The Power of Focus

Achieving your dream through determination and daily journaling

Dear Friend

How are you feeling today? I’m cold, and my toes are freezing. It’s the 22nd July! You’d think I could walk the dogs on the beach in flip flops, but no, it actually feels like winter. Ah well, I’d still rather be freezing here in West Wales than anywhere else right now. The “House on the Beach” is my writing sanctuary whatever the weather and I love it here SO much.

One thing I am, when I’m here all alone, daydreaming in this rather grand Victorian beach house, is focused. Obviously the Ridgebacks are close by, so I’m not totally alone, but you get my drift.

Back in Cardiff, my days are saturated with distractions, so finding clarity and focus is usually a daunting task. So when I runaway to West Wales, I find it easier to dedicate my thoughts and energy, particularly to one singular goal. This isn’t me asking the universe or replying on the principles of manifesting; it’s more about good old fashioned determination, grit and effort. Because when you know what you want in life, and perhaps more importantly, what you DON’T want in life, the path becomes clearer. Ha, it’s just a shame it took me so long to work this out.

For me learning to establish boundaries and refusing to engage in activities that don’t serve my purpose have ben crucial steps towards achieving my dreams. And yes the one steadfast ritual that has profoundly helped me throughout this journey is daily journaling. I know some may scoff at the idea of DAILY journaling, but seriously, to reap the rewards you do have to journal daily, even if it’s one word, one day at a time.

I want to share with you some of my learnings about how I’ve started to achieve some of my dreams. So go make yourself a cuppa, get cosy, grab your journal and pen because you’re going to want to take notes or at least use my prompts.

The power of determination is HUGE for me, because determination is more than just a buzzword, it is the fuel that drives us towards our goals. When you have a clear vision of what you want to achieve, it becomes easier to set priorities, make decisions and stay motivated. After years of setbacks of being a small business owner, I learnt that relentless focus and dedication helped me navigate the inevitable challenges that came with some of my crazy endeavours.

Determination involves:

• Setting clear goals - knowing exactly what you want to achieve and why it matters to you.

• Developing a plan - breaking down your ultimate goal into manageable steps

• Staying committed - when you realise exactly what you really want to do with your life, persisting through difficulties and gaining a steady course becomes easier each day.

• Avoiding distractions - identifying and eliminating activities or bad habits that do not contribute to your goals.

Establishing boundaries is something I now love to talk about, because I’ve struggled for most of my adult life to set them. This was mainly due to not knowing what I wanted and what I didn’t want. I soon learn after enough failure that an essential part of focusing on my goals was recognising what didn’t serve me. Establishing boundaries is crucial in maintaining the integrity of your vision and protecting your time and energy - I know this is not easy, especially if you’re a midlife woman! It’s means saying NO to things that do not assign with your objectives and being selective about where you invest your time and energy.

Boundaries help you:

• Preserve energy - by not wasting time on unimportant tasks, you can channel your energy into what truly matters.

• Maintain clarity - keeping your goals in sight without getting sidetracked by irrelevant stuff.

• Enhance productivity - whereby you focus solely on the important things that propel you towards your gaols

The role of daily journaling has been the cornerstone of my journey towards achieving my dreams. For those of you who’ve been reading my newsletter for a while will know I’ve wrestled with morning pages, struggled to be truly authentic on the page, but with pure grit and determination it’s become my oxygen. This simple yet powerful practice allows for self-reflection, planning and emotional processing. By dedicating time each day, even if it’s just one word, one day at a time you will start to create a space for clarity and insight. I promise!

Here’s how daily journaling can help…

• Clarity and vision - writing down your dreams and goals to solidify them in your mind and on paper provides a constant reminder of what you’re working towards.

• Problem solving - journaling allows you to explore different solutions to obstacles and challenges that keep showing up each week.

• Emotional release - for me this is one of the best benefits of journaling daily, as it provides a safe outlet for expressing frustrations and fears, preventing them from overwhelming you.

• Tracking progress - I find this really useful, especially as I enjoy documenting my journey, I like to track what I eat, drink, and the amount of exercise I manage to do each week. Plus, if it’s super useful with regards sporadic physical pain and reoccurring symptoms. Especially if you have to record your symptoms for your GP. I’m not sure where I’d be with using my journal to track important aspects in my life.

I thought you might like a few prompts to start the new week on the right foot…

1. What is your ultimate goal and why is it important to you?

2. What are the 3 biggest obstacles you’re currently facing regards achieving your goal?

3. What steps can you take this week to move closer to your goal?

4. What activities or habits do you need to eliminate to stay focused on your goal?

5. How do you feel when you think about achieving your goal?

6. What boundaries do you need to set to protect your time and energy?

7. What small wins have you achieved recently, and how can you build on them?

8. Who supports you and your dreams and how can you strengthen these relationships?

9. What fears or doubts so you have about your journey and how can you address them?

10. What does your ideal day look like once you’ve achieved your goal?

Here’s the thing, by dedicating your thoughts and actions to your goals, and using daily journaling as a tool for reflection and planning, you can harness the power of determination to achieve what you truly want in your life. If I could give you one piece of advice , it’s that success is not just about dreaming; it’s about the relentless pursuit of your aspirations with clarity, focus and unwavering commitment. Go after your dreams, do what you love, it’s worth the effort!

Until the next time

Take care and stay safe xx

So much I want to share with you, about the behind the scenes 'with ease'

NEWS UPDATE - As we continue to engage and evolve together ‘with ease’, I’m making a few changes to my Substack, that I hope will enhance your reader experience and allow me to serve you even better.

Starting today (22nd July), I’m introducing a new subscription structure that will offer even more value…

Don’t worry if you’d like to remain a free subscriber, you will still receive…

• my heartfelt newsletters, but only on a Monday and Friday.  They will be packed with therapeutic journaling techniques, prompts and the latest news about my journaling workshops.  

• you’ll also continue to be part of my warm ‘with ease’ community, where you can engage through comments and notes.

For those who are ready to dive deeper into my world of therapeutic journaling and self-discovery, I’m relaunching my paid subscription option.  I’ve been quite hesitant about doing this, but after talking to a few Substack friends, I’ve realised my newsletters are jam packed with useful information, top tips, news items and retreat updates. Which can take me a couple of hours to create each day. So for the price of a hazelnut flat white, you’ll unlock a treasure trove of additional content and experiences.

Paid subscribers will enjoy…

• daily newsletters, access to my “Journal with Ease” membership club (a gentle 45 minute guided journaling session every Thursday at 1pm via zoom),

• behind the scenes peeks at Ease Retreats,

• a FREE “How To Start Journaling” guide.  

• You’ll also get first dips on new day retreats with best selling authors

• and access to my "Sunday WORD:ship” sessions to close down the week.

For my most dedicated journaling enthusiasts, there’s the Founding Subscription tier…

•  This includes all the above paid subscriber perks, plus some excluding bonuses like a significant discount on my “Rage on a Page” program,

• a one to one journaling session with your truly

• and access to my VIP invite only, demo day retreats at stunning venues in Wales, when they arise.

If you’d like to DM me please with any questions you may have, please do, or you can email me at hello@easeretreats.com