Thumbs Up- One Step at a time

Hi, I’m Helen, Wife, Mum, Designer and Illustrator.

It's mid-January and I’m setting my long-term goals. There’s a lot! I’m a visionary, an entrepreneur, and can be very determined. Just ask my husband!

So in between the wrapping and unwrapping of presents this Christmas, I worked on my business plan for the year for Helen Barrios Books. www.helenbarriosbooks.com breaking it down into three main sections. So far, it’s in Excel with monthly columns, tasks, goals and lists (plenty of lists) and it’s HUGE and I emailed it to my business mentor Jason Withers . He looked at it, congratulated me and calmly asked one simple question…

“Out of all these plans, what are the 2 things you are going to do this month?”

In other words, what are my short-term goals? What are my priorities and where am I going to start?

We set time scales and talked about accountability, identifying areas I need support in and areas I can overextend myself. We looked at methods of work. and we planned.

Fast forward to this morning and I went running this morning! ?

I want to complete a triathlon this summer, that’s my longer-term goal set and my timescale in place. So, I need to get running today! I swim on a weekly basis so that part doesn’t faze me, and I can cycle, but the running, well that’s another story!

I’d spoken to a friend last week and agreed we needed encouragement to get ourselves moving. So, knowing I’d see her at the school gates again today, I got my running gear out, downloaded my app, and set off. We chatted, sending each other on our way to fitness, and this afternoon we'll be accountable.

It's 4 degrees outside, so I needed to be determined, but the greater the challenge, the more determined I can be.

Putting one foot in front of the other, I slowly climbed the hills, gasping for breath at the top. I found my pace on the downward slopes and pushed myself through the halfway point. I ran a familiar path, one I knew well, recognising the ups and downs and knowing what was to come. It made me feel safe, like I’ve done this before so can do it again. And I did. Red-faced, panting, I reached home. 2.5km!

Like many things, I have an uphill pull at the end. It’s not far, but a killer! One step at a time. I glanced up to see my car still a considerable distance away and put my head down. I ran the last few 100 metres giving myself the thumbs-up “You can do this!”

It wasn’t a sprint. There were times I wasn’t sure I was jogging any faster than I could walk, but I kept going. One step at a time. My legs hurt. I knew I looked like a tomato and quite ridiculous, but I did it.

So what’s the plan?

To keep going, each day just taking the next step.

Will I need the same determination? Possibly more. Will my legs hurt again? Most probably. Could I add to my time? There’s a chance. Will I come back red-faced? Most definitely. But, like my business, I plan to run the race, taking one step at a time.

I’m Helen, Wife, Mum, Designer, Illustrator and RUNNER!

That’s my story. What’s yours?