Reflecting on My Year: Embracing Change and Growth

Reflecting on My Year: Embracing Change and Growth: What a year it has been on an emotional level, learning new skills, and so much more. Throughout the year, I found myself facing a mix of significant life changes. My daughter moved away to become an au pair, embracing a new adventure in another country, while my son has grown more independent, finding his own way in the world. Unfortunately, we also experienced the sadness of losing one of our beloved cats, which was a heartfelt loss for our family. On a brighter note, we had the pleasure of visiting Switzerland in the summer, which provided a refreshing and beautiful escape. These experiences have all contributed to a year of immense growth and reflection.

Finding a New Direction in Life

Back in January, I decided to educate myself, learn new skills, and find a new direction in life. The last 18 years were dedicated to my children, who now don’t need me as much anymore, which left me with more time for myself.

Achievements and Learning Curves

My blog is up and running with quite a few posts on it now. I also became a certified gut health coach and completed a nutrition course. This journey into gut health has been enlightening, emphasising the vital role our gut plays in overall health. I’ve learned about the benefits of probiotics, prebiotics, and the importance of a balanced diet rich in fibres. I do a talk about ‘you are not what you eat, you are what you absorb’ alongside a mindful eating exercise, which has helped me and others build a better relationship with food by savouring each bite and being present during meals.

Taking these courses alongside my day job took up a lot of my spare time. It felt like going back to school—submitting assessments on time was something I had to get used to, especially when they were returned for being too brief. It’s all been a valuable learning curve. I am so chuffed that I completed them though, as I could have easily given up with the comment, “why bother?” But I did bother, and I came away with more in-depth knowledge about nutrition and gut health.

Embracing Sea Swimming

I completed my two big swims which I set out to do at the beginning of the year. The Burgh Island swim and the Bantham swoosh. Both times we were so lucky with the weather conditions. I absolutely love sea swimming and hopefully will do a 10k swim next year. Why stop at 5k? I made a lot of new friendships with like-minded women, and we share the cold sea together. We also enjoy a sauna every other week in a stunning location, from the hot sauna to the refreshing salty sea. What more could you ask for? To keep my muscles and bones strong, I go to the gym twice a week. Strength training is crucial for midlife women, helping maintain bone density and overall strength. In the new year, I plan to hit the pool more often to practice my front crawl and increase my swimming distance.

Developing Business Skills

This year was also about self-development as I embarked on a new journey to become an independent business partner with Eqology, a great company that provides extensive support. Through weekly team meetings, mini-courses, and sessions on finding your “why,” I have learned how to run my business effectively.

Eqology also offers tremendous support from medical professionals, who run webinars on various health topics, enriching my knowledge and boosting my confidence. Additionally, I’ve been learning about the importance of passive income and why having multiple income streams is essential these days.

To enhance my understanding, I’ve listened to numerous audiobooks on business and health, and attended many free webinars. This exploration has opened my eyes to a whole new dimension of life that I was previously unaware of. One crucial lesson I’ve learned is that it’s never too late to change direction. It requires dedication and hard work, but it will pay off in the long term.

I love talking to people, helping them with their health, and providing opportunities for others to earn a passive income. This journey has been incredibly rewarding, and I’m excited about the future and the positive changes it brings.

Prioritising Health

One of the most important things is your health. If you look after your own health, you can then help others. Unfortunately, we often forget ourselves and then run on empty, stressed, while our body sends us warning symptoms. I can only say, look after your health now, not in the new year, or next month, or after your next holiday. Prevention is always better than dealing with symptoms.

Looking Forward to New Opportunities

I am so excited for next year, as my buddy and I started monthly warmth and wellness evenings and breakfast mornings. These events are all about connections—sharing a couple of hours with like-minded people, eating delicious and healthy food, talking about a different topic each time, and doing some arts and crafts. It is about sharing our journey as two midlife women striving for better health, our plans, and how we deal with daily life. We want to meet other people, offer a safe space, find new friendships, and learn new practices. Exciting times ahead.

Celebrating Milestones

Next year is also my big 50! I am not sure what I am going to do, but watch this space. It will definitely involve swimming, maybe in warmer waters? I am having family over from Germany, which will be nice as they have never visited us.

Join Us

So, if you want to join our warmth and wellness evening/breakfast, take charge of your health, or want to know more about passive income, send me a message. Enjoy the last two weeks of December, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!