It is needless to say that there is something magical about fall. It is transmitting its magical forces to us which we all can feel and see. Think about, for example, the copper-coloured leaves, the crisp autumn air and the inner reserves of strength to transform within all living creatures. So you can imagine that I need to make good use of all that autumn offers by implementing some autumnal changes. I am so excited to share them with you. Without further ado, let us dig right in.

Revisit and adjust my goals
With still a few months left until we kick off another year, I love to use autumn to revisit and fine-tune the goals I have set at the beginning of the year. I try to evaluate my progress on each goal and see whether I need to adjust my plan in better attaining it in the remaining months. One of my goals for this year is to spend more time with my loved ones. As I am convinced that I can still work more on this, I am attempting to squeeze in more date nights in the remaining year with my family and close friends even if it is just for two hours. Also, my other plan for 2018 is to improve my photography skills. I noticed that I have gradually put a lower priority on this due to other activities popping up. To better work towards this goal I have consciously planned to do some photography work for at least one hour each weekend until the end of the year. Even for the goals which I probably cannot attain before the end of the year, I still see whether I can do some things to move closer to them, instead of giving up altogether.

Save more money
The festive season is always the period in which my wallet goes through a tough period. That is why I love to save up as much money as possible during the autumn period. For me, it is easier to economise in this season than other seasons. Since fall is the best time to chill and spend the cosiest time at home, I spend less time outside. This means that I automatically save a considerable amount of money on café visits and impulse buying at random stores. In addition, I have a weakness for autumn food. I literally love everything that is locally produced in autumn, from pumpkins to Brussel sprouts and from pears to sweet potatoes. As they grow in abundance in this season, they also cost less. This works out great for me as it means that I can eat healthy and deliciously on a lower budget. The two aforementioned methods help me to save extra money each fall which I can spend on festive giving.

Listen better to myself
The many changes and transformations that occur in fall can have an impact on both our physical and mental wellbeing. Therefore, every time autumn kicks in I listen carefully to how I feel, both physically and mentally. I ensure I pay extra attention to my body and how I am feeling inside. I try to do everything to meet the additional needs of my body during this time of the year. This means both taking in additional nutritional supplements and pamper myself with extra skin care products & treatments. Mentally, the arrival of fall often implies that I need a motivational and inspirational boost to meet and respond to the many autumnal changes. I ensure I am more patient with myself and give myself more pep talks during the change process. I aim to gain an extra dose of inspiration by devoting more time to exploratory city trips, museum visits and reading books.

Besides these three changes that autumn enables me to make, I also love autumn for six other reasons which you can read in this article. What do you do to maximise your days in fall? I’d love to hear from you.

Until next time!

Love always,

Mee-Ling