WELLNESS
Features
I stopped apologizing
This was probably one of the toughest yet most rewarding things I have ever done
and quite frankly, I’m still working on it. Saying the words ‘I’m sorry’ became a
frequent and annoying habit. I have slowly learned to say what I need to say
and do what I want to do because it makes ME happy and not give a damn
about it. My intention will never be to hurt anyone’s feelings or offend but if
someone’s knickers are in a knot because I dare be honest and selfish from time
to time, so be it. This has had a profound impact on my self-worth because I
am setting boundaries for the first time in my life. My cape is on its way.
I ‘cleaned house’
I accepted the fact that some people
can stay in your heart but not in your
life. I have far fewer friends now than
I did ten years ago but those few close
relationships mean the world to me.
They are my people, my tribe and they
have my best interests at heart. They
don’t tell me what I want to hear, they
tell me what I need to hear. I have
said goodbye to some who have been
in my life for a long period of time.
Not a day goes by that I don’t think
of them fondly and wish them well.
Now, don’t go home and type up a
bunch of ‘goodbye’ texts and emails
and fire them all off but rather take a
really good look at those you surround
yourself with. Do they inspire you to
be better, do better and feel better or
are they toxic? A positive attitude is
contagious so spend time with those
who enrich your life, not complicate it.
48 | whiteoaksclub.com | spring 2016
I got my ass back
to the gym
I became one of those chicks who would rather spend $200 on a great pair of jeans
than a gym membership. I would rather invest in expensive denim to make my
butt look great than actually work hard for that great butt. Even just reading that
back to myself makes me sick. I was going to bed later, hitting the snooze button
a minimum of three times before getting out of bed in the morning, drinking two
to four cups of coffee a day, eating when I could find time - and by eating I mean
a large peanut butter cookie to go with my coffee. Yet, I couldn’t figure out why I
was feeling so ‘MEH’. I wasn’t quite miserable but I was sick and tired of feeling
sick and tired! Now here’s the WO plug (I’m allowed one)...it was the recent WO
Wellness Challenge that made me make a change, plus a few colleagues who
made me join. I decided I needed to get moving and get back in shape but I was
not doing this alone. It wasn’t about weight loss for me, but more of something I
needed to prove to myself. I was not prepared for how much I would enjoy it and
the other rewards that come with it. I sleep deeply, eat healthier, clothes fit better,
my focus is much more sharp and I officially know what a burpee is (I hate them).
I listen to my gut
I am a realist and a very logical thinker so I have always listened to my head.
But I’m also a female, so on occasion I would listen to my heart. Unfortunately, I
have learned the hard way that my brain and my heart speak two totally different
languages. I now pay attention to instinct or my gut and it has not let me down
yet. If I could go back in time, I would have made some very different choices but I
can’t. We all have the gift of intuition, but some have a stronger relationship with it
than others. Have you ever looked back at some experiences you’ve had in life and
remembered thinking or feeling something was off? That’s because something was.
Your instinct was sending a message to you, whether it be to ask more questions,
to ‘go for it’...or maybe it was teaching you to let go. Trust your instinct...it knows!