For years I’ve been thinking about getting my act together. Every December 31st I would shout my New Year resolutions out too! I’m sure you’re familiar with it. Becoming financially responsible, incorporating consistent exercise to ensure this beautiful temple is maintained and starting a side hustle that would eventually reap dividends. My main hustle would be able to sustain my family and I. Clean up my diet and cut some people and habits out my life. I’m sure you had grand plans for your life as well and then boom!

You’re almost 40 and uncertain as to where the time went. You’re nowhere close to what you expected your life to be like at this age. Shoots! If you’re like me you may have felt like you’ve lived the same day over and over and the years have slipped away, unbeknownst to you. Now, you’re older and you begin to question whether you’re even able to achieve any of those goals you once had. Then it hits you, oh snap! Those goals are from a different time and even a different person.

See you’ve grown and with this growth you’ve stiffled the dreamer and nurtured the realist. You’ve become accustomed to looking for all the reasons your dreams can’t work.

Why it doesn’t make sense.

You’ve taken to comparing yourself to others. Totally forgetting that comparison is the theif of joy.

You’ve surrounded yourself with pigeons, while telling yourself that you never really had any desire to soar like the eagle. You see in order to soar, you have to cut some people and things out of your life.

Netflix and chillin all weekend sounds like an amazing plan and it feels really good too. However, in order to truly experience life, you have to get out there and live it. Throw on your sneakers! Visit some historical sites! Go canoeing! Or maybe even launch that business idea you’ve been planning for the past 100 years.

What do you have to lose?

What’s holding you back?

Is it money?

Is it time?

Not having the right connections?

Not having the skillset?

Fear of failure?

Not knowing where to start?

Not wanting to disappoint your parents?

Not wanting to be ridiculed by people?

I know what has held me back and honestly, it’s a combination of fear of failure and knowing that once I make that first step I would have to consistently step up and show up. Especially on the days when I don’t want too.

Understanding this I started to walk and committed to walking at least 5 days a week no matter what. The first couple weeks kicked my ass. My body was not used to being up and at it by 5:30 AM. It’s amazing how my body had adjusted and now I’m excited to hit the streets and get my walk on. Whether I have company or alone, I kept going.

This experience taught me how to show up for myself. Consistently! I learnt how to extend the same grace I would to others, to myself especially on the days I opted to sleep in. I learnt to stop putting so much unnecessary pressure on myself. To be more realistic with how much my body can handle, while gradually pushing my endurance. I learnt that the only thing that could possibly hold me back from my dreams, are my thoughts

I learnt that I had to first figure out exactly what I wanted in life and make a decision to commit to getting it, while remaining flexible with how it happens. Remaining teachable, cuz there’s so much I don’t know.

What about you?

What’s holding you back