Looking back, looking forward and staying positive

March seems a very long time ago

When I did my review of Q1 at the end of March, we'd only scraped the surface of what the impact of Covid would be and we were in our first week of lockdown.  We had no idea of what would happen, how quickly and the devastating effect it would have all across the world.  We've seen the absolute best of people but have also witnessed the worst.  There's been lots of not so good things but thankfully a whole heap of positives to take from the situation too.

We've made it to the end of Q2 and we're half way through the year.  That means we have a whole other half to turn the ship around and end this year on a high.  What we've learnt over the past few months will help us to achieve just that.  We've become stronger, more resilient and achieved things we never believed were possible.  I've tried to remain as focused as ever and, as always, let's take a quick recap at the 6 areas I'm looking to improve this year and how I've got on.

Blog - I'm pleased to say that throughout Q2, despite some very testing weeks, especially recently with the house move, I've stayed consistent with my blogs no matter what's been happening in my life.  The next step, which I keep promising, is to make it look a bit more professional in design.

Fit for It - I've surprised myself with what I've been able to achieve in respect of my business.  The virtual sessions I've been doing have gone from strength to strength and I've even started an evening mid-week session in addition to Saturday morning which is going down a storm.

Nutrition - Now this is an area that has absolutely gone out the window over the last few weeks.  We didn't even have a working kitchen when we first moved house and it's not been altogether plain sailing since, so there's been a few takeaways and trips to the chippy I have to admit.  Poor excuse I know but when you're working all day and then most of the evening it's exhausting, so I ain't gonna feel guilty about a few takeaways.

Exercise - Following the cancellation of all races for the foreseeable future, I've been staying focused by finding new routes in my local area.  You'd think that after 25+ years of running round here I'd know all the paths, turns out I don't and it's been great fun finding new ones.

French - I've been rubbish in this area, I've completely lost my focus due to all the other distractions going on around me and have found it difficult to concentrate.  The excuses must stop and I need to get back to my 10 minutes practise no matter what, every single day, in order to keep consistent.

Skills - I've learnt so many new things in the last few weeks simply because I've had to, from work issues to home issues there's a YouTube video out there for everything you need to know!  In a couple of weeks' times I'm attending a virtual conference for PA's which I'm really looking forward to.  I did say my boss in a recent appraisal that I wanted to be the best at what I do, to learn new things and to challenge myself, so I'd best pull my finger out and put my money where my mouth is so that by the end of the year I can say 'told you'!

As you can see from my goals above, it's been a bit of a rollercoaster so over the next quarter I need to smooth out the bumps.  I've certainly got plenty to focus on, especially with the new house.

Take some time to look back over the last few months and your own situation.  What are the positives you can take from it and what are the learnings you need to take forward into the next quarter of the year.  

Top Tips:

• Don't dwell on the not so good bits over the past few months, focus on the positives and keep looking forward.
• Despite not knowing what the next few months will bring, have something to look forward to.  It could be as simple as booking a hair appointment now that we can!
• Take the opportunity to meet up with friends and family and share your positive stories.
• If things haven't quite gone to plan recently, don't give up, set yourself some new goals and challenges.
• DON'T WRITE OFF THIS YEAR!!  We've learnt so much over the past few months, good, bad and indifferent.  Use that information and focus on making the next 6 months amazing.  Six months is long time, you can achieve so much, please don't utter that awful phrase 'I just wish this year was over'.  Whatever you've been through, it's made you stronger so use that determination to keep putting one foot in front of the other.  YOU CAN DO IT.

#2020