So this is the time of the year we are supposed to set all those great plans about what we want to start doing, stop doing or which we could continue to do more often, right? but who says it has to be on New Years day?
Very often we all start the new year with great intentions and make grand statements about the things we want to do in the year to come... I am one of those people that for years swore I would exercise more, eat less, drink less and maybe even take more time for myself... best made plans , hey!! Then the reality of life kicks in and the first week we start with a few of the things on the list, then the second week we are consumed a bit more with daily life and back to work, back to school and the hum drum of daily life... and before we know it we get to February and the resolutions we made are a long forgotten dream or memory..
So after many years of trying and failing at the idea, I decided not to bother..
What seemed to work for me was the idea of having a dream and then taking daily steps towards achieving that life dream- and that is where my vision boards came in... In an earlier blog I gave my top 5 steps on how to create your own vision board and if you really chose the things that are THE most important things to you, the IT CAN WORK... If I can do it then anyone can.. Why not take a moment to read my blog on Vision boards to help you.
So this year instead of having a new years resolution I had a life ambition fulfilled on New Years Eve.
I've never been a great swimmer and the thought of swimming in the sea during the summer is not something that appeals greatly to me... yes I live in the south of spain and only a few 100 metres from the mediterranean sea but whilst I love to walk along the shore I have never been brave enough to launch myself into the sea to swim. Even in swimming pool I feel totally out of my depth in the deep end and panic if my kids (who are much much better swimmers than me- thank god) come even close to me or start diving in next to me.
For years I had the ambition to swim in the sea in the winter and see if I could stay calm whilst I swam the length of the sea shore for more than 10 mins. So when a friend asked me on Christmas eve if I'd be interested in joining her and a few others one of the days over the christmas holidays- I gave it a moment's thought and then despite my fears I signed myself up for the idea...
The date was then set for New Years Eve at 2pm, so with butterflies in my stomach I got myself ready and headed down to meet her for our afternoon swim.
When I say the water was freezing! that would be an underestimate but with other people around me to motivate me I kept pushing myself forward and eventually started to swim out of my depth... With the freezing cold water lapping up against my skin I started to hyperventilate a little until I calmed my breathing down and began to focus on keeping myself afloat.. After about 2 minutes of sheer fear it was as if a button flicked in my head and I could hear myself saying out loud "I can do this!".. It was the most amazing feeling in the world and whilst I was still nervous and somewhat fearful I was not Afraid anymore.
We staying in the water swimming along the shoreline for about 15-20 mins and then decided it was time to get out.. when I got out though I did not feel the cold, it was as if the adrenaline had warmed up my body so much that I was numb with courage...
So if you are thinking of doing something different this year, let it be something that you truly feel passionate about and then find someone perhaps that you can work with to help you focus on that ambition, perhaps you could create your own Vision Board or just write down that one thing in your journal and look at it everyday, meditate on it to give you strength and motivation to bring the dream into a reality.
Then drop me a line and let me know how you get on, I'd love to hear about your plans or ambitions and how you want to achieve them.
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