Every online challenge I offer is about self-reflection, education and accountability with a big emphasis on moderation and FUN! 🙂 I don’t preach perfectionism and I don’t recommend you try it. My challengers focus on a handful of key healthy habits and let the other aspects of their busy lives fall into place through mindfulness.
The final journey activity I did for last year’s challenge was having each woman write a ‘Letter to my future self.’ There were no length restrictions and no rules, just a personal letter to her from her based on the incredible work she’d done during the challenge. Many of the women shared their letters with me and I was so amazed at how heartfelt, specific and encouraging they were…like they were writing to their best friend.
So, fast forward a little over a year later to last week when I’m having a conversation after group training with a woman who was battling these early winter blues. You know how it is…commuting to and from work in the dark, shorter days, cold weather, just feeling blah and wanting to curl up on the couch every chance you get? We’ve all been there, especially this time of year. S.A.D. is real, ya’ll!
Then get this! I’m going through my old emails this week and I come across the subject line, ‘Letter to my future self,’ and my jaw dropped because guess who wrote that letter? You guessed it! And the encouragement she wrote to herself last year was so relevant this year. I forwarded the email to her and I could literally feel her energy jump from the screen. She was so thankful and said it was exactly what she needed. The best part was that the encouragement was from her to her…I didn’t do anything but remind her of her own words.
Here are my favorite parts of her letter –
Yay you did it!!! 30 days and the struggle was real, but so worth it…you dug deep on the days you just wanted to go home instead of going to the gym, when it was dark & cold & all you wanted to do was go home curl up on the couch & binge watch Netflix, you went to the gym!! That alone would normally “earn” you some candy or cookies, but you fought the urge to crash on the couch & eat junk food!! You stuck to the eating plan & gym routine & it paid off….YOU SEXY BEAST!! LOL!!
The key to your success has been staying the course & planning, you can find time at work to eat as long as you plan ahead! Keep those healthy meals on hand in the fridge & make the time to eat, because it is an investment in yourself!!!
It’s easy to stay on track during the week when you’re working, but success comes from consistency.
..all of these things helped you to reach new levels in your physical, emotional & mental health & you did it all for you!! So keep pushing, keep going, keeping loving & living your best life….amazing, awesome, beautiful….you!!
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This right here is why I absolutely love coaching! I just smiled because I remember posting that journal activity and thinking, “You’re probably gonna need this one day…” I’m definitely adding that activity in this time, too, but even if you’re not joining this year’s challenge, I still recommend writing a letter to your future self. Anything goes –  what you’ve learned, accomplished and want to remember about your health, fitness and your goals in general this time next year.​
In the meantime, keep pushing, keep going, keeping loving & living your best life….amazing, awesome, beautiful….you!!​
​Cheers <3
