Wow! Who would have thought we would get to May this fast? It seems almost impossible to imagine…. yet here we are…. I think it is safe to say that this year has very possibly been the most powerful year to date for me.

I remember sitting with Jules on New Years Eve reflecting on 2006, and hoping and praying that 2007 would be a gentler year. You all know us Avos are delicate. So I thought I would pray for a year that would allow us to grow and ripen gently . Did I ever get it wrong! 2006 did not have a patch on 2007. If anything, 2007 has been far more challenging than 2006 ever was. In a different way though, this year certainly for me, has been about personal growth. I woke up on Jan 1, 2007 and knew that this year would challenge me, grow me, inspire me …and would change me forever. I also knew that this was the year I would grow titanuim balls…(cast-iron ones are to heavy for a little person like me), this would be the year I would challenge and demand from myself excellence beyond my wildest dreams.

It wasn’t at all about personal wealth..though that could be nice, but more about striving to be all that you can/would/should be, and having said that realising that I am solely responsible for achieveing that “greatness or self mastery”. You see, somehow this year I have realised that it is not at all about how others see you, but rather about how you see yourself. No-one else actually knows what you’re truly capable of……but you do! While it is easier to hide behind the pain of previous experiences, those very trying times that have scared you are the very times that are able to give you the fuel to drive you to your personal greatness. I spent some time working on Robben Island and it was hard, it was demanding, it was self sacrificing…parts of it were even shitty. Yet it was those very experiences and the wisdom that came from that very dark time in my life that allowed me to demand, grow, nuture, develop and shine over the last few months.

Personal greatness means something different for everyone: for me it is about being truly authentic. When you are truly authentic you understand all that you are and all that you have been designed for. Nobody can help you discover your authenticity, it comes as it is meant to in it’s own time…it is what it is… . You see it cannot be forced because when it is forced you miss that most important part, you don’t understand the responsibility that goes with finding your personal power through authenticity.

So this year is dedicated to me being true to me, I have a voice; it is clear, strong, powerful and true . I get that it needs to be used responsibly, I also know that I will sometimes use it for the wrong reasons or in the wrong way. I also understand that when that happens it’s through lack of experience rather than malice. Still I know that this is my 2007, this is what I am supposed to be doing…it is hard, to get it right every time….but I am looking for the lesson in every interaction…because that is also what make this experience so truly powerful.

In the mean time I will continue to plan my adventures; I have the bloody diving course…eish my nerves, I have the bungi in July and Greece in Sept …wowweee…2007 what an awesome year….

Hope it has been as awesome for you !