"I did" Lists - I like it!

9^th August 2017

And then I realised that to be more alive, I had to be less afraid.  So I did it, I lost my fear and gained my whole life…

What did you do yesterday?  We spend our life writing to do lists, whether physically writing them or putting them together in our heads but at the end of each day do you ever look back and think about the things you actually did, do you write a ‘stuff I got done’ list - how satisfying would that be, to stop and appreciate how much you actually do instead of constantly beating yourself up or thinking about the stuff you didn’t get completed!  Try it, see how it makes you feel. 

I got a lot done yesterday, from a simple as managing to cook something decent for us to eat using a George Foreman and a microwave in a makeshift kitchen that just has those and a table, to sorting out French Windows that are now being fitted on Monday.  There were lots of other things done in-between, like a satisfying day at work, some online training, catching up with friends if only online and walking my dog.  Yes there may be a lot of things on my ‘to do’ list right now but my ‘I did’ list is possibly longer I can say with a smile.

I thrive when I have a project to get done, I love to be passionate about things, it’s why I love my job so much because even after 12 ½ years I’m still as passionate about it as the first day I started.  I used to be passionate about travelling the world but I’ve lost that lust at the moment so I’m enjoying being passionate about getting my house nice.  I am of course passionate about food and wine but that passion can get a little dangerous on my waistline so I have to keep it in check!  My other passion is to help people realise they are BeYOUtiful and to like themselves as they are, then from that self-love, to want to take care of themselves (weight loss being the side effect of all that) because we don’t take care of anything we don’t love.

Who’s thinking ‘I haven’t got time for being passionate or having a project, I’m knackered!  I get it, I really do, the sad thing is the day to day monotony of life can wear us down and take over all our time.   On top of everything, I’m entering the menopause, some days I feel like a zombie, I wake up at stupid o’clock, then I have to drink coffee to fuel me through the day, so I do get it honest but I’ve also realised I can help with my energy levels and get stuff done.  Take a good look at your ‘to do’ list and your ‘I did’ list and ask yourself what on there could’ve waited, what could you not have bothered to do?  Do you need to hoover every day, could you leave it a week, maybe two if you’re having fun doing something else.  Heck I’m walking plaster dust all round my house at the moment, I reckon when the double glazing is done and the lino’s down, I’ll give the entire house a good going over, until then, we’ll live in dusty chaos – it’s all good here.   Are you constantly tidying up kids toys, do they have too many?  Could you hide half of them in boxes in the shed so there’s less to tidy up at the end of each day?  Just a thought, think about those lists, what can give?  Then think about what you’d like to do with any time you’re able to make, it might be sleep to start with, I know all I’ve wanted to do the last few nights was go to bed, I sat there Monday night just waiting for it to be a reasonable time to go up, I could’ve got at six after being awake so long.

Still not convinced you can find time to do something you’ll enjoy and get passionate about?  What are your excuses, list them, then think of the opposite and consider if it’s truth or just a belief.  Mine would be “I’m just so busy and have too much on my hands already”, the opposite would be, “I can always find time for something that’s really important”, I can then think of examples of times when I have made time for things that are important, usually to benefit someone else, which makes me realise if I decide to put me first, then I can find the time to do something that I’ll enjoy and will help me get my passion back, which in turn will make me feel better, then I’ll function better.   When I’m being passionate about things, I usually automatically have more energy, the two seem to go hand in hand.

Change something, I dare you, do something different today, walk backwards, well maybe not but you get my gist, we all get a little stuck with life now and again, with a little thought and effort we can get unstuck, we can – honest.  I’ve done it many times and every time I make a change, find a new challenge, do something different, my life just gets that little bit better.  I love my life and how it is right now, but hey, it can always improve even more, I’m sure you’ll agree.

Here’s to getting passionate BeYOUtiful, enjoy your day your own way. x