.

Make time for you. Retreat. Journal. Be in nature. Rest. Rejuvenate. Have quiet time. Find purpose. Feed your soulful spirit. Create space to heed to the whispers of your heart. Let your inner wisdom guide you.

In summary, what can we expect from 2023?

Set goals and be flexible;

Expect the unexpected, and

Create space for quiet time.

In keeping things simple, I hope you find these three over-arching themes useful.

With love,

Jo

Joanne Hutchinson MBA

Founder Great Spirit NZ

‘It’s a way of BEING’

Want to Work with Me in 2023?

  • Realize your Potential and Become a Great Leader. I offer private 1:1 Leadership Coaching and Mentoring Packages tailored specifically to your needs.
  • Help your Team Perform at it’s Potential with Team Development, and Resilience Workshops.
  • De-Stress and Relax with Reiki for Holistic Wellbeing.

Email jo@greastpirit.co.nz for more information.