I pressed ‘publish’ on the first post on this blog nearly a year ago now. And this is my 100th blog post. To mark this milestone, I’ve decided to reflect on the past year. And on what the process of writing these posts has taught me. Because it certainly hasn’t been just about the writing. It’s mainly been about what has gone on behind the scenes, in my life. And why I’m writing about what I write about. It’s about the changes that have taken place in my life over the last year. And the people I met and the things I’ve learnt. But none of this would have happened had it not been for this one thing: focusing on myself. After spending the last few years living on auto-pilot, in what now feels like a bit of a blur, I finally shone the light on myself. And believe it or not, focusing on yourself has its perks. But us women, we don’t do it enough. So let me share what I’ve learnt from the experience.
Photo credit: Carin Thakrar Photography.Â
- Surround yourself with great people. You’ll see, your life will start to change. There’s a fantastic quote from Leo Babauta that says that to change your mind your should change your habits. And that’s totally true. But when you also start surrounding yourself with like-minded, supportive, and non-judgemental people who ‘get you’, you’ll see some magic happen. So go find these people and hold on to them.
- Women are amazing creatures. Period. We are so strong and resilient. Quite literally incredible. Yet, we can be oh-so harsh on ourselves. And it’s time we stop it. Let’s be proud of being women. Of who we are, and the million and one roles and responsibilities we take on. Let’s stop committing the deadly sin of putting ourselves down. We don’t do it to others. Why do it to ourselves?
- Practise patience and gratitude. Daily. Always. I’m definitely not where I want to be here. Not yet, anyway. But I’ve seen my levels of acceptance, self-compassion, and self-confidence grow as a result. So if you want to do one great thing for yourself, create a little gratitude practice that works for you. (More to follow!)
- If you want to make long-lasting changes, start working on your mindset. Look into any mindset blocks, fears, insecurities, and limiting beliefs that you might have. Blocks? Limiting beliefs? What? Well, when you start to open your mind and expand your reach you’ll see this plastered everywhere. “Stop keeping yourself safe and small, get out of your comfort zone, and get out of your own way”. How do you do that exactly? Well, that’s what I’m going to work really hard to find out. Want to join me?
- ‘Obligers’ need external accountability. Do you? I’ve been reading Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin (as recommended by Academic Coach Lucy Parsons), and in the personality framework that she created (the ‘Four Tendencies’), she talks about Obligers. Obligers are people who readily meet outer expectations but struggle to meet inner expectations. I’m one of them. If I have a deadline, and I’ve told someone I’ll do something, I will. If not, I
faffprocrastinate. I need external accountability. Or I won’t do something. Especially if it’s not work-related. So there. I know about this now, and I know I have to find ways to create this accountability for myself. Do you? - Follow your intuition. It knows a lot more than you give it credit for. It’s probably one of the most powerful resources you have. Use it wisely and listen to it. Sadly, this fantastic, modern, digital era we live in means that we’ve become so distracted by the all the noise coming from the outside, that we’re no longer sure about what that voice deep down inside us is trying to tell us.
- If you want to move forward, you need to know where you’re going. Visualise. Create a vision board. Don’t know what it is? If you have time, research it. If you don’t, just literally think of the future vision you have for your life, your business, your anything, and put it down. As an image. A word. As whatever works for you. And look at it. Put it somewhere where you can see it. And think about it often. Then…
- Make a plan. Know why you’re doing what you’re doing, whatever that is. And make a plan to get there. Break it down into goals. And the goals into little projects. Whether it’s a home move, a career change, a business launch, or a new exercise regime, having a plan will help you get there faster.
- And in case you’re wondering how on Earth you’re going to get ‘there’, passion, determination, perseverance, consistency, hard work, and tenacity will get you there. Lots to think about? Yes, sure. But I fully believe this. (Check out this interview with Academic Coach Lucy Parsons to see what I mean). When you feel a little ‘meh’ and unfulfilled in life, you’re not fuelled. If you’re not fuelled, you’re not moving forward. If you’re not moving forward, you’re either staying stuck or zig zagging your way through life until you arrive somewhere that may or may not be acceptable to you. So the passion in this is quite key. Sort your passion out (by working out why you do what you do or want what you want), and then pull your sleeves up to do the rest. You’ll hear me talk about this a lot more.
