Consistent Action
Estee Janssens
The first line in the Introduction to The Pivot Year by Brianna Wiest, is
“I hope this is the year you change your life.”
“It is and I am”, I thought as I read it and realized that the last half of 2024 was the beginning of a pivotal year for me. I made a commitment to figure out how to lose and manage my weight in the next year and why that was important for me, and I stumbled onto what I now call Tap and Write and the Tap and Write Studio.
Here’s an update on my “Pivot Year” so far:
After 2 full months of working with my Glean coach, stepping on the scale daily, tracking my calories and working on letting go of all the old stories I used to tell myself from decades of dieting, I’ve lost very few pounds on the scale but inches are coming off nicely.
At first I was frustrated by the numbers on the scale as I’ve been up and down within about 5lbs for what sometimes feels like forever. In previous seasons of me, I’d have given up, thrown in the towel and concluded that “nothing” works. I’d have thought “I’m a complete failure at this”, and I’d have been looking for the next new diet or plan to begin, but not until Monday, or after Xmas.
I’d definitely have given up the moment I experienced a wobble - whether it be going over my calorie deficit once or twice a week because I’m not listening to my inner whispers letting me know I need to stop, breathe, and pay attention to the stress I’ve been holding on to. Or, if I’d promised myself I’d cut out a food, like bread or carbs, and then gone back on my word. Or, if I failed to plan a little bit about what to eat and succumbed to a sleeve of crackers and a larger-than-intended block of aged cheddar cheese.
Ultimately, in some way, I’d have quit, given up, and continued to walk the same, old, outdated path that never served me and always had me sliding off it.
What I’m most proud of is that I haven’t allowed myself to slide off the path and quit. I’ve definitely had some wobbles, but with support from my coach (and others) I’ve not dismissed them- or myself - and have actually been able to take a step back to look at them.
Here’s what I am working on, daily: Consistent Action.
We all know that when we’re consistent we get results. I too knew it and could be consistent with some things - but never this journey, before now.
I shared with you HERE that I wanted to create a consistent journaling practice, one word per day. It worked. I write daily now as if I’ve been doing it all my life.
I’m walking daily - my steps aren’t consistent right now because of a shin splint - but I’m doing what I can.
I’m stepping on the scale daily, no matter the result.
And the biggest change has been consistently shifting my mindset and thinking differently about food, weight, my body and who I am now and who I’m becoming. I’m shifting - from lack to growth, from nothing to something, from pushing feelings away to feeling them, from abandoning to embracing myself.
When I have a wobble now I know that it’s one moment in time. I take a few minutes to process what happened and why. I give myself space to recognize the “all-or-nothing/perfectionism” thinking of old and remind myself I can let that story go.
Consistent action isn’t just about drinking enough water each day, or making sure we’re moving our bodies regularly, or getting enough sleep. At the root of it all is the ability to take consistent action with our thoughts and meet ourselves where we are at; and then take more consistent action as we learn what next steps will move us forward.
““To persevere is to hold the energy of potential within you – in your body, in your mind and in your heart.” ”
I don’t know what number on the scale I’ll be at the end of my “pivot year” but I know that my life is becoming significantly better for the mental and emotional work I’m doing now, no longer afraid to go inward and explore the “energy of potential” ready for me to find and step into.
What about you? Are you in a “Pivot Year”? What consistent action are you working on?
I’d love know - leave me a comment below or connect with me HERE.
Thanks for reading as always!
Joan
PS. Won’t you join me for Tap and Write? See details of the next round of Tap and Write Circles HERE.
PPS. Join me in The W.I.S.E.R. Woman’s Guide where you receive a weekly newsletter full of news about Tap and Write and your own special Invitation to Write, carefully crafted by me!
