Hey life, let's get back on track. Back to school, is at times, synonymous with revisiting goals and schedules and priorities. The reason summer feels so good is usually because we feel less encumbered by our busy schedules and commitments. School is out for those with kids, work feels a little less intense with many on and off vacation, and with longer days, we often spend evenings up later and mornings moving a little less frantically. But come the end of summer, many of us start to get a bit more motivated to be back on track.
I love September. It always feels like a good time to reset goals. While many do so at New Year's, to me, the fall is about refocusing. I've always spent a lot of time planning and evaluating goals. I'm a type A and generally seek the next hill, the next challenge and the next big box to check. But as I've evolved as a mother, a friend, a business person, I've learned that much of accomplishing what we desire in life relates to releasing parts of our life that don't move us forward.
So before I established where I wanted to be goal wise, I decided to look more closely at what I needed to release to open up to more. I had a vision of freeing up space by letting go of things I realized were not moving me forward. For some of us, this could be ways we react to certain people or situations. This could be obligations we feel attached to, or time spent on work that doesn't inspire or motivate or teach us. In some cases, we may need to terminate interpersonal relationships, or set boundaries on timing and commitments. And in its most raw form, opening up time can also mean setting ourselves to be able to think. this could be to walk, or meditate or practice yoga.
Once I am really clear on what to release, I've learned I can see much more accurately what to move towards. It's metaphorically about opening up our schedule. And in order to truly be accountable, writing down clearly what we are committed to releasing as well as writing down what we will achieve.
The final step in this process for me is using affirmative and unwavering communication with myself. Rather than the word 'try', I use 'will'. If I 'try' to release X and 'try' to achieve Y, I've given myself a backdoor. If I say I 'will', then not doing so is eliminated as an option. This also creates discipline in only writing down what I am committed to. I'm also careful about the amount of things I plan to achieve as well as release. If I cannot recall what they are, it's tough to do it. And writing down both what we release and achieve is usually how these commitments imprint on our brains.
Finally, accountability means sharing with a trusted friend or family member what we are prepared to reset. I love to involve a few people in this and ensure I have a team of people on my side ready to hold me accountable. This is also an incredible experience to go through with children. At any age, learning how to release and achieve can be valuable.
I am excited to reflect on this time a year from now. And see where I've grown to. Happy September!
Andrea Mundie, CEO and Co-Founder