- Do the things that make you YOU. In life, you just have to do things that make sense to YOU. Sometimes it really is ok to pay zero attention to what others think or say. Your life is about YOU. And if you feel great and fulfilled, like all the pieces of a puzzle are falling into place, then everything else actually will. So just be you, and never try to be someone else.
- Writing gives you clarity. You may or may not enjoy writing. It may not be ‘your thing’. But when you do write things down, thoughts stop swirling, and you start to see logic emerge. It’s inevitable. It doesn’t have to be coherent writing either. Whatever comes to your mind. However it comes to your mind. In whatever form. Try it, and you’ll see how much a difference it can make. Especially if you’ve been going round and round in circles in your mind about something.
- Never be afraid to ask for help. If you feel stuck, shout. (Ok, maybe not literally.) What I mean is ‘tell someone’ – ask for help. Reach out. Of course, you can do most things by yourself, but if you ask for the right help at the right time, you’ll move forward so much quicker. And with better results. And if you have too much on…
- Delegate. Delegating isn’t the same as losing control over something. Or being weak. It’s just a smarter way to work. And who doesn’t need that?! Plus, you don’t always have to have a super tight grip on absolutely everything in life. Or do you?
- Create space. Mental space and physical space. It’s one of the best tools we have to gain clarity and overcome overwhelm. Space makes a huge difference to how you feel. Clear your mind. Your schedule. Clear the clutter in your house. Clear your life. Let go of anything that doesn’t ‘spark joy’ (in the words of organising expert Marie Kondo). Let go of anything that no longer serves you. Or no longer serves its purpose. Because when you do that, you create space for the things that you DO want and need. In your current life. In other words, make yourself small in order to make yourself big.Â
- Go to ‘spiritual gym’. Borrowing a phrase by Jen Sincero here, author of You Are A Badass and You Are a Badass At Making Money, if the most successful people read self-help books, meditate, invest money in working with coaches and mentors, who am I to think I’m above all this and can do without? Can you? It all ties in beautifully with creating mental space and going after your goals, if you think about it…
- Take action. “It doesn’t matter how slowly you go, as long as you don’t stop”. You can learn, read, listen to podcasts, watch videos etc., but if you don’t take action, nothing is ever going to happen. Nothing is ever going to change. So every day, do something. Remember the perseverance and consistency we talked about earlier? What they call ‘analysis paralysis’ is a real thing. Trust me, I’m a Business Analyst by trade, I know. You can think, plan, and risk assess all your life, but if you never do anything, nothing will happen.
- Every day, do something to grow. Yourself, your mindset, your skills, your business, your bank account, your relationship with your partner or your children. Whatever. Just make sure you’re moving forward. Every day. How? Push yourself out of your comfort zone. If it’s scary, do it. Say yes, and then worry about it later. The more you push yourself out of your comfort zone, the more you’ll grow.
- You are what you focus on. Sit with this one for a bit. You create more of what you focus on. So be mindful of what you do. Behaviour breeds behaviour. Spend your time wisely. Choose your friends even more wisely.
- And finally, a lot of things are simple, but they’re not easy. Change isn’t easy. Not. One. Bit. Pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone, of what we know, of what we think we are, is never easy. Creating new habits and improving ourselves in any area of life isn’t easy. Coming out of a daze, out of ‘surviving mode’ and auto-pilot isn’t easy. But we can do it.
So what can you take away from all this?Â
That whether we like the term of not, life is a bit of a journey. It’s made of phases, of learning experiences, and of trial and error. I set off on this journey nearly a year ago (from publishing blog post number 1 about slowing down) without a clear idea of where I was going. Today I know I want to help mums overcome mental and physical overwhelm and simplify their lives.
So I hope you’ll stick with me. And give me a hand, as I progress in this journey. Let me know what you think. How you feel. What works for you. What you want to know more of. And help me help others who are just starting to feel the discomfort and pain from wanting to change something in their life. Because when they do, we’ll be here for them. Change is hard, and everyone deserves a support network through it. So Ladies, let’s create that. If you want to join me, do sign up below, come and say hello on social media, and we can do this together.
Are you in?
