3 Steps to Get Fitter/Healthier/Smarter/Richer Before the End of The Year
This year was going to be my most successful year yet. I tell myself that every year, don’t we all? After getting through the pain of 2020 (and believe me it wasn’t just COVID that made last year suck), I thought that this year would be a piece of piss. But I was wrong!
This year I planned to get half-way through my Diploma of Counselling, create sell-out programs for my business and start eating better and moving more (again). And finally become alcohol-free. Plus, I wanted to clear all my debt. That’s not asking too much is it??
Everything was trucking along nicely and then in April I found out that my new business insurer did not recognise the 3 different yoga teacher qualifications I had at that time and I that I had to get a 200-hour certification in a matter of weeks. At the same time, I was going to be interstate on holidays.
So, I immediately dropped my diploma studies and started on the yoga teacher training. It was deeply fulfilling and reinvigorated my love of yoga, but it meant that I missed some precious family time during my time away.
One day before I left Canberra, I started to get very unwell with a bad cold AND a stomach virus. I was sick for 2 weeks and was left feeling quite depleted. I had just enough energy to teach my yoga & boxing classes, work with my personal training clients and manage the health food shop I work at. Which meant my dreams of healthy eating and exercising just for me went out the window for a while.
In June I signed up for a group business coaching mastermind. I’d wanted to work with this coach for ages and was thrilled that I could be part of her new program. I thought I would instantly create huge momentum for my business (forgetting that all coaching clients take time to work through their blocks, get clarity and start achieving their goals.)
By the end of July, I was feeling the momentum building. I had created my new program, Magic Mornings, and a the small number of clients that were enrolled were getting some wins from participating. I felt like I was on a roll. And then a close friend was diagnosed with a very serious form of cancer.
I am lucky in that I was 47 years and 11 months old before I had been close to someone with cancer. I had no idea how much happens in such a short time. Tests, meetings with doctors, coordination with nurses, oncology, palliative care, and social workers. I am my friend’s carer and life got turned upside-down very quickly.
I was able to maintain my own Magic Morning routine, my classes, my job, my sobriety and caring for my friend but something had to give and that was my own health. For 4 weeks in August & September I was very unwell but had to keep going for the sake of my business, my job, and my friend. Life felt very hard, and I wasn’t sure I was going to cope. Luckily, I have been seeing a counsellor all year and he really helped.
Now it’s October and as I write there are about 80 days left of the year. So how am I tracking with my goals?
• I am still alcohol-free!
• I have created Magic Mornings, Miracle Month and a new 10-week exercise for body love challenge
• I have added a nutritious smoothie to my day and feel amazing for it
• I’m exercising 3 times a week with my body love challenge crew
• I’ve paid off my credit card and will have cleared another debt by the end of the year
As for the Diploma… I’ve decided to be very kind to myself about that. If I had pursued the goal of completing half of it this year at all costs, I think I might be dead. But I have a plan to do 3 hours of study each Monday afternoon until the end of the year. I’ve found somewhere that feels great where I can go to study, and I’m excited.
So, how are you going with your goals for 2021? Here are 3 ways to get back on track and feel a sense of accomplishment by the end of the year.
1. Tune into your goal – does it still feel exciting, possible, worthwhile? It’s okay to decide that something you wanted at the beginning of the year doesn’t feel that great right now. If you decide it’s not for you, you can stop reading here – you’ve accomplished something! You’ve stayed true to yourself and just bought yourself some free time. Use it for something wonderful like more rest or some other form of self-care.
2. If you still have something on your list then break it down to smaller, more achievable chunks. Let’s look at my goal of eating better. It still feels too much for me to create 100% balanced meals 3 times a day, 7 days a week. Sometimes I start work at 6.30am and finish after 7pm. But I found a way to add something really nutritious into my routine every day – my morning smoothie. What can that look like for you and your goal?
3. Commit to doing it every day (or week, or month) until the end of the year. Please know when I say this, I don’t mean you’ve failed if you don’t do it every time you said you would. What you do most of the time is better than doing something just a few times. Like my study for example. I can’t commit to daily study but weekly sounds good. And if I don’t do it every week but do it most weeks it’s a lot more than what I’ve been doing lately!
If you need any help with working on your goals and feeling that sense of accomplishment by the end of 2021, then I recommend signing up for my Miracle Month program. This one month of private coaching helps you create an achievable goal and take daily steps towards it with me holding you accountable. Learn more about that here.
What’s your big goal for the rest of the year? Comment below and let me know!