The Power of Fresh Starts

If it’s OK, I’d like to share a little reminder with you now. It’s about the power of fresh starts, which is a nice idea, a motivating endeavor, especially standing here on the third day of June.

The beginning of a new month is an extraordinary time for a fresh start, don’t you think??Like a mini-New Year’s resolution, with each new month you can resolve to be or do more of?whatever you want?… and you’ve got 30 or so days to make that happen.?(Atomic Habits author James Clear says it takes about 21 days for a habit to stick, making a month more than enough time to solidify a new habit.) My fresh start? Self-improvement. As I run little word studio and watch it grow, I’m finding it more important than ever to nurture my own well-being. I can better serve my clients. I can feel better as I work. I can project more positivity. I can. I can. I can. And you can, too.

When I’m focused on self-improvement, every aspect of my life improves. My relationships are better, my health is better, my mindset is stronger. The stale bread becomes crunchy breakfast toast. The unwatered flowers become decorative art. The gloomy skies break from spurts of morning grey and clear to the promise of sunshine …

In the name of interminable improvement, here are a few resources I use that help rejuvenate body and mind. I share them strictly as gentle considerations, so that as you begin to write on the blank pages of June, you feel ready to transform this month into the springtime of something new:

I am. - A nifty app that will send you several affirmations throughout the day, for free! They’ll appear as notifications on your phone, just like a friend sending them your way. Here’s the last one the app sent me: “Instead of holding on to what I could have done, I am taking action to do what I can do now.”

BBC Maestro - I’ve alluded a few times to some writing courses I’m taking and they’re courtesy of BBC Maestro. There’s usually a discount if you sign up for the year, and the classes offered are really fantastic. (I also have a MasterClass subscription that I equally love.

Mike Peele’s Hip Hop Fit - If you’re looking to dance it out on your lunch break or before the work day, Mike Peele teaches incredible 20 and 30 minute classes via YouTube. The energy is absolutely infectious and the dances are fairly simple, plus Mike is overflowing with positivity and the best vibes. You can’t help but have fun. (Fun fact: Mike was a dancer for Ryan Gosling’s “I’m Just Ken” performance at the Oscars!)

Strava’s Tools for the Trail - You might have heard of Strava (an app to track your fitness and connect with others) but did you know there’s a new feature where you can find trails in your area? You can choose from dirt trails, gravel trails, bike trails, walking paths … and while this does require a Strava subscription, it’s an awesome way to traverse the unexplored terrain right in your own backyard!

Local Harvest - With warmer weather comes springtime produce! Local Harvest is an online resource to search for local farmers’ markets and farms near you.

To sum up this little reminder: Personal improvement should be a very real component of your business plan. Write it in there, along with how you’re increasing revenue, amping up your marketing efforts and getting ahead of the competition. A commitment to continual improvement keeps our minds unhinged from predictability. We’re more flexible and nimble. As beings unrestrained from the restrictive confines of stable mediocrity, we’re free to wander, to make mistakes, to fix those mistakes and accomplish brilliant things, to live!