So as I’ve shared and will keep sharing in the coming days/weeks/months or whenever I’m feeling the need to get stuff out of my head and on “paper” as such, I’ve started on a journey… I have set some goals for 2023 for myself.

I saw the above image today & it’s really stuck with me today as I’ve gone about my day so I thought I would share with you all a few thoughts on each of the above points & why I loved this so much.

1 – Lean on an accountability buddy who can help motivate you to keep going. This for me has been more valuable than I EVER expected it to be & here’s why. When it comes to support, I am incredibly grateful that I have bounds of it, I have a husband who loves me, believes in me and supports me with anything I do, adding to that I have kids that love me, friends who are like family & my list goes on. The thing is, I would say that they all somewhat “HAVE” to believe in me as it goes with the territory of loving someone as a partner/parent/friend BUT, have you ever had someone believe in you that DOESN’T have to? I’ve recently experienced this & truly believe it’s what has been a catalyst for the change in me, having a new friend who simply showed up, took time from their life and said “well, I believe in you”…

2 – Set monthly check ins with yourself, so for me this one has been a daily practice (more on that in point 5) but my other wonderful friend Michelle Weeks (@michelle.c.weeks on Insta) is an avid journaller (not a word but it works) & Michelle so kindly gave me the opportunity to join her A Mothers Mind Membership when it was in testing phase and this practice is one that I will be doing as check points along this journey including going back to my visioning journal I wrote a few months back!

3 – Pick one small, sustainable action you can do to contribute to your goal each day – for me this is something that was crucial in my goal setting to get me towards where I want to to go & as I have created and solidified one daily action that becomes a habit, I can shift focus to adding something new.

4 – Be flexible and forgive yourself if you veer off course. This one also is crucial to me (and I’d say anyone’s progress), the ability to recognise you have had a bad day or done something that has maybe not progressed you today, doesn’t mean you’re a failure. One hot day doesn’t make a summer, however the importance of reflecting and looking at what you could maybe do differently or better next time is how you make sure you grow. I also this this one can also be the most BRUTAL of realisations, now for me I’ll share I’ve battled my weight what feels like my entire life & when reflecting recently, it was a cold hard realisation that EVERY SINGLE time that I haven’t gotten where I wanted to, I’ve made the decision that has led me there. Now I’ll also add this doesn’t mean it was easy and circumstances haven’t played a part but if we are stripping it right back to its simplicity, I am the one who has put food or drinks in my mouth that has stopped me or chosen to stay on the couch instead of moving.

5 – Recognise and celebrate your progress along the way. This is my favourite probably in the past nearly 3 weeks. My friend who I mentioned earlier is playing a role of mentor/accountability friend in my story, said to me that to help they wanted me to check in at the end of every day, now the intention was just simply a ✅ or a ❤️ and if it was a heart cause the day hadn’t gone to plan, something nice about myself (showing myself kindness) now I don’t think they realised the amount I like to talk so the simple emoji evolved into a daily breakdown of how my day went. This has been great twofold, one because I need to reflect on all the things that worked or didn’t but two because I then have to be honest and vulnerable about how the day has been with someone who will hold me accountable. I’m beyond proud to say I haven’t had one day (so far) that I haven’t managed to stay on task & I know that if I didn’t have this I’m not as confident that would have been the answer, kind of like the cookie that you eat and don’t track doesn’t count now does it 😉😉

If you’ve read this far, I appreciate you.

My last thing to add is this week I’ve realised that it’s really important to reciprocate the love and care you get from your friends & I am guilty of being slow to ask how someone is going, especially if I get talking about something that I’m passionate about so it’s one of the goals I’ll be adding to the master list down the track. I would love to hear from you & what you thought of my ramblings if you made it to the end

As always, big love

MrsJRad

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