Today is the day.  It’s a Monday.  It’s the first day of the month and it’s the first day of the second half of our year.  No more excuses, it’s time to get it done.  Go team!

This pretty much sums up my pep talk last Monday.  I have had some time to think about that blog and I also had the following encounter:

Last week at the end of one of my training sessions my trainer said, “have a great day!”  She followed it up with, “if you aren’t having a great day ask yourself why.  If you are mad and grumpy with  yourself or the world it’s  because you aren’t happy with where you are right now.”

I have been pondering this all weekend, not because I was having a bad day but because I was having a great day and because I was excited to start the second half of the year.  I was ready for us ALL to start over today.  Then I realized that not everyone was going to be on board.  I get it.  I’m not always ready to start over or get on board with what the calendar says either.  Sometimes I just want to have my pity party and get there in my own time.  If that is where you are and you want the cheerleaders to leave you alone then so be it.  If, however, you feel like you could be cajoled into this whole second half of the year party keep reading.

Ask yourself what is going on? How are you? Where is your head?  What is keeping you from moving forward?

Last week, I was cheering you on and I told you to get out those journals and put your goals on paper.  Maybe you did and maybe some of you felt stuck. I will be the first to admit that if you aren’t really there, you aren’t going to do it.  Let’s not fake it until we make  it, let’s figure it out.

So, get out those journals and list all the things you are grateful for in your life.  I don’t want just family and a roof over your head.  Yes, we are all grateful for those things, but this is about YOU. Really dig in.  Think about yourself for a few minutes and not about the things you want to change, but about the things you are GRATEFUL to have.  Your health?  Your legs?  Your arms?  Your ability to move your body?  Your ability to get outside and walk?  These are not trivial things.  If you answered yes, you are grateful for these things then take a minute and meditate on them.  See yourself moving your body, walking, stretching, lifting your arms up high toward the sky or being strong enough to lift your pet, child or grandchild. How lucky are we that we can move our bodies freely and yet we sometimes feel so stuck.

Take a deep breath and in this  vein of gratitude think about yourself some more.  Think about those things that  have been holding you back.  Maybe your health hasn’t been what it once was.  Perhaps your body doesn’t move like it used to or it just doesn’t look like it once did.  I think most of us can relate to these statements.  None of us are what we once were.  Some of us are better, but most of us need a little work.

Now, I want you to write down all the things you would like to work on, but I want you to do it with kind words as if you were speaking to your best friend who needed a little nudge.

How are you now?  Still feeling grumpy and out of sorts about this whole second half of the year?  Get it out.  Write all the things down and get it out of your head so  you can move forward.  Sometimes we just need to vent and get it all out.

So, maybe you just need to breathe on this first day of the second half of our year.  That’s okay.  It’s always best to do it in your own time when you are ready.  Just be mindful of where you are and how you feel and when you are ready DO IT!