Fulfillment & Adventure – Alexis Balladon

1. Motivation. I am so old school, but I have an actual paper diary because I need to write everything down.  I forget things easily and if it’s the diary, it’s solid.  Since becoming a Mum (two boys, 3 & 5), I have been self-employed.  That’s nearly six years of working for myself.  Before hand I would get up and go to work and go through the usual routine.  But working for yourself, you set the routine.  And if you’re not strict, no work gets done.  So that’s where my diary comes into it’s own.  I write lists and list and plan my weeks so I have targets and goals.  Believe me, I’ve had times where I haven’t done this and I’ve found myself lost and unmotivated, with no money coming in.  So write stuff down, the busier you are, the busier and more motivated you will be to succeed at what you want to achieve.

2. Get moving. What’s your sport?  Do you like the gym?  Running?  Wakeboarding?  The list goes on… I have to move my body otherwise I find myself in a downward spiral of being lazy with workouts, eating badly, sleeping badly, grumpiness… the list goes on.  Sometimes it’s hard to spot, but my posture gets worse and I lose muscle tone.  Everyone is different.  So I can spot when I’m heading this way and I turn it around immediately.  It might be something simple like swapping the 4pm tea and biscuit for an apple with peanut butter and a pint of water.  It changes the mindset.  And then I’ll get my workout mat out and do a YouTube workout or yoga session.  And there you go; you’ve changes your downward spiral into and upward spiral in the space of 30mins.

3. Say yes. Some people have absolutely no problem with say yes; and that’s great.  Some people find it much harder to put themselves out there and say yes to stuff.  I now say yes to loads more and I just figure that if I got and try something and I’m not into it, then at least I’ve tried it.  And you would have pushed your comfort zone, which will get the adrenaline pumping, and once you’ve done it, you will feel a sense of achievement.  This could be anything from drinks with a new group of people, a new baby class, a fitness class, a new job, a new sport, travel… so many options.

4. Look up. This seems very apt for todays world.  Look up from your phone.  When you’re out and about, just holster it and take in the people/places around you.  I’ve had people say to me that they think they think they should be doing more because all their friends on social media are living such amazing lives.  Well social media is all about the best life, isn’t it?  No one shows what its like dealing with screaming toddler at 3am.  Even if you talk about it, no one wants to see the photos of it happening.  So when you’re out and about, experience your time, not someone else’s.

5. Choose happiness. Start small if this sounds weird, but you can choose to be happy.  Think of everything in your life that is amazing whether it’s your health, friends, family, kids, work, hobby… hopefully you have something that is awesome in your life.  Then start to look at other things in your life that are great, and if they’re not so great, what actions can you take to turn them around.  If you make the conscious effort to do this, things will start to fall into place.