Why You?

I was asked this question yesterday and, my goodness, I felt uncomfortable. It wasn’t just me who was asked it,  it was all of us in a networking group where we have some time put aside to work on ourselves. In fact I was so uncomfortable I took myself off and went to the loo. I had no idea what to say and, like many of us, my life is focussed on others, not me. But I couldn’t stay in the loo, I had to come back to the room.

On my return I knew I was going to have to face this question but, honestly, I didn’t know what to say. And someone said, “Ann, you walk the walk”. That did ring true. And I began to reflect on the importance of walking the walk .. what does it mean? We can all talk a good talk but, honestly, we lack integrity if we don’t demonstrate it with our actions.

So how does it show up in my life? I recommend and sell products that I personally use, unlike products endorsed by celebrities who probably don’t use them and just add extra costs to the consumer. My Transformation Workbook, which I recently completed, is based on what I personally have done or do, so I know work. I’m excited to have finished it because I wrote it in response to the number of fabulous female business owners I see, who have such talent and passion for their work, but don’t prioritise their own selfcare, health and wellbeing . How do I know that? Because that was me and sometimes still is!

We leave a corporate or public sector hamster wheel to create a better life for ourselves and our family only to jump on another one of our own making because we think we have to work all the hours God sends. And this is not sustainable. It is absolutely possible to suffer stress and burnout doing what we love. And it’s important to remember we are our best asset so we need to take great care of it.

So where am I going with this? Walking the walk means I can’t just bang on about self care, health and wellbeing without ensuring I see to mine. And the reality of running a business at 76 means you really have to. Your powers of concentration are less, your energy may not be quite what it was and maybe you are a bit slower getting stuff done. I create strategies to overcome these slight limitations, like working in short bursts and taking time off to go out for coffee with my husband, to take a walk and, as the weather improves and the days get longer, to get out to the garden. Plus I know that the supplements I take definitely help me.

So there we go .. just take some time to see if you really do walk your walk and, just bear in mind, none of us are perfect. I’m certainly not!