I’m sure your path is feeling pretty well travelled by this time of the year; and with the finish line in sight, is it even worth looking sideways at the path less travelled? YES!
Are you feeling a bit blah this month? It is October and this slump before the final push for the year is messing with my mind. It hit me this week as I realised there are only 74 days until Christmas and my to-do list keeps getting longer, I’m nowhere near achieving the lofty goals I set for myself this year, my kids haven’t got the memo to sleep in past 6am or sit still for 5 minutes or to not leave a path of destruction in their wake. Sometimes I just don’t know that my energy levels are up for the challenge and I start to think, “Next year”. Because who starts something on a Wednesday in the middle of October? It isn’t even a Monday, let alone January 1st!
And yet, there’s this little challenge whispering in my ear, “What if…”
What if it isn’t too late for this year? What if I just made one move in the right direction even if I can’t tick off my entire list? What if I just got up at 5am and exercised tomorrow, even if I don’t feel like it and I break a sweat just lifting the covers off (it is seriously hot already y’all!), and I’m still up at 11:30pm and I know that 5 hours of sleep is just not enough. What if…
Can I just encourage you that it isn’t too late for this year in whatever area of life you are seeking more in. The open spaces and action and abundance are yours for the taking.
But I’ll be honest with you; these are the paths less travelled. Action in these areas won’t fit your feelings or your mood or your schedule. That is ok. Push through it. Action can come before the stars align and sometimes we just have to prove to ourselves that we will survive if we draw a line in the sand and stick to our convictions.
Taking the path less travelled means that taking even one step in the direction of your biggest dreams is worth it so you do it against the odds; day after day after day. And that is what quitting the quick fix is all about.
Let me tell you what the path less travelled looks like for me right now.
1. Planning.
I have a love/hate relationship with planning, and with kids, it never goes to plan. But, I want to live a proactive life, not a reactive one and so this is a priority. Friday planning work and play and meals for the following week, Saturday grocery shopping, Sunday meal prep. It’s a new routine that I’m loving because leaving it to Sunday night just felt like it was too late to actually action.
2. Generosity.
The noose on the budget pulls uncomfortably tight at this time of year but I believe that I’m here to serve, not to be served and so I made a decision to donate my October profits to a family in need. Can I just tell you chains literally fell away when I decided that and it has already brought joy.
3. Being present.
How amazing is it to connect with people in real life? I seriously need to put my phone down more often! Just today I got fresh lunch box inspiration from a friend during a play date, insight into a new friend’s life at playgroup – so nice to lift the blinkers on my own circumstances for a minute! I got to chat with a holistic dentist at the playground which was super insightful, and I got to witness this beautiful free and creative play between my boys which was so encouraging…especially after a friend posted this on Instagram and I cringed big time:
4. Looking after myself.
My kids are my why. But you can’t pour from an empty cup. And if I want to be a proactive, generous, present part of my community, I need to be filled to the brim. I’m not very good at this so I love using anchors or habits to help me set my intentions for the day, tools and products to help my home feel like a sanctuary. It also means having a wake up routine so I am the master of my day (not my little dictator wanna-be’s). It means making time to journal because it makes my heart sing. It means diffusing all the high vibe oils and adding nutritious meals to my day so I know I’ve done something good for me on so many different levels. It means taking my supplements each day and being disciplined with myself to set boundaries on my time.
What does the path less travelled look like for you right now?
Whatever it is, don’t let these last couple of months of the year go to waste. Take this seed of inspiration and choose just one thing to commit to. Let’s wear a path between those intentions and actions (neurologically and physically) until they become habits and part of our life – even now in the middle of October!
