We are live, people!

After spending what felt like years in a funk (but what actually amounted to 8 months) we are finally live!

If you are a TL;DR kind of person, here's a video summary. Otherwise, read on!

I wish I could express what it took to get me here. Well, I guess I can try............................ok, here it goes!

In late 2023 I was moments away from launching my business and going live with my website. I was feeling great about life, I had been spending the previous year putting in a lot of time and effort into my personal development journey, implementing strategies into my daily routine and focusing on what self-care meant and making a place for it in my life. I had spent an entire year and a half being extremely intentional about where I wanted my life and career to go.

Then something unexpected happened.

A good friend was in a bad way and it derailed me on all levels. Emotionally and mentally I was spent and couldn't handle putting more on my plate. Physically, I carried on throughout my days with a thick layer of sludge draping over me like a weighted blanket. I didn't know how to get back to me.

One month later, my wife and I bought a house. The "thick" layer of sludge from my emotional event was now just a standard layer of sludge with added stress from wanting to ensure a smooth home-buying process. We had some typical surprises but I wasn't prepared for them nor did I have the mental capacity to process them accordingly. I proceeded through the next 6 months just trying to stay afloat and wanting to be a good wife.

So, I continued to put my career on the back burner while my self-care was about as dysfunctional as our new home's electric problems 😅 nothing was connected properly.

Four months later, I found myself with a herniated disc in my neck. The ONLY position I could sleep in for 2 months was on my back and even then, I did not get one night of straight sleep. I couldn't do a lot of my normal everyday activities without a tingling and numbing feeling going from my neck through my shoulder and all the way down to my fingertips. Needless to say, this derailed me as well. Not being able to do things physically for me used to be a really big deal...you may as well have taken a loved one away from me, the way I would slump into a type of depression. I just had a very hard time feeling like myself when I was physically unable to do my normal things. I have since developed a better self-care mindset and positive outlook when my body is going through something and needs a break 😊

Today, I am 1 month in the clear from my neck injury and feeling much better physically.

After working with some life coaches on my own life coaching, I am now in a good place emotionally and mentally to resume my life coaching journey.

My current PD/self-care journey looks like this:

1. Adequate sleep - I am still actively working on this one as I practice setting boundaries and learning to develop an evening routine that I can stick with. I have to admit that I can tell the days I wake up with more energy and a better attitude for seizing the day ahead of me.

2. A workout (or some physical activity) daily is a must. It keeps me feeling good about myself, I get physically and mentally stronger and I get to spend time with my wife while we take care of ourselves.

3. Good nutrition - as much as I want to crunch into some cookies or have a dessert plate at the end of the day with my wife, these things need to look different moving forward. We have implemented a new dessert rule in the house: don't bring any desserts in. Essentially, we won't purchase anything and bring it home. We can bake something for ourselves with the intent to share with neighbors, family, friends, etc. and occasionally, we'll go out for ice cream or a Crumbl cookie. Who knows! This one is a trial run for us, so wish us luck!

4. Daily journaling ✍ currently I am on Day 37/40 of Claim Your Power which I am completing for the 2nd time. Once that is done, I will continue my journal practice daily with other journal prompts or Penzu. This habit helps release things I am building up in my head.

5. Daily meditation - I want to start with 5 minutes per day of meditation but I have yet to carry a streak. Again, wish me luck!

6. Finally, I am approaching everyday with a clean slate. Seeing the happiness all around me and choosing not to focus on the bad but finding solutions to turn the bad into good. This has been the hardest one and I am working on it every day.

Well folks, I hope this didn't bore you too much. And if you got one tiny lil baby gem out of it, then it was worth it!

Let's take a deep breath and remember...

If you don't have your health, you don't have anything.

✌💟🌈

Peace, love and rainbows!