Are you overwhelmed with conflicting information, lack inspiration, and yearning for a deep transformation?
Can you relate to the this?
Lately, I have been very reluctant to participate in creating more noise for you. By noise I mean more newsletters, articles, advice filled with bits and pieces of somewhat useful information that at the end leads to increasing information overload that most people are experiencing.
I don’t know about you but I feel bombarded with information to the point that my brain is refusing to digest it. I skim through articles, newsletters, read bullet points, and in 5 minutes forget what I read. I bookmark or keep tabs open to come back to longer articles or recorded classes only to find them still unread or unheard weeks later.
I know many of you are in the same boat.
The worst thing about it is not that we don’t have time to read longer more meaningful content or books but that overwhelmed by information (often conflicting information) we tend to skip on making a commitment to something and don’t take action.
How do you choose what to commit to out of all things that you are supposed to do? How do you break down overwhelming changes so it feels doable?
One minute you want to go paleo after reading an inspirational story and another minute low fat vegan detox seems like a way to go. Which one do you do? Most of the time neither. We just stay stuck, keep reading and stuffing our brain and feeling bad about ourselves.
I won’t lie. It’s hard to break the cycle. It is doable, however.
You have to make peace with the fact that you will never have complete information. You will never know everything there is to know. You will always have questions and doubts. This is perfectly normal, if you are a thinking human being. You have to learn to take action and act with consistency based on limited information and in the state of uncertainty. Simplify, go back to the basics, and choose to act consistently.
I find that a lot of my clients and myself included, we tend to search for answers outside. We are often reluctant to PAUSE, SIT STILL, REFLECT, and GO BACK TO THE BASICS. We run to the ‘experts’ even though a lot of the time we know exactly what we will be told to do.
So instead, what if we first tried to HONESTLY look back and see if our expectations are aligned with our actions?
If you look back you will probably find a black hole that needs some patching up.
Actions that we choose to take consistently can be simple (this is why we go back to the basics).
– Eat with no distractions
– 15 min of movement before breakfast
– Create 1 clear priority for the day
– Focus on one activity at a time
– Keep at least 3 hours between meals
– Meditate for 1 minute before going to sleep
– Eat from a smaller plate
– Fill 1/2 plate with vegetables
– Close email while you work
– Journal and come back to your priorities and values once a week (put date and time)
and anything else that you know would really benefit you right now.
I, for example, got rid of all social media on my phone and said a strict NO to multitasking. No watching useful webinars while eating. I want to be present for what I do and for myself. Fully present. I also reply to emails only once a day. And my phone is always on silent.
This created a lot more space in my day and in my head to focus on taking action. It might not be what you need. These actions were based on my needs. You might have something completely different. But only you can decide that after reflecting, getting clear, being honest, and then choosing what will be the most significant thing you can commit to right now.
Some of you might like the idea of doing a guided small action-focused challenge instead.
Getting the life you want starts with doing small things for yourself everyday that make you feel happy and relaxed and give your life meaning. I for one know how hard it can be to carve out time for myself. With a (family?) and business to run, I can easily push this to the bottom of my list. But I’ve experienced first-hand how powerful it is to devote just ten minutes a day to myself.
Sarah Jenks is hosting an incredible challenge starting on March 23rd called the Live More Weigh Less Lifestyle Challenge. When you sign up for the challenge, Sarah gives you one small thing to do for yourself everyday including simple things like wear red lipstick, buy fresh flowers and watching the sunset. What I love about this challenge is although each activity is very simple and takes no time at all, it has had an incredible impact on my eating, my self-esteem and my joy.
What small consistent actions will make a difference for you? What will move you a step closer to where and who you want to be? What are you going to commit to starting today?
