2023: PRACTICE WHO YOU WANT TO BE

In a few hours, some countries will ring in 2023 and others will follow hour after hour until the entire globe is in a brand-new year.  We celebrate the end and embrace the new.  The “new year, new me” mentality is all the rage.  Resolutions and goals have been set.  Vision boards are up, people are ready to kill it and the mood is typically excitement and I’m here for it!

Then it happens.  For whatever reason we lose interest, stop going, stop creating, start the bad habit again.  The reality sets in that we don’t wake up one day and suddenly we’re that new person.  It’s a process or rather, it’s a practice!

“They” say, it takes 28 days to start a new habit and I agree BUT the mindset and mentality should be part of you.  Always there, ongoing, evolving and growing with you.  I’ll explain.

I want people to succeed.  I want to succeed.  I am no stranger to dreaming big.  Sometimes the goal I started with turns into something else and, at times, a few of them never hit the runway and that was ok too.  I’ve become this way over time, not overnight.  I believe in discipline and that it leads to you getting better – in any area of your life.  A part of me feels like I was born this way and it’s probably true to a certain degree.

Fun fact, my siblings used to refer to me as militant growing up and teased me about it quite a bit.  I realized in my early twenties that it’s a strength, not a weakness so I embraced it. I am consistently succeeding, failing, falling, learning, and evolving.  I don’t believe in going from Dec 31^st to Jan 1^st and overhauling how you live in one big giant step.  It’s not the way to set yourself up for success.

Here are a few things to remember during those first 28 days – and it doesn’t have to start on Jan 1st:

BABY STEPS:  A past client came to me with one goal a few years ago.  “Shireen, I want to lose 50lbs before my 50^th birthday this year”.  We had 10 months.  Their plan was a huge overhaul and I had to help them implement this ASAP.  This individual was also petrified.  The plan included everything from cutting out their morning pleasure – coffee, no carbs, no alcohol, and gym 3-5 days per week (starting from zero).  They were already questioning whether they could do it and all they could think about was not having their morning coffee.

After the first session I booked this person for a week later and told them to replace one of their four cups of coffee per day with a big glass of water and journal everything they ate for at least 4 days and bring it back.  That was the assignment.  I’m summarizing our whole session, but they understood what I was trying to do, and they left feeling calm and confident that they COULD!

We added one or two changes each week and said person lost 25lb 4 months in and on their journey realized that it was now a lifestyle and not a diet.  They made it to fifty not only surpassing their goal but happy and healthy from the inside out!

AIM FOR STRESSLESS or JUST STRESS LESS:  It should not be stressful.  As we age, our cortisol levels can increase fast and the effects can be more than just little unflattering.  This is due to stress OR poor management thereof.  It’s ok to make big, elaborate plans but it’s also ok to re-evaluate or course correct when it’s needed.  I’m not saying change won’t come without challenges and obstacles – it’s part of the fun and part of your journey – but I’m saying that learning how to pivot and be flexible are great muscles to exercise especially when it’s to your benefit.  I’ve added a few supplements to my routine help with this and guess what, I would  love to share that with you through my Q Sciences business.

WRITE IT DOWN:  At the gym, we encourage our boxers to keep training journals.  I’ve been keeping a version of it since my first fight in 2013.  Being a person who always kept a to-do list, this was easy for me to introduce into my day to day and maintain it, but many are intimidated by the thought of it.  Good news, it doesn’t have to complicated.  I’ve gone from long extensive to-do lists to making a list of my top three things I need to accomplish for that day.  Everything else is gravy.  Earlier this year I created a simple digital 28-day journal for the beginner and then have a hard copy version available in my Etsy Shop.

REST:  Rest is an important piece of your journey and it’s highly underrated.  Whatever the end goal is, without rest you become tired (duh) but there’s a myriad of other things that happen to us.  As an athlete, I’m proof that overtraining or insufficient recovery time will lead to injuries.  I don’t do well with a fatigued mind.  It comes with forgetting things, sub-par attention to detail, less sleep so more stress and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.  Sure, sometimes it’s a mind over matter situation but you’ll know the difference.

KEEP SHOWING UP:  I have client who walks into every session and without fail immediately blurts out something negative.  She’s tired, feeling fat (she’s not), having a hot flash, she doesn’t think she can or she’ll simply “I can’t” right away.  She shows up for EVERY. SINGLE. SESSION and truth be told, that energy six months ago, I wasn’t feeling it.  I quickly realized that I could let her it suck the energy from me OR help her – which is why I do what I do.  All I started saying was “you showed up” so you can!  We have a blast after that.  She cusses, I push, she sweats, I push harder, and she gets a little better each time and in return, so do I as a coach.

Practice who you want to be and do so consistently and deliberately.  Get on that runway and enjoy the journey.  Happy New Year!