Obviously I should have written this post closer to the start of the year!
I have no idea where the past few weeks have gone! A few weeks ago I was in the cold in the UK and now I’m in the heat and sunshine of Melbourne!
Time is going quickly, and the weeks are zipping past, but it’s never to later to look back and reflect on what’s happened and what’s gone on over the previous 12 months.
I love the ending of the old year and the start of a New Year. When the clock hits midnight and everything gets reset. I love the fact a line’s been drawn in the sand of what I’ve done and what I’ve achieved.
Its a time I can use to look back and take stock of the things that have happened on the way; the good, the bad - All of it!
It’s about learning, growing, developing as a person and seeing you're making progress no matter how slow progress may seem at the time.
As I look back over 2015 I think about how I started the year......
I wasn’t in a good place. I was tired, run down, lethargic, with no energy and no sparkle. I wasn’t myself and I had no idea what was wrong with me. In truth it was not a great way to kick off 2015!
But, because I’m a positive person, I tried to be positive. I didn’t want to listen to my body, I thought I could just push on through and things would just get better on their own.
This is never the case and you should never be afraid of reaching out and asking for help. It can be difficult to do, to put yourself in a vulnerable position and admit, you're not coping and everything's getting on top of you. Which is was for me, the start of 2015 was horrendous.
I can look back and see what a state I was in. How messed up I was. I’d destroyed myself through training. I had zero balance in my life, and everything was just out of kilter. I could go on, but I think you get the picture!
In terms of my business, it was one month old! I’d only written a few blog posts and I’m not really sure I knew what I was doing! I was learning everything from scratch; the website, the social media, networking, motivational speaking, marketing my books etc. I thought by working for myself I’d have more balance in my life....Not the way I work and the way I live, which is full on! Give 100% and just go for it!
Its taken me a long time to realise I don’t need to kill myself to do what I love and it’s possible to live the life I want on my terms.
People make assumptions doing what I do - blogging, speaking, writing, podcasting etc. That it's not really work. But trust me it is! Its just a different type of work and a different way of working.
I can work from my bed! I can work from the couch! I can work from a sun lounger! I can work in the UK and I can work from Australia! I can work from anywhere I want to and that’s how I want it!
Pretty much everything I do is work related. Being on social media is work, meeting new people is work. Running and training is also work, being fit and healthy is part of me and who I am, and therefore it's also part of my brand - Tough Girl Challenges.
I am my brand and my brand is me. I’m representing my brand at all times.
I need to be able to talk the talk, and walk the walk!
I talk about challenges, so I need to do challenges. I need to push myself.
I need to be involved in the types of activities I talk about and I want to be involved! - I love this stuff!
So bringing me back on topic....2015 was the year I learn’t I don’t need to kill myself to do what I love.
The choices I’ve made back then, do have consequences and results and the life I’m leading today is a consequence of those choices.
I’ve learn’t I need to take care of myself and look after my social, mental, physical and emotional well being.
I've learn't I need to remember why I do what I do and that I have a mission and a vision and for me to make this vision a reality I need to stick at it, I need to be committed, I need to be focused and I need to believe in what I’m doing.
I have to have faith, everything I’m doing now will pay off, will work for me and I’m making the right decisions. The decisions I make in 2016 will have an impact on my future.
Have you taken the time to think back and reflect on your year? Have you taken the time to think about what you want to achieve in 2016?
It’s never to late to start, but it’s always to late to wait.