It’s time to live your best life!
Hey, Ya’ll!
Since I won’t be writing on January 1st, I’ll go ahead and say Happy New Year now. So, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
It’s so cliche, but we all say it…”New Year, New Me!” We all swear we are going to live our best lives in the upcoming year. It’s definitely a fact that a new year is about to begin, it is also a fact that we can start something new and fresh within that same year, but what always has been and always will be an option is if you really will start something new and if you really will stick with it throughout. So, my question to you is, how do you plan to really and truly live your best life? I am not talking about a Facebook or Instagram “best life” but a legitimate positive and fruitful life. As we prepare for a new year, it’s imperative that we start the year off in a good place personally. So what does that mean, and what does that look like? I’ll tell you, but first I’ll start here.
As you may know, I’m a strong supporter of women’s health because I haven’t always taken care of myself like I should. My personal healthcare medically, mentally, and emotionally was failing miserably. A little over 3 years ago, I was overweight, pre-diabetic, depressed, having panic attacks, and on medication. I was slowly sending myself to an early grave and didn’t even realize it. It took some harsh truths from my doctor to get my life back on track. So when I say to start this year off in the right place personally I mean the following:
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Self-Acceptance
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Self-Appreciation
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Self-Love
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Self-Care.
How do you do this? Start with having a hard conversation with yourself. What was 2019 like for you? Can you count how many times were you so hard on yourself that you felt like a failure, and like you weren’t enough? And how many times did you not give yourself credit for the hard work you put in even though the outcome wasn’t ideal? How many times did you wake up and feel absolutely worthless?
THIS IS WHERE THE BUCK STOPS LADIES!
You have to start being gentle with yourself. You have to start accepting that even when you give it all you have falling short is part of life and we are NOT awful people for falling short sometimes. The key is loving yourself regardless of the shortcomings and not being afraid to mount the same damn horse the bucked you off the first time. Tell yourself you are amazing flaws and all…and believe it! That’s true self-acceptance.
I don’t want you to misunderstand what I’m saying, so I feel like I have to point this out…that real conversation also includes you calling yourself out on the bull crap and not accepting self mediocrity. So don’t try to convince yourself you gave your best when you know you didn’t and did a mediocre job. Maybe you had your hands in too many pots, maybe your mind was somewhere else, whatever it was you have to own that too and hold yourself accountable. It’s the only my way you get better. There’s a balance, and you have to be honest with yourself in order to find that balance.
I have to toss this in because weight is something I continuously beat myself up about. Having PCOS causes me to gain weight, but not making proper food choices aids in that as well. So here’s the truth make good food choices, work out, show gratitude each day, but remember we are not perfect. So eat the cake, have a cheat day, skip a workout, but never stop striving for your version of greatness. You can try to live a perfect life, but it won’t work because you’ll fall short every single time. It’s called balance. Where do you start?
1. Write down things that make you happy.
2. Write down the things you refuse to accept in 2020.
3. Write down the things you plan to leave in 2019 because they are not welcome in 2020.
Then, write down all of the ways you can care for yourself wholeheartedly in 2020…and stick to it. Don’t just write it to write it. This isn’t a resolution; this is a lifestyle change…a transformation…a declaration. It’s the key to truly living your best life all 2020.
Additional Material:
I recently did a live video on self-care with my good friend, who is also a therapist and LPC. We tell you everything you need to know about how to begin implementing self-care. You can watch the video recording on YouTube (click HERE) or on my Facebook page (click HERE)
Please click subscribe on YouTube and Follow on Facebook, so you don’t miss anything I have going on for the month. I also send out a monthly newsletter. To get connected and start receiving my newsletters, visit my website www.lhollinsspeaks.com scroll to the bottom and enter your email where it says subscribe.
I hope you have a great New Year celebration, and your entire 2020 is filled with increased blessings, increased boss moves, and increased self-work (love, acceptance, appreciation, and care). But most of all I hope you live your best life.
Xoxo
Lashonda Hollins
L.Hollins S.P.E.A.K.S