You have had an incredible year and so many key learnings! Bravo to you and your hard work. Bravo for us, for sharing in all of it with you. I wish I was a local to come to your event, but here I am in the states. Feel my support from here, and know I am working on all of the things you have outlined. #KCACOLS xoxo
Author
Aww Lisa, you have made my day 🙂 Thank you so much for having been a part of this journey with me, and for your super-kind words. Means to much to me! 🙂
Good luck with your event! It’s great to appreciate the things around us but we have to love ourselves first of all #kcacols
Author
Thank you Laura! That’s so true – although it’s almost like we’re conditioned to think that loving ourselves is a bad thing!
I like this idea about the ‘spiritual gym’. Interesting concept. #KALCOLS
Author
I loved it too – it makes sense though, right? I really recommend Jen Sincero’s books – her style is brilliant. And the books really are full of wisdom!
Wow!! Love this. So many points here resonate with me. I have a feeling I’ll be coming back to this post a lot in the near future. Thank you. #KCACOLS x
Author
Thank you Cheryl! This is so so great to hear! 🙂
What an incredible year you’ve had and how insightful to look back at all the things you’ve learnt over that time. Fantastic you’ve got your first event coming up – loads of luck with that. #KCACOLS
Author
Thank you so much Susie – it has been quite a remarkable year in so many ways, actually. You can easily not notice these things if you don’t spend some time reflecting on them!
This is a wonderful inspirational post and just what I need right now! #kcacols
Author
Thank you for your lovely words Emma – I’m glad it resonates!
Great post and very relateable – I am definitely an obliger! There are lots of things here I need to work on and some great tips for doing so. Thanks! #KCACOLS
Author
Thank you so much for your lovely words! I am too! And apparently Obligers are the only category of people who get frustrated at being how they are (when it comes to accountability, that is)! Not cool! 😉
Yes, never be afraid to ask for help! Great post and congratulations for 100! #kcacols
Author
Thank you Bread! 🙂
A great post and congratulations on 100 posts! I especially like the bit about knowing where you are going to move forward. This is definitely my issue…no idea where I’m going! Totally winging it! #KCACOLS
Author
Thank you Nicola – I did too, for a year. But then I felt I had to work something out! 😉 Don’t put pressure on yourself if this isn’t how you feel! If it works for you, it works for you!
All your tips….just yes. Love them.
Happy 100th post. That’s amazing. 100 posts in a year.
Thanks for linking up to #KCACOLS Come back soon.
Author
Thank you so much Cassie! 🙂
Congrats on the 100th post. This was really interesting to read and I found myself nodding along as I read it. Good luck with your event #kcacols
Author
Thank you Tracey – glad you can relate! 🙂
Great post! I’m a procrastinator too! #KCACOLS
Author
We all are to a certain extent, aren’t we? 🙂
All really good advice. I’m pretty much at a year blogging and I definite;y think writing helps you find clarity in situations too. Well done on reaching a year. God luck with the event, I wish I lived closer then I could come! x
#KCACOLS
Author
Thank you for your kind words Helen! 🙂 Sounds like we started out at around the same time! 🙂
Congrats, I always love reading what you’ve got to say:)
Mainy
#KCACOLS
Author
Aww – thank you Mainy! That’s so sweet of you! 🙂
Nice post. My blog has really enabled me to liberate myself from the treadmill because it has given me the space to reflect. Writing really does bring clarity I find. Pen x #KCACOLS
Author
Thank you Pen – I’m glad to hear it’s done something similar for you to what it’s done for me 🙂
Oh Sara – we ARE speaking the same language. Since I’ve started blogging and clearing clutter step by step – it’s led me on a path of self discovery and self development. It’s been great. Congratulations on your 100th post! I’m working on my money mindset beliefs ever since I read Sincero’s books!
Author
Yes, we totally are speaking the same language!!! I feel it’s been great for me too – glad I found you, and I’ll be sure to check in on how your journey progresses.
What an amazing year you have had, I always find your posts so inspirational! #KCACOLS
Author
Thank you Kate – thank you so much for saying that. I take that as a huge compliment!!!
I definitely need a spiritual gym. I feel like I’m just going round in circles every day rather than having a focus which isn’t fun at all. Happy 100 Blog Posts! #KCACOLS
Author
Thank you Amie – I know the feeling! Do have a go at thinking about some of the changes you’d like to implement. You may find some improvement straight away!
Wow, congrats on your 100th post:) it’s a really big achievement 🙂
#KCACOLS
Author
Thank you – very sweet of you! 🙂
It sounds like you’ve found your niche & are enjoying it – good luck! #KCACOLS
Author
Loving it! Thank you!