Hello! I hope you’re having an amazing day today! Before we dive into the topic, I just wanted to let you know that the big giveaway has been extended until Friday, October 2nd! Whoohoo! More chances for you to win some amazing goodies, so check it out!
If I could go back to the day I made the decision to live a healthier lifestyle, I would tell myself exactly what I’m about to tell you.
When we get started on a journey like this, it can be extremely overwhelming. When we look around, it seems like everything has to change. Too much change all at once is overwhelming, and let’s be honest…impossible. But when we make changes one choice at a time, consistently, we see lasting results!
So, as you begin your journey (or maybe you find yourself on a journey already but feel stuck), here are my best words of advice.
1. Don’t try to change everything at once.
2. Develop what I call the “Good, Better, Best” mindset.
What is the “Good, Better, Best” mindset? Great question! When you are researching the choices you need to make, you need to take into account if you are in the “Good” season, the “Better” season, or the “Best” season.
The “Good” season is when you financially may not be able to invest as much as you would like, but you know you need to make a change. This is a “stepping” stone season, if you will. So for example, in the “Good” season, you might find yourself at McDonald’s because that was all you could eat for the day. Okay, that’s okay! Here you can go ahead and splurge on that Big Mac and the milkshake, or you can honor your decision to make a change, and you can “step up” to the “Good” choice, and maybe order a chicken sandwich and some apple slices. You’re still at McDonald’s, you’re still taking care of your body, and you have now made a “Good” choice. There ya go! You did it! This also applies to any area of wellness you step into. So for example, when I started with essential oils (I use this as an example because it really helps describe quality in each season) I thought the cheapo oils I was buying on Amazon were GREAT. Who needed to spend a ton of money on oils?! Not me! So I used these oils as my “Good” choice because they were saving me money, they introduced me to essential oils and I was able to learn a little bit about using them. (Though I still assumed they were only for aromatherapy…butttt that’s for another post!)
As I grew in knowledge about oils, I entered a “Better” season. In the “Better” season you learn and grow even more and you begin to realize there are better options out there for you. Maybe you’re still not financially in a “Best” season, but you’re starting to see the value of “Best”, so now you’re ready to buy “Better.” So in our McDonald’s example, let’s say you stop and evaluate if you really need to eat at McDonald’s. Maybe you can stretch it out until you get home. Maybe you have some nuts or a protein bar in your bag and that could tie you over until you get home and can eat something healthier. And in my essential oils case, this meant I began buying a bottle here or there of a quality oil instead of the ones from Amazon. I noticed they were lasting me longer and I was actually spending less money. I also noticed how I was starting to breathe easier and feel better overall from this new quality of oil. That’s when I was finally ready to enter my “Best” season.
The “Best” season also does not mean you have all the money in the world and you can buy everything you want to achieve your wellness goals. It could mean that, but it also could mean you’ve now learned the value of your health and your dollar and you’re in the investment season for your health. In the McDonald’s scenario, this might look like realizing there’s a grocery store nearby with some deli chicken and a salad you could run and grab quickly instead. Now you’ve taken care of yourself, you’ve avoided an unhealthy meal, AND you’ve saved a little bit of money because you didn’t go to an expensive healthy fast food place. Or maybe your “Best” season looks like finally getting (or choosing) to eat at that healthy fast food place!
That’s the beauty of these seasons and this journey. Only YOU can decide what your season is and where you’re at and how much you want to sacrifice to get where you want to be. In my essential oil story, I finally jumped head first into a quality oil company and have not even looked back! It was my “Best” choice no matter what my season. Now if I need to slow down on oil spendage, I don’t go back to my Amazon oils, I use my tools to stretch my quality oils so I can keep using the “Best” but not blow my budget. It might mean I’m skipping a few Starbucks coffees so I can buy a bottle of Lavender, but it’s always worth it! That’s my personal “Best” choice.
But I so wish I could go back to that first day when I knew it was time to make a change and tell myself that it’s okay not to do it all at once, and it’s okay to not always be in the “Best” season. That I don’t have to be all or nothing…I can make “Good” and “Better” choices, which eventually will lead me to that “Best” choice anyways! And there’s always Grace if I need to go down a season. There is no judgment…for myself or for others!
Now, I will also say, there’s still a level of pushing/discomfort we all have to go through when we are making any size change. It will not always feel comfortable at first. We may have to work through it. It may not feel intuitive…it might feel crazy. But that’s just what your body and your mind is used to. If you’ve been in a warm bath and you get out, your body is going to freak out because now it’s cold. But your mind knows that you have to be cold for just a second until you can get that towel and get dressed. There’s a little window between the decision and the actual change where it gets a little cold…a little messy. But just remind yourself that it will be worth it!
What season do you find yourself in? Good, better, or best? What’s one change (the smaller to start, the better!) you can make THIS WEEK that will be a stepping stone to the bigger change you want to see?
Be well!
~Nikki