Looking Back to Move Ahead
Welcome! I appreciate your time. And pause to thank yourself for making this time. Today is about some conversations I want you to have with yourself. I hope these begin something like this: “I am going to take 15 mins to sit down and read this while I drink a hot cup of tea, because my thoughts and goals matter. I matter.”
High-five, friend-I agree.
Before you get too comfy, grab a piece of paper and a pen. Also, is your 2018 calendar handy? On your phone, or maybe still in paper form (and I totally don’t judge-no matter how much I love technology, I can’t get rid of my paper format planner!).
So, today is Wednesday, October 9, 2019. Turn the clock back to this day in 2018. What were you doing? Where were you working? How old were your kids/pets/parents/friends? What were your goals? How were you feeling?
Without judging yourself, write it all down. Whatever you can remember about the Fall of 2018. Have you got it, all of it? I bet there’s more….was someone sick? Were you unwell? Did your roof leak, car breakdown, toilet clog? Lets remember it all….again without judgement of where you were.
Now, today, what’s up? What were your priorities this year? What January 1, 2019 resolutions did you make? What about Spring 2019? And now, when the theme of the “last 90 days” is gaining attention in the media-what are you wanting to achieve from now until December 31, 2019? I love this “last 90 days” idea. If you haven’t, check out Rachel Hollis’ challenge. Why would I re-invent the wheel here? She’s killing this challenge, and moving a giant community so please check it out https://thehollisco.com/pages/last-90-days
SO, you’ve now thought of your Fall 2018, and are reviewing your 2019, STOP-congratulate yourself for progress. Before one more statement like “oh, I didn’t get this done, or I haven’t accomplished that” invades your brain, STOP. And recognize what you have accomplished. Maybe, you’ve changed jobs, moved houses, spent more intentional time with your partner. Maybe this last year was really rough and you managed to keep your head above water while caring for a loved one that was ill.
I know you’ve accomplished something and I want you to recognize it!
Now, here is the other side of what I bring to the table……
Wishes and dreams are all well and good, but there is no action behind them. If people come to me with a dream, wish or a goal, I will not provide false promises or indulge unrealistic goals. I am going to tell it like it is. I often hear people say things like “I wish I could find a new job” or “I wish I had more time to go to the gym”. Let me break to you, there is no magical way that more time or a new job is going to fall in to your lap. Anything worth achieving is going to be hard work.
Honestly, if something is important enough to you, you will find time. Sit with that for a moment. If you make a statement like “I wish I had more time to exercise”, I challenge you to keep a log of how much time you spend scrolling through Instagram, Facebook or watching videos on TikTok. Boom……there’s your time to devote to exercise.
Please note your reactions here…..I have had people get upset with me when I call out the fact that they are wasting time in certain areas that could be devoted to their goal achievement. If you reacted with frustration, why to you think that is? And if you don’t consume social media, then there will be other ways to re-organize to find time for what you really want.
So, today, if you’re reaching for more, looking for something different, know that you’re made for more, I will leave you with two questions:
1) What do you want to achieve as you close out 2019?
2) What are you willing to give up to create space for this in your life?
These are some tough questions that you may not have answers to right away. Maybe sleep on it, or go for a walk. And congratulate yourself for taking some time to consider YOU!
I would love to hear your thoughts-please feel free to send me a note if you’d like to share (deanna@deannalangfordcoaching.com)
Have a great Wednesday!
Deanna