Change Is In The Air - Reviewing Each Area Of Your Life
The evening air is cooling. Change is in the air. What better time to review the different areas of your life and make tweaks as we head into these cooler days.
September feels like a new start in many ways.
The summer heat is giving way to cooler fresher days and it feels like change is in the air. A perfect time to take a step back and reassess where you are in various aspects of your life.
We have also just returned back from two weeks holiday feeling refreshed and ready to go.
So, here are a few areas where I think you can be looking to upscale your life as you head into the new season.
Review your fitness goals
I’ve been running for about 8 years now so that part of my fitness regime is in place but there are clear areas where I know I need to improve.
You should be looking to build physical fitness around these 3 areas:
Cardiovascular Fitness - running, walking, cycling or swimming will get the blood pumping. The thing you must do is get moving early in the day.
Flexibility - Yoga is where I started but I now just do a few Yoga stretches daily. This is an area where we lose movement if we don’t practice each day. The area I am looking to improve on is squatting. Trust me here, this is a magical practice that will stretch out your leg muscles and maintain full movement in your hips, knees and ankles. More on that in a future post.
Strength - this is an area I’ve neglected if I’m honest. But, it’s never too late. For the past month I’ve ensured I do 50 press ups a day and now I’ve even bought myself a kettlebell! A week in and I’m already feeling the benefit.
Big work decisions - are you at a cross roads?
I certainly feel like I’m at a crossroads in my career.
I have been on secondment to a separate organisation for the past 18 months with 6 months still to run. The question now is whether I go back to my old job or pursue the role I’ve been doing on a more permanent basis?
I guess we all meet these decision points at some point in our working lives. Usually they are “carry on” or “turn left” or “turn right” off that path. This feels like I’m reaching a point where there is no continuity path. It’s either left or right because my secondment is coming to and end.
Decision time.
There is a saying in football that a manager should never go back to their old club. There is real wisdom in this. Are you going back to relive past glories? Will you find that the world has moved on while you were away? People change. Organisations change. I have changed and gained more experience.
It’s tricky though. Each path has its own risks.
Review your work goals now.
Financial review - keep your head out of the sand
September is also a good time to do a financial review.
Summer can be an expensive time of year. Holidays, socialising and the excesses of summer can stack up. Going into September there is a feeling that we need to be more sensible and take stock a little.
This point in time marks the mid point of our fixed term mortgage. Unlike in the US, the UK mortgage market is more short term with 2 year and 5 year fixed rates being the norm.
But, like in the US, interest rates have risen substantially. Luckily for us we still have 2.5 years left on our 5 year fixed rate so we have some time to plan but we know it’s going to be painful when we do need to re-mortgage. Some are not so lucky.
It’s tough out there at the moment.
So this feels like a good time to do a financial health check:
Cancel any subscriptions that you aren’t using - I bet you can find at least one that will start saving you money straight away
Identify any changes to your outgoings in the coming year - this may be a re-mortgage or a car payment but by being honest with yourself you can cope with that change in circumstance
Ensure you have or are building 3-6 months expenses in cash - just in case
It’s always tempting to put off looking through our finances but it will come back to haunt you and I bet it will be sitting there in the back of your mind.
Confront it and come up with a plan.
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Ah, Yoga and pressups. Thanks for the reminder. I was doing a bit of Yoga each morning for preventative back maintenance, as it seems the cartilage in my spine is "wafer thin". (I will not share the YouTube link, IYKYK.) I would toss in some Hindu pushups and squats as well to make it more full body, but the summer heat broke that habit. Starting again tomorrow, I promise.
It's wonderful to hear about your fresh perspective on September and the positive changes you're embracing. Taking time to reflect and reassess your life is indeed a valuable practice. The key is to follow your heart and intuition while also considering your long-term career objectives. Whatever you choose, I wish you the best of luck and fulfillment in your journey ahead. It's clear that you're approaching this decision with thoughtfulness and insight.