Evening all! It’s been a while hasn’t it? For me 2016 has been a bit of a blur so far, our new studio has proven really successful and I got caught short with how much work it would be.
The result?
I’ve been busier than ever before, but I wasn’t able to focus on anything for longer than a few minutes, struggling to get the simplest of tasks ticked off my to-do list.
Work completely took over and I was drowning.
I stopped training, I wasn’t organised with my meals and nutrition.
I stopped posting blogs ; )
I was at the studio from 6 in the morning ’til 9 at night, then on my laptop until gone 11 when I got home.
To sum it up I was a bit of a mess behind the scenes and lost sight of what was truly important to me, and why I started.
It took a slap round the chops from my incredibly blunt 3 year old to make me realise and take action.
A few weeks ago I managed to make it home to do bath and bed time with my sons – my absolute favourite time with them.
I was looking forward to it all day, but when it came to it my eldest Archie didn’t want to know.
He wanted his Mummy to read to him, to sing to him and to tuck him in.
First time that’s ever happened.
Major punch to the gut.
That night I decided enough was enough, and I changed things.
I’m happy to say that as a result of those changes, I’m now home three evenings every week, and starting to spend more time with my family.
And not just in the same room as them while I field emails and fight fires on my laptop, actually WITH them.
Good quality time.
I’m training more regularly, eating better, and starting to feel like myself again.
And the weird thing?
Even though I’m spending less time working, I’m way more productive.
Prime example being the fact that you’re reading this right now!
– What did I do? I’ll tell you about that another day –
The point in me writing this down and sending it out is hopefully a couple of you realise you’re doing the same thing, running yourself into the ground to serve those around you better.
Sometimes, when you feel like you’re drowning and you’ve not got a second to spare, the best thing to do is just to stop.
Hit pause and look up, look around.
Think about what is truly important to you.
Then once you’ve got that figured out, it’s just a case of MAKING time for that.
Non-negotiable, chiselled into the diary, time.
And the stuff that matters is what will keep your head above water. Your armbands.
If you keep those bad boys on and inflated, then no matter what, you’ll be able to stay afloat.
It’s no good kicking arse at work if you neglect your family or health in the process. And it’s not good working crazy hours if you’re so tired you’re not actually getting anything done.
At some point that will catch up with you.
In the words of Take That, you’re not invincible.
– Yep, Barlow knows where it’s at –
For me, just making a decision to put myself and my family first made me feel more relaxed and, at the risk of sounding like a bit of a doughnut, centered.
What’s my point?
Sometimes in order to serve the people you care about, to be a better husband/wife/father/mother/friend/employee/boss, you need to be a bit selfish and put yourself first.
If that means actually leaving work at 5:00 and taking your other half out for dinner, do it.
If that means avoiding your emails at the weekend to have a day with your mates, do it.
And if that means dedicating a few hours a week to improve your health and reduce your stress levels, DO IT.
And if any of this sounds familiar, and you’re not sure how to go about changing it, then get in touch and we’ll see if we can help.
>>> Click here to apply for a Free Transformation Session <<<
Have an awesome evening, and make tomorrow the start of something better for yourself.
Screw waiting for Monday, why would you want to wait to make things better?!
Pick something small and achievable, and actually DO IT.
Action = change
Simple.
Ian “Water Wings” Male