Sue Ellis-Saller

Hello Beautiful Soul!

This year is already starting to feel so positive, happy, and just better than last year. It’s likely a lot of that “new year excitement and potential” working its magic on me.

A HUGE part of my feeling good, though, is really linked to taking better care of myself.

I’m taking time off of work (this one is a big one for me because I am kind of addicted to busy). I’m playing more with my kids and making coffee and tarot dates with friends. My husband and I are spending way more time cuddling and just hanging out. I’m working on projects that make my soul sing.

My diet has changed and I am doing some form of movement each and every day. The stretching I did in yoga today was wonderful – and I feel AMAZING because I am following the Whole 30 eating suggestions. I’m nourishing myself with food and movement, instead of gorging on junk, sitting all day at my desk, and feeling bad about myself.

The changes that I have made recently to my life, a.k.a. devoting more time to things that make me happier and healthier, are totally worth it!

I know that I might bug you a bit about this, but I want to ask you how you feel. Are you worn out, exhausted, overwhelmed, blue, distracted, disorganized or energized, positive, motivated, excited, and ready to kick ass and take names? Have you taken a good look at how you spend your time and energy? Have you evaluated how your eating and movement habits affect your mood (and made changes accordingly)? Are you spending time with the people you love?

In order to create a happier life for yourself, you have to be disciplined. Now, I know some of you are ewwwwing at the mention of the d-word, but I think that discipline has a bad rap. People avoid it like the plague because it seems so strict and restricting and plain old b-o-r-i-n-g!

I recently read in Barbara Stanny’s book, Sacred Success, about how positive discipline can be in your life. Discipline is being a disciple to yourself! It is putting boundaries into place – good boundaries – to ensure that you are doing what you want and what makes you feel best in life.

So discipline, it turns out, isn’t such a bad thing!

You just have to get over the desire for instant gratification and find that the things you work for are sometimes way better than the things you impulsively give in to.

I’m not saying that you have to deny yourself all of the time, but you should make sure that your actions and habits are in line with your goals.

You have to check in with your body and your soul often to see what you need and how what you do makes you feel.

And you’ve got to stop people-pleasing. If you aren’t into it, then don’t do it. Unless it is necessary to your goals – then you might have to eat a frog or two, as Leonie Dawson would say.

So, are you wondering how can you stay on track when you want to make changes?

1) Make a journal. Bullet journals are great – they have daily objectives for you to mark off, like drinking 8 glasses of water per day and #yogaeverydamnday.

2) Find some friends with the same goals. Set rules. Check in with each other often. Turn to your support group when you need… support!

3) Forgive yourself little mistakes. Don’t beat yourself up or quit entirely if you slip up. Just dust yourself off, get back on the wagon ASAP, and let it go.

4) But don’t make excuses for f***king up every day. Seriously. If you make a goal for yourself, you should work toward it. If you aren’t motivated toward working on your goal, figure out your whys. If they don’t have anything to do with you and your own desires (like you are working on something for someone else or your heart just isn’t in your goal at. all.) feel free to chuck your objective in the f**k it bucket.

5) Learn to say NO. Your friends might invite you for an ice cream. You can either go along and get a small one, get a healthier option like froyo, or just get a tea and enjoy the conversation. You don’t need to partake in order to hang out.

6) Speaking of saying no – you might have to avoid anyone who is a bad influence – especially if you feel that you can’t say no to the person.

One of the keys you need to remember is happiness isn’t the fleeting satisfaction that you get from acting impulsively while breaking your commitments to yourself. Happiness comes from keeping your promises to yourself, focusing on the people and things you make happy, and avoiding shame, guilt, and regret. Tweet this by clicking here.

And sometimes, in order to get to that space where you are truly happy, you have to be disciplined. It’s just a fact of life. If it brings more happiness to you in your life, then discipline can be a good thing!

Are you ready to explore your priorities and create a plan that will bring you more satisfaction with your life? Schedule a session with me today! Click here!