Older means wiser… right?
Guess what?
This month, I am celebrating my birthday…and I am actually excited! Even though I am not getting any younger (obviously!), I feel so blessed by the experiences I have had this last year and what they have taught me!
On my birthday, I am going to celebrate with family - a VERY small number, smaller than usual but I feel like it’s the best and most responsible way to go during this pandemic. This is definitely something much more chill than the normal in-person shenanigans I most prefer! But I know for sure, this won’t last…and a year from now, this will be part of our history and hopefully we will be back to a least a little of our old normal - whatever it is that we want to go back to!
What’s in this blog?
So, what is there to celebrate you might ask? Well, this year, I am cherishing the gifts of…
another year of the love of my family and all of our extended family
seeing my teenage kids adapt and thrive during COVID, demonstrating more maturity, kindness and good choices than I might have at their age
teaching my group power class - those people inspire me and just kick ass in their workout every week
seeing my mom strong and healthy and excited about the little things… like a shared meal in her condo complex or getting to attend group exercises or spiritual celebrations, rather than having them all completely shut down - they are making it work, safely
girlfriends! - to walk, run, talk, eat, laugh with
people going out of their way to be extra kind - in words and in actions, especially our amazing neighbours during our epic snowfall
good humour on the radio - they are sick of snow and covid too, so sometimes they just talk about butter vs. margarine!
front line workers in health care - the nurses, doctors, pharmacists, physiotherapists, lab technologists, dieticians, respiratory and occupational therapists, etc etc etc making sacrifices every day
staying connected to our faith celebrations, even virtually
walking and playing with my sweet, beautiful golden doodle - Barkley lights everybody up, every day
a long beautiful summer and LOTS of family time and outside time
AMAZING clients and pursuit of my Master level coaching
I invite you to make a list…right now… of all of the things you are celebrating this year…even in the midst of this chaos and unpredictability!
*Screenshot to save and complete*
But…maybe it’s also true for some, that things are making us judgey, crabby, scared or lonely these days. Maybe 2020 has mostly just sucked shit and we would rather focus on…
all the social events that have been cancelled
real financial struggles
the trips we won’t be able to take
our growing weight
disruption in the schools and our kids having to learn from home
people in the wrong aisles at the grocery store
frustration with wearing a mask everywhere, or with those who don’t
our small social circles and more limited interaction
lately, the enormous amount of snow that has fallen here and kept us home
fear of getting sick or of a loved one getting sick
people judging us and each other
There are just so many things to be sad, frustrated or anxious about and those are fair and real feelings.
The same can be true about our health.
Sometimes, we have created health (or lack of health!) habits over time - we may not even remember a time when we didn’t have those habits - that make us sad, frustrated or anxious. Sometimes we have told ourselves that we are hopeless, that improvement is impossible, we will never get back to where we were, this is too hard for me, this is easier for others, I suck. It might be true that those old habits were serving us well in the past, but it’s also true that we CAN CHOOSE to let them go if they are no longer serving us well now.
Often we get more of what we focus on in our lives. If we continue to surround ourselves with people and thoughts that only encourage negativity, we are sure to add more of that to our lives…and our health! We are likely to have or get the same things we have always had and maybe just stay stuck!
So, what if the opposite is true about our health?
What would happen if we focused on celebrating what we DID have, rather than what we DIDN’T? It’s true that what we appreciate, appreciates! Louise Hay, a motivational speaker and author, who spoke often about healing and self-love once said “(sometimes) you’ve been criticizing yourselves for years and it hasn’t worked; try approving of yourself and see what happens.” What would it look like if we celebrated ourselves and our own gifts in the same way? What would we be capable of?
What would open up for us?
If we are OPEN to believing that we ARE completely CAPABLE to have the health (and life) that we want, MAYBE:
it WOULD BE completely possible to have the improved health we most desire
we could start LETTING GO of old ways of doing things and make room for new habits
we could take steps, stay in action and work to achieve our health dreams AND celebrate each step along the way!
Wayne Dyer, another motivational speaker and author (and these guys knew of what they spoke!) believed that if you “change the way you look at things, the things you look at change”.
It’s possible that we might look at our current circumstances as awful or hopeless…but it’s also possible that we CAN CHOOSE to look at those same circumstances as an OPPORTUNITY or even a GIFT!
What if we practice changing that mindset, right here!
Try This!
For example, instead of…
“I feel like crap, uncomfortable and overweight”,
you might say to yourself, “I am really done feeling this way, I want to do something to figure out how good I might feel!”
“I feel stressed, low energy and overworked”,
you might ask yourself, “What would I LOVE to be doing right now instead?”
“How did I get here, I want my old self and body back”,
you might think “Where do I want to go with my health and how can I create space to get there”.
Sometimes, by celebrating what’s happened or what’s POSSIBLE and honouring where we have been, we open up new possibilities and hope, especially for our health! We CAN have what we had before, and that is ok; or now, we CAN have something DIFFERENT too…if we choose.
Maybe this can help you decide what you really want?
Fill in the blank
When ____________happens, I feel _____________ and I want to shift away from that because_____________. The thing I want most instead is _____________ because it will make me feel ____________.
This can be a simple and powerful way to help you focus on where you are going and what’s most important to you in your health!
Just like I am celebrating ME this month, and I think I will go all month, lol, let’s see what it would be like for YOU to celebrate YOU - what’s possible for you & your health and what you are completely capable to achieve! Getting curious about what we want for our health and acknowledging that we want something DIFFERENT than we have had in the past, is the best first baby step. Then, the next best things you can add to that recipe for success, are support and accountability in order for you to get what you most want for your health.
Celebrate something you are proud of today!
With love and gratitude,
Nicholle