A snowy autumn in the cottage

Here on the beautiful Nordic countryside the wind has been blowing and the snow has been snowing! 

We're so lucky to have had days and days of beautiful snowfall already and brisk temperatures. Proper wintery weather for autumn, ha! Each weekend we’ve managed to make the most of the meagre daylight hours by xc-skiing for hours on end and we couldn’t be more content. I really enjoy the colder seasons as they seem to grant us permission to live at a slower pace than usual which, for me, makes it easier to embrace the quietude.

Our snowy cottage garden

Coming home after xc-skiing

As we’re heading towards the end of the year my mind is in need of some reflection time. There’s a conclusive feeling to December as I wind work down for the year and tie up loose ends. I haven’t yet taken much time to think about my business goals for the new year but I do have a few projects on my mind. This year has been a long year of sowing seeds it seems and now they are quietly waiting for me to be brought to life. So I’d better come with a plan.  

But without some reflection there will be no plan, so here we go. 

For my small business I found that our move to Norway has been a little tough. Growing Alta from a Norwegian cottage has its challenges: it’s been great for productivity - creating content, designing new products - but it's been quite hard to reach and connect with people. 

On a personal level, living here has been creatively fulfilling. I have never in my life spent so much time outside enjoying my favourite outdoor sports and exploring some artistic endeavours just for the sake of creating.

My collection of artworks

A snowy day xc-skiing

To do more of a deep dive reflection that will help me come up with some new year intentions that I can hopefully turn into a proper plan, I decided to go over my own Alta High on Life self-reflection toolkit. Last year, I did all of the exercises myself to be better able to assist people who would buy one. So, now that more than 1 year has passed since I filled it in, I thought it would be perfect to reflect on it again and see where I am at right now. 

Since I’m positive I am not the only one in need of some reflection time and it always helps to receive some guidance, I have videotaped my whole process. Next to sharing some of my reflections of this year & intentions for the new year I also show some of my favourite moments this snowy autumn in the cottage. I really hope you’ll find it both useful and enjoyable to watch.

View on Youtube

With every new year it’s easy to go full steam ahead and continue our busyness. But if we never carve out the time to reflect on what we’re doing, we might be going into a direction that’s not serving us well. 

By dedicating this time to reflect on what’s working for me and what’s not I aim to be entering the new year with intention and lightness. I really hope you get a chance to do this for yourself as well.

Iris