Make a list (check it twice)
Morning all! Early one from Sam today as my mother is in town for the weekend!
We are entering the final week of November and so the last few days of our “no limits” focus. Have you pushed your limits this month? Have you stepped across any boundaries to get somewhere you haven’t been before (more mentally as opposed to physically!).
One of the things I did after turning 25 and becoming tee-total was to make a list… everyone loves a good list! – Realising I had been missing out on life I knewI’d have to step out of my comfort zone in order to soberly do some new things… the list was called “things to achieve before I’m 30” and the highlights were as follows…
· Go to Glastonbury Festival – The thought of this originally filled me with dread – being surrounded by people off their faces? Turns out it’s the best 5 days of my year and have been 5x now! It also gave me the confidence to dance like a loon as if nobody is watching…
· Walk the length of Hadrian’s wall/Climb the highest peak in England/Wales/Scotland – These were physical challenges for the former heftier version of myself – Hadrian’s wall was a week of walking 84 miles in total and was such an amazing achievement – climbing mountains (I know they are quite small in the UK) became a great metaphor for my life and the changes I was going through!!
· Give blood – simple one… nobody likes being poked with a needle but after my Dad had his stroke I spent a lot of time in hospitals and seeing sick people in need made me want to give something back… Also... You get a free cuppa tea!!
· Do some sort of voluntary work – coming from a similar reason from the giving blood, I ended up joining the Samaritans as a listening volunteer – and to push my comfort zone even more and overcome my fear of public speaking, I also became a trainer to train new Samaritans!
· Do a sky dive!! Having a massive fear of heights made this a big challenge that I added to my list for the sole purpose of pushing my own limits – I raised money for the Samaritans and I kept my dad in mind as I went up in the plane. Just as I got scared, the guy strapped on my back said “its beautiful up here isn’t it” and I realised yes!! It is so beautiful above the clouds!! – One of the scariest and amazing things I’ve ever done!
· Lose weight and feel happy in my skin – I purposely didn’t put a number on this one and ended up dropping 6 dress sizes in a year! Trying new things in the gym, new classes was a scary concept but it helped me stick with it.
· Be happy in my relationship – This was originally “get married” which nearly happened, but as the almost proposal was on the cards I realised that being happy was not to be in the relationship at all, so after 10 years together I left my boyfriend, just a few months before I turned 30! It was such a big decision and really forced me out of my comfort zone – totally changing my life by stepping into the unknown.
· Have a big party!! - Not so much something pushing my boundaries but I ended up having two – one amazing fancy dress party (I was banana-sam) and a year later celebrating 5 years sober… I ended up totally changing my life once again… running my first marathon, quitting my job, leaving Swindon (where i had lived for 10 years) and going travelling solo for a year!!
So as you can see – making a list can take you from as small a thing as going to a festival, to a big thing as completely changing your life and starting again!! Try writing a few things down that are achievable by the end of this year and see where it takes you. Goals are not just for new year resolutions!!
Item one on your list…
“Sign up for the Vitality 10k race with Team SMASH”
vitalitylondon10000.co.uk/how-enter/online-entry/
ave a great weekend!!
Sam & Ashley
SMASH
For Body For Mind For Life
