It's time for a "tough love" pep talk!
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A tough love pep talk for you!
Well the half-way mark for 2018 has well and truly passed.
All those hopeful shiny, hopes, dreams, New Year's Resolutions and goals for the year to be "The Best Year Evah!!!!" have well and truly given way to work, life, family stuff, those seven different times where life threw you a massive curveball and at least one situation that shook you to your core.
And so, like all of us, you've been doing what you needed to keep going. You show up at work, you look after your family, you plaster a smile on your face, bite back your irritation, grab a coffee and get things done. Because you're awesome and you're not a quitter and I absolutely love you for that and so do the people who love you too..
And if, like me, you live in the Southern Hemisphere, it's winter and flu season and it's cold and it gets dark so early....
So you marvel at how fast the year has flown by, and rationalise that it's pretty much over now. So why don't you just declare 2018 a write-off, wallow in your self-care failure-ness and resolve that 2019 will actually be the year you finally prioritise your health and happiness.
But for-reals this time. Seriously.
BUT...
I think it's time for me to step in and give you a Tough Love Pep Talk
So here goes....
Remember all those wonderful plans you made at the start of the year?
Your plans for self care?
To prioritise your health?
To eat more veggies?
To get more sleep?
To go to that Zumba class because even though everyone thinks it's lame it is actually awesome fun and you feel soooo much better afterwards?
And what about your BHAG?
The goal you were going to work towards this year?
The one that was going to bring you closer to your Dream Life?
I get it. You have commitments. Real life, non-negotiable, adult, serious commitment-type things that have to be prioritised.
And there are only so many hours in the day. And you are just so completely *utterly* exhausted at the end of the day and you deserve a treat (or three). And a second (or third) glass of wine after dinner. And a bit of late night internet surfing and online shopping to make life bearable. So what if your bedtime gets pushed back?
You tell yourself you are just going to get through this crazy-busy time, and then when things settle down you will pick up where you left off, eat healthier, go to bed earlier and make time for healthy movement. Right?
Right?
No.
STOP IT!!!!
Sometimes you just gotta stop drinking your own Kool-Aid. Stop buying into your BS rationalisations and excuses for putting your health and wellbeing last, and just get a little bit tough on yourself.
Especially when you are getting in your own way on your path to health and achieving your goals and dreams!
It's called Tough Love and it's seriously underrated!
Here is a hard unalienable FACT darlingheart:
You have to save yourself first!
You HAVE TO do the things you need to do to stay healthy.
Even when your busy. Even when it's too cold. Or too hot.
And if your food and lifestyle habits are a little bit less than healthy right now, you need to prioritise what needs to be done to move the arrow back in the healthy direction.
You actually know this, don't you? Like REALLY know this.
But you feel a bit guilty and a bit helpless and your brain is awesome at coming up with rational-sounding excuses to keep you in a busy-neglectful denial-fuelled rut.
So this is where I come in with my annoying-but-very-necessary *** Tough Love Pep Talk ***
Because you are wonderful, amazing and fabulous!
And you need to look after your mind, body and soul.
And you deserve to make your health, wellbeing and happiness a priority.
And it doesn't have to be crazy-unrealistic-time-consuming.
But it DOES have to be done.
So here's what we are going to do:
First, let's get back in touch with your goals for your health, wellbeing and happiness.
Remember your BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal)? That goal that is so big, so amazingly "out there", that you almost can't admit it out loud? Name it and claim it baby!
And your goals for 2018? The things you really, truly wanted for your health and for your life? Did you write them down? Go get them! Or grab a cup of tea and jot them down!!!
Next take a little look at where you are right now...
I have a FANTASTIC printable worksheet to help you check in with yourself. It's called The Flower Exercise, and until recently I reserved it exclusively for my private coaching clients. It's a powerful tool to help you assess where you are now and where you really want to be.
Now, take a little time to plan what you are going to choose to do over the closing months in 2018 to close the gap between where you are now, and where you really want to be
I wrote about this HERE. We're going to identify all of the habits, big and small, that are comfortable for us in the moment, but which we know aren't really that good for us. You know what I mean: late night internet surfing, not getting enough sleep, too much alcohol, too much takeaway and fast food, not enough healthy movement, not enough meaningful connection to our loved ones.
Don't go overboard! Just choose a few small, sustainable changes
Want to know the key to achieving your big health (and life!) goals? Baby steps! Instead of a big overwhelming overhaul, look for the small, seemingly-insignificant tweaks you can make to your nutrition and lifestyle. Tiny changes you will hardly notice, that won't set off the change-resisting alarm bells embedded deep in our psyche. These tiny changes, if you embed them as a consistent habit, will accumulate and when added together will deliver big positive changes to your health and wellbeing over time.
Commit to a a couple of Non-Negotiable Daily Rituals
Your NNDR (Non-Negotiable Daily Rituals) List are the things you know will make your life better if you do them every day. The daily habits you want to become so entrenched that they become as automatic as brushing your teeth. Things like:
- Moving your body every day.
- Committing to going to sleep at a set time
- Firm boundaries around web surfing and social media use
- Eating vegetables every day
All you have to do is ask yourself: what can I commit to doing - every day - to make me healthier and happier?
And while you're at it, jot down a couple of things on a Not-To-Do List too!
My Not-To-Do List is a game-changer! Make a list of the things that are making you feel bad about yourself, drain your energy, absorb too much of your time, and generally keep you from living your best life. For each item you put on your list, imagine what your life would be like if you simply did not do that anymore.
There is something very powerful and liberating about putting these things on a Not To Do List. You are in essence declaring that you are putting your goals, happiness and health first. I keep my Not To Do List in my journal where I can see it and every day. It's a work in progress!
So there you have it! My Tough Love Pep Talk with a bonus road map to help you get back onto your healthy happy track!
GET YOUR FREE PRINTABLES!
I created a whole bunch of helpful printable worksheets to get you right back on track for a Healthy Happy Wonderful 2018!! They are waiting for you in the Resources Library I created exclusively for my email list members!
If you would like to download these and all of my other helpful free resource, just CLICK HERE to join my mailing list! In fact, ALL of the FREE PRINTABLES I have created for our Healthy Happy Wonderful tribe are waiting for you in the members section!
If you are already a mailing list member, just CLICK HERE or go to the Members tab in the navigation bar above and enter the password I send through with each weekly newsletter.
