Back on Track for 2024

Welcome to This Daring Adventure podcast, where we work on bridging the gap between where we are and where we want to be in order to live a bigger and bolder life. In this podcast, we will provide inspiration, tips, and skills you need to make your life the adventure you want it to be. Here's your host, mindset mentor and life coach, Trista Guertin.

Hi, everybody. I'm back. This is This Daring Adventure. I am Trista Guertin and I am happy to be here. Thank you so much for joining me. It's been a few minutes since I last recorded a podcast. That wasn't planned. I will be honest. I had every intention of continuing to release a podcast on a weekly basis. And plans changed. And I actually wanted to talk a little bit about getting back on track. So this includes the podcast. It includes almost every aspect of my life. And as we are beginning 2024, this was the ideal time for me to look at getting back on track and looking at what I want to accomplish this year. And hopefully you'll find this a little bit interesting and a little bit helpful. And let's go. 2023 for me was a bit of a strange year. Things didn't quite go as I had hoped or I had planned in some respects. When things happen in life, nobody ever really expects them and things come along and throw you off. It is what it is. And I'm not going to get into any of the details. There, there were several things that happened. I, moved. I started a new job. A good friend of mine passed away. There was external circumstances going on. Where I live that proved exceptionally challenging and it took a toll. It took a toll. I went into the Christmas holidays, hoping that it would be a good break and a lot of fun. And then I got COVID. So that pretty much changed all of my plans. But It turned out okay in the end. I did get some rest. I got a break. I got away. I saw some people. I didn't get to see everybody that I wanted to, but I was able to see most of my family, which was really nice. And my dog, Molly, of course, which is the most important thing. Now I'm back. I'm back getting into the swing of things. And I wanted to look at how I wanted to go into 2024. If you received my Monday Mindset email, on January 1st, I wrote an email about how I wasn't excited about this year. In fact some of the things that had gone on in 2023, I expected to continue and to actually get worse into this year. And that's still the case, but. I knew I had an opportunity. I love the beginning of the year. I love the opportunity. I love what it represents. I love thinking about starting new. And one of the things that really, was the catalyst for how I wanted to think about this year was I'm doing a series of facial treatments that are actually quite painful. But I started in December, and so I have to do several treatments. And of course, it takes a while for the results to start to show. And basically, when I do the calculations, it's it'll be like next Christmas before there will be any results. Fine, okay. So I have this entire year, and I realized with those treatments, I need to just play the long game. I need to know that I'm going to take this action. I'm going to do this work. I am to make the investment and the results are not going to be immediate, but. If I play the long game, and I'm patient, and I just keep going, a year from now, I will have the results that I want. And to me, that seems quite actually spacious, and abundant, and relaxing, in some respects. Do I want the results today? Of course. But, it's not going to happen like that. I just have to sit back and relax, and trust that it's happening. Even though I can't maybe not see it showing up on a day to day basis, and I'm going to get to next Christmas And there's going to be a difference. And I was thinking about that in terms of 2024 for other areas in my life. Like, where do I want to experience that same sort of investment and know that I can get to the end of this year and have some pretty amazing results without the pressure, without expecting anything to happen immediately, without rushing. I just keep showing up. I just keep doing these micro actions. I keep showing up and doing the work. And I realize that I have a choice about what I want to think and how I want to show up. And how I want to feel and that will reap the benefits I want in the coming months. And so I will have experienced this growth and this opportunity to learn and to transform. And that is exciting to me. It's much more exciting than setting New Year's resolutions and trying to make all these immediate changes. I'm going to show up. I'm going to do the work. I know where I'm going. I have plenty of time. Let's go. At the same time, I have set a big goal. I love goals, so I'm not going to give that up. it's a goal that I have for the next 12 months. So one big goal, and that has to do with the revenue in my business. And then I'm breaking things down into quarters. I have a revenue goal for Q1. And then I have some smaller things that I'm working on. I'm trying to clean up my eating again. I'm drinking less. I'm walking more. I am reading more. I am recommitting to doing all of my self coaching and learning in, in that area and developing. And of course there, there are all the things like my journaling, my meditation, my yoga that I also wanna commit to. I've committed to traveling a little bit more this year. And so those are all part and parcel of what I wanna accomplish this year. But again. I'm spending time, especially over the past week, thinking how I want to feel in December 2024. And this is a choice. I am not expecting my circumstances. My external circumstances in my life to change that drastically, there are things that are well beyond my control that are going on that I cannot change, and that may become significantly more difficult in the coming months. But I do have a choice about how I want it, as I said, think, feel