The Queen died yesterday.
You just die.
She looked happy in her last public photograph.
I hope she saw her one true love, Philip, on her journey. I believe their love is strong enough for him to take her kindly onwards.
We all go one day and I look forward to seeing my Mum to take me on my journey.
I hope you have a treasured person you will see once again.
Money is not my God. I don’t want to be the richest person in the morgue.
I want my freedom and my choices to be made on preferences unrestricted by money.
We each make our own choices with money and here are some of mine:
Each month you should pay yourself first. Put as much as you can into a stocks and shares ISA. Then pay your mortgage (I think you should buy and not rent though there can be exceptions to this). Then pay for essentials. And limit ‘additional’ spending to 1 or 2 % of your net worth.
If you combine the above, you should gradually increase your net worth and therefore the amount you can ‘enjoy’.
There are lots of blogs explaining how to be better with money, my two favourites are
https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/blog/
It is an interesting and fun way to spend time finding cheaper ways of having a ‘similar’ experience.
For example, there is no better restaurant than a bench next to the River Thames or a blanket on a green.
Spending money does not make you happy, the experience of the moment does and often that can be free/cheap.
I wish you good fortune! Built on a powerful and sustained money strategy.
No matter where you are in your fitness journey, you are not the unhealthiest person in the room.
I hope you are blessed with legs or arms that function with minimal pain. If so, congratulations, you have everything you need to increase your level of fitness.
No matter how long it has been since you last did any formal exercise, you can start now.
Start small and be consistent. A daily 10 minute walk is better than a single 2 hour stomp that is never repeated.
Trainers help but are not essential. A beautiful view is helpful but not essential. A water bottle is helpful but not essential. An activity tracker is helpful but not essential.
You just need to stand up and walk about. And make a note of what you did.
Then repeat.
That’s it.
Everything else is a bonus, you can join a gym, you can get a personal trainer, you can join an online course, you can increase your chances of committing. These are your choices to make.
Getting fitter is not easy, but it most definitely is not complicated.
I am cheering you on your journey. You can do anything you put your energy into.
If you have a clear idea of what you are working towards. Have you taken the necessary steps to get there?
If yes, we’ll done, congratulations, you are building momentum and should be feeling proud of yourself. Developing personal accountability is powerful stuff.
If no, no judgement. What got in the way? Excuses? I’ll do it tomorrow thinking? Genuine blockers like ill-health?
Right now is a new minute, a new chance to commit one minute to a task.
Stop reading this and go and take one tiny step towards what you really want.
If you just don’t do it, maybe it’s a good time to rethink your focus.
Only you can do you.
You can do anything.
Yes, you can.
It helps to be clear about what you want.
It helps if you have a heartfelt reason for wanting what you want.
It is brilliant if you know what steps to take to get what you want.
The internet can help when your next step is not clear.
You can do and change anything you put your mind to.
All it takes is effort, energy and focus.
What are you prepared to prioritise for three months?
Who doesn’t love a blank sheet of paper? A world of possibility of hope and anticipation.
I will always be a better version of me in the future. I am not consistently a better version of myself today.
I crafted 5 values for 2023, they are:
Consistent application of the above will get me to a better version of me.
What are your values for 2023?
I am the result of the messaging drilled into women of my time.
‘Nice girls keep the peace’
So unhelpful in the work setting when you are basically lying to people by not telling them the truth.
It has taken me years and a lot of frustration to realise that sometimes the value I bring, is in making other people feel uncomfortable, even pissed off.
So, speak up, say what you are thinking and why. You are not wrong, ‘they’ are not wrong. It’s just different angles.
From today, promise yourself, I will say what I mean and absorb the response. Based on the evolution of the benefactor of your wisdom the results can sometimes be ugly! That’s on them, not you.
Who have you been talking about and not to, that you need to correct? Do it today!
There are simple (not easy) things we can do to be the best version of ourselves.
I am sure you know most of them.
Here is a list of what I am working on:
If you’ve not brought cold water dips into your life, I would recommend giving it a try. I tried cold showers having been inspired by a friends friend I met camping. After a few very challenging weeks followed by giving up, I listened to a video by Russel Brand which helped me realise I can manage cold water by jumping in a tub of water. I have been doing it daily for about two months now, I throw a few ice packs in but it is essentially ambient temperature. As the months get colder I can feel the difference, BUT, my mood has improved and I react less angrily to stimuli. I travelled for work and ran a cold shower to keep it up, it’s not as nice but I feel the benefit immediately – woken up – and over the long term – I can do anything!
How do you make sure you are moving in a good direction?
Where’s the fire?
Love it, hate it, or it depends on the time and location. Some of us travel for business.
Before I left for a morning walk (because I couldn’t face explaining I wanted a bike for 15 minutes only) I filled the bath up with cold water.
I experienced this view
And generally experienced a feeling of well being.
I took some pictures of the pool that my kids would like and of the spare double bed that they could have tried to squeeze into. I ‘bring’ them with me by sharing the experience.
I met old colleagues and new last night, drank delicious red wine and I am looking forward to more conversation today.
Back to the question, business travel, count me in.
Do you find ways to maintain your habits and enjoy the opportunities offered by business travel? I hope so because we are so lucky!
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