Every time I commit 100% to something, energy shifts, changes happen, transformation begins and life changes …
Forever.
There’s a massive difference in energy when we decide to jump in completely, versus dipping our toes in here and there.
If you really want to declutter your home but keep putting it off until tomorrow (and we all know tomorrow never comes), then you’ll forever be feeling that constant energy drain that comes when you feel you should be sorting your wardrobe, deep cleaning the kitchen or moving that pile of paperwork off the dinner table.
If you really want to get fitter, stronger and leaner but after an initial 3 week burst of three-times-a-week gym sessions or early morning runs you slowly run out of physical and mental energy, then you’re always left feeling not-quite-good-enough and revert back to your comfort zone.
Some people believe that others who can achieve consistent success have some kind of genetic super-power that makes them never lose focus and stay on track through all kinds of challenges. Others might say those high achievers have an inbuilt stubbornness and extra helping of willpower.
But I don’t believe that’s true.
When I reflect back on my own experiences I find it easy to pull out all the failures. All the diets that lasted just a few days, all the fitness plans written and never accomplished, all the beauty routines that disappeared long before the tubs of creams and lotions…
It’s really easy to remember our failures. It’s even easier to tell ourselves that we’re simply not someone who achieves their goals or that we don’t have enough willpower.
For just a few moments, I’d love you to think about all the things you’ve planned, started and never finished. They may not be health and fitness orientated but perhaps projects around the home, learning a language or keeping your car filled up with petrol all the time (I still can’t manage this one!!).
(If you have some paper or a notebook nearby, do feel free to write this down as it’s a really useful and motivating exercise.)
Now, switch it around and look at all the things you have achieved, stuck to or completed.
I’ll share some of mine…
Back in 2013 I decided to stop drinking diet coke (other brands are available!). I’d gradually realised it made my skin itch and as someone who is very intuitive with her body, I knew it wasn’t doing my health any favours. So after a night out with a friend I decided that was it. My last diet coke. Ever. Admittedly there were moments later that summer where I could easily have given in and tasted that first, ice cold, fizzy sip… but I stuck to my gut instinct. A few weeks became months and suddenly I found myself able to say ‘I haven’t had a diet coke for a year’. That was almost 5 years ago and I can honestly say that not only do I not miss it (sparkling water with ice, fresh lime and mint is far more refreshing), but I also feel better for not drinking it.
When my children were little I spent a lot of time with other mums who complained about how much time home cooking took or how they resorted to oven-ready meals like fish fingers, beans and chips. Somehow, I knew that it felt different to me. Sure, there were plenty of busy days, fish finger days and let’s-go-out-for-dinner days, but in my heart I knew that cooking fresh meals with real ingredients gave me far more than good nutrition. It gave me peace of mind that I was nourishing my children in the best way I could, with love and care. The more I realised the importance of home-cooking to me, slowly my life evolved in ways I’d never imagined. I began to run cooking sessions in people’s homes, got a ‘healthy family food’ recipe column in our local newspaper, ran a cooking project for young mums with a local charity and became an adult education tutor for healthy cooking at college. I remember calculating one day that I must have prepped and cooked more than 25,000 family meals in my lifetime!
In more recent years as my spiritual awakening seemed to speed up, I realised that watching television news reports was a massive drain on my energy. Since childhood I’d seen more than my fair share of plane crash or car accident images and these haunted me frequently. I think, like many of us, that 9/11 was a turning point. I know something shifted in my mind that day, sitting breastfeeding my newborn baby wondering what kind of world I’d brought her into. It took a few more years before that final lightbulb moment. It happened slowly though…. Our television broke and as it was almost the school summer holidays I just didn’t replace it. We played more outside and I enjoyed the time to read or do things around the home rather than mindlessly flick through the channels. When I finally bought a new TV some weeks later and reverted to old habits, I felt a massive, instant, crushing negativity, sadness and drain wash through every cell in my body. I knew at that point I had to protect my energy (and my sanity!). From that day forward I haven’t watched any more daytime TV or a complete news report. In fact, I sold our TV over 2 years ago and it’s the best thing I ever did! If something important is happening then I choose when and where I want to watch it on some form of social media or online news channel. As a positive side effect, I’ve used that time to watch motivating TED talks, read, study and take my business to a whole new level.
The point I want to make here is that the things we really want to commit to are the same things that resonate with us deep inside our hearts.
The things we just know we want to change.
It’s not about starting a new diet or exercise plan because we feel we should be slimmer or achieve some kind of stereotypical ideal body shape, it’s about changing an aspect of our health and lifestyle because the consequences of not doing it far outweigh our desire to live in the comfort zone.
Starting a 30 day challenge can be a great way to kick start you into action.
An opportunity to open your mind and body to new possibilities. Along the way you’ll get those lightbulb moments that tug deep at your heart strings.
For me, switching to a plant-based diet opened up a whole new world about the plastic problems in the environment and the effects of the meat and dairy industry on global warming, together with a desire to learn more about zero waste and minimalism. What started out as a love of animals and a health boost to help my auto-immune condition slowly became a way of life that introduced me to new people, places, experiences and tastes I’d never otherwise have experienced.
The most exciting part of a challenge is not getting to the end and reaching an arbitrary goal, but the journey you undertake and all the discoveries and awakenings you have along the way.
You’ll notice new opportunities, connections and friendships that fill your life with a richness and joy you’d never previously imagined.
Ready to commit to a daily practice now?
Join my 30 Day Plant-Based Challenge and see where the adventure takes you…
For more details and sign up form, click here: 30 Day Plant-Based Challenge