and show up, the actions that I take. And I am consciously thinking about how I want to feel at the end of the year. And what came up was that I want to feel satisfied. I want to feel proud. I want to feel content. I want to feel calm and relaxed. I don't want to go into the end of the year like I did last year, exhausted and drained and just emotionally in a deficit, if that makes sense. I actually want to reach the end of the year and just be really happy and really satisfied and content with everything that I've done. Even if I haven't accomplished everything that I have, even if I've had to change my plans slightly, if I've had to take more rest, if I've had to do things differently, I can still make a choice and control how I feel and what I'm thinking. And then Being excited about going into the next year 2025 and using this year as a rebuilding year, as a growth year and an opportunity to really set myself up for amazing things in 2025. I have control over that to a certain extent. Yes, I cannot control the circumstances, but I always have the power to choose what I'm thinking and what I'm feeling and how I'm showing up. Now, it's easy in the middle of January since the year is new. I've just had almost a month off from everything. I feel definitely in a much better place than I did a few weeks ago. And so It, it is technically easy for me to say all of this now when I still have all of the year to get through and come what may. But deciding ahead of time and then doing the work and I will go through some of the things that I've had to do to start this process and then what I'm going to do to continue this process so that I do land up going through the year, experiencing this year, living this year in the way that I want to, regardless of what happens. In order to start I needed to slow down and put some thought, conscious thought, into what I want. And you'll see this includes how I want to feel at the end of the year, and how I want to think about it being the long game, like I'm playing the long game. Letting go of the expectations to have immediate results. I have drawn a line. 2023 is over. What I didn't do, what I experienced, how I felt, is done. And I need to be really conscious of the story that I tell about that year. And conscious about the story that I tell about this year. I am not making myself a victim of last year. There are a lot of good things that happened last year. It wasn't ideal, but it's done. And I don't make it mean anything about me. I don't make it mean anything about what's going to happen this year or what's possible for me. I'm starting fresh. I've drawn a line. And I'm going to decide what I'm capable of this year. If I want to take some of the more positive experiences, some of the evidence of what I'm capable of and what is possible, I will. And I have, but I'm not going to hold any of it against myself. And then I am recommitting to what I want, and what I want to accomplish, and how I want to feel at the end of the year. And I am starting where I am, and I am beginning again. All the things that maybe I stopped doing, that I didn't do, that I wanted to do, I don't make it mean anything. I let it go, and I just begin again where I am. I believe that everything I've done in the past had its results, had its benefits, and even though there's been a bit of a gap, let's say in my yoga practice, I, was doing it much less than I ideally wanted to, but I begin again. I know that whatever I've done in the past, Was beneficial and even though there was a break that even though I didn't do it for a few weeks, that's okay. I just start again. I just keep going. Start where you are, begin again. And then, going forward, I am committing to doing the daily work. Playing the long game means that every day I show up. And I am taking action regardless. Some of these may be micro actions. But I am committed to doing the daily work. And this includes some of the self coaching. It includes my journaling, cleaning up my brain, writing what's on my mind, looking at what I'm thinking, and then consciously choosing my thoughts so that they serve me and they move me closer to what I want to create. I am allowing for my urges. if I'm changing my eating, if I'm drinking less, if I'm trying to exercise more. I am allowing for the urges. For instance, the other day, I'm committing to having a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast every morning. Breakfast, lunch sort of thing. The other day, I didn't want to have the oatmeal. I really didn't want to have the oatmeal and I was thinking about going down the street and picking up some lunch and I had to just allow that to be there and made my oatmeal. And if I can do that on a regular basis, this will keep moving me forward. Our brains will always offer us an alternative. Most of the time they will not want to do what we say we're we were going to do and even though I struggle like I want to eat better My brain will go it's so much easier just to have something else Something fun and if I can learn to allow those or just sit with it, but don't mean it can't mean anything Don't act on it and then keep my word to myself Then that's what's moving me forward. So remembering those in those moments is really important. I am having my own back, making sure that I am keeping my word to myself, not beating myself up if things don't go exactly as planned and just rebuilding that trust and strengthening that relationship with myself. And so allowing myself that grace and that space and that understanding and that compassion and that kindness and that There isn't that resistance and that fight but Understanding that this is the way my brain works This is human nature. These urges, these thoughts, they're always going to come up, they're always going to be there in some respect, but I am taking care of myself and working on, just day by day, getting stronger, becoming more disciplined, having greater awareness and moving myself forward by taking the action that I want. And I do that by having that awareness of what's going on in my brain, being conscious of what I'm thinking, processing my emotions, and then consciously choosing the thoughts that I want in order to create the feeling that's going to move me forward. And this is part of the daily work, cleaning up my brain, looking at what's going on. Making adjustments, this is all the process and understanding that this is what's going to go on doesn't mean anything's gone wrong and it doesn't mean I have to give into it and I focus on each individual urge, each individual situation instead of allowing myself to get overwhelmed by it every time I deal with if it's, if it's the oatmeal, in the morning. I just deal with it, allow it, process it, let it go. Don't make it mean anything. And I think then that reduces some of the energy that I need to expend in order to overcome it. There's not that resistance. There's not that fight. I don't make it mean anything. It's a lot less energy. It's a lot less drama. This is what it is. I take it in the moment. And I go on. And I think that sets me up and allows me to utilize my energy and my time in a way that serves me and does not drain me. And then I need to remind myself of December and what I'm working towards and what it's going to be like. And I visualize it and I spend a little bit of time each day thinking about this, where I'm going, why I'm doing this, what I'm creating. And this can also be a part of, the daily work that I mentioned, it's just that recommitting, that reminding. I think this is really important, whether it's a goal, whether it's something that you want to create for yourself, reminding yourself on a regular basis, if not daily. I think daily is best, but it has to be at least a couple of times a week to keep you focused. And then if at the same time you're cleaning up your thinking, you're being aware of what your brain is offering you, and then consciously choosing what you want to think will keep you on track. And this is so important, and it doesn't matter in what area of your life that you are using this for. I would use it for every single area. It Is the way to keep you focused. And I know that for myself, if I am not spending that time cleaning up my thinking, focusing on where I'm going and what I'm trying to create, my brain goes off literally into the gutter or the ditch, or, just completely off track. It's very easy. It doesn't take long. I literally within a day or two, if I don't do the work I catch my brain just. It's not working or forget about it. It's not possible, whatever it is. So keeping yourself on focus like that, reminding yourself daily what you're doing and why is invaluable. And in fact it's mandatory as far as I'm concerned. And then finally, I'm going to make sure that I get the rest that I need and that I'm making adjustments as necessary. Again, There are going to be certain circumstances that I cannot control and I'm going I'm deciding ahead of time that I will make sure that I get the rest that I need and make adjustments as necessary. I am also making sure that I know I can just do micro actions, and not letting myself get overwhelmed by doing really big things. For instance, that might look like instead of doing a 30 minute podcast, I do a 7 minute podcast. 7 minutes could be really manageable and much easier than a 30 minute podcast. And looking for those opportunities, making those adjustments, and not letting myself be overwhelmed, and allowing for those adjustments, I think, will be key. And you can do that, again, in any other area of your life. That's where I am, and that's where I'm going. I wanted to share that with you, because I think it's really I, as I said, I love the beginning of the year. I, I just, I love the opportunity of it. I love the thought of having the entire year to create an experience and grow and transform as I want. And I think I forgot about that at the end of last year, really. And so I'm recommitting. And I'm literally, I'm going to put this on my wall. If I, if you see my living room, I have my desk and my little workspace and I have all sorts of sticky notes and things taped, posted on the wall in front of me. And this is definitely something that I'm going to put there and in my journaling and just to remind myself and maybe periodically do check ins here in my podcast as well. I hope you found that helpful. Thank you so much for joining me. If you are interested in learning more about setting yourself up for 2024, or doing any of the daily self coaching work, or how, working with a coach can help you achieve. Your goals and create what you want in your life. I do offer a private coaching session. The link will be in the show notes. The coaching sessions are now 45 minutes. It's a coaching session and a consultation. So you get to try coaching for yourself. You can bring any issue that you wish. And I will tell you a little bit about my. Three month coaching program, which I'm excited to, to share with you and let's talk. Tell me what's going on and I can tell you how I can help and I will give you some help that you can take away and start implementing immediately. So do take a look at my calendar, hop on. I would love to speak with you and meet you there. All right, have a great week and I will talk to you again soon. Bye. Bye.

Thank you for listening to This Daring Adventure podcast with your host Trista Guertin. We hope you enjoyed the tips and conversations on how to get excited about life again. As always, you can head to tristaguertin.com for additional resources and to book a one on one coaching session. You can also follow Trista on Instagram at tristavguertin. Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review us on Apple podcasts. Thanks again for tuning in and we'll see you next time.