December 22, 2023 • 23 mins
Everyone’s talking about planning for 2024 and making their business plan early, so you’re ready to go as soon as 1st January 2024 rolls around.
But… There’s something I think that’s far more important than your plan. In fact, it’s the key to making your plan come alive!
This week, I take you on a journey through some of the highs, the lows, and the comebacks I've experienced in my personal life that have shaped how I approach business and are exactly what we need to achieve our goals.
You see, life isn't just about bouncing back when it throws you a curveball; it's about forging ahead with an unshakable spirit and a crystal-clear vision of where you're headed. 🚀
I've gone through it all – the loss of identity, the tough road to recovery, and the exhilarating journey back to myself. And I'm sharing every gritty detail, so you know you're not alone if you've ever felt like life's punches just keep coming.
Why am I sharing this with you? Because it’s the essence of this story, the message behind it that will be key to enjoying success in your business and living your life with joy and authenticity.
I want you to feel inspired, hopeful, and ready to run into 2024 with your eyes wide open for a fabulous ride!
I'm all about staying laser-focused and setting goals that truly align with your core values. So, I’m sharing struggles, triumphs, and those pivotal moments that made me rethink my life's priorities.
Here's the golden nugget: Adversity doesn't define us; it's our response to it that shapes our future. 🌈
Perseverance, self-belief, and creative problem-solving are the keys to unlock life's challenges.
And here's the kicker: Life might throw some crazy curveballs, but there's always a path to recovery and success. It takes grit, daily action, and sometimes leaning on the pros when things get tough.
With 2024 just around the corner, this message couldn't be more timely. It's your call to action, your nudge to start the new year with resilience and intention. 💥
This episode is an invitation to live with intention, to boldly chase the essence of what gives your life meaning and is exactly what you need to do BEFORE you start your business plan for 2024.
So, you can strut into 2024 with a heart full of purpose and a spirit that is unbreakable! 💃🎙️💫
I'd love to know what you enjoyed about today's episode! Leave a comment below or DM me on Instagram @16thavecreative
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Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Samantha Bell (00:04):
Welcome to the Brilliant Business, Beautiful
Life podcast, where we sharesimple, actionable strategies
plus the mindset and wellnesspractices you need to build the
business and life you love.
Head to 16thavecreative.
com/playbook and download yourfree guide to design the
business and life you deserve today.
I'm your host, Samantha Bell,and this is the Brilliant
(00:27):
Business Beautiful Life podcast.
Are you ready for the businessand life of your dreams?
Let's get started.
Hey everyone, welcome back tothe Brilliant Business,
Beautiful Life podcast.
Today I've sort of slipped outof the scheduling.
I actually missed last weekbecause the wheels fell off life
and this week is late, so Iwanted to deviate from my
(00:50):
planned podcast and just nottalk about planning for 2024.
Everyone's talking about that,and I think there's something
actually far more important todo before you start putting
plans in place for your businessfor next year.
So I wanted to chat about that,and it's a bit of a story.
(01:13):
It's a personal story, so I'mgoing to share that with you n
ow.
I was having a virtualconversation with one of my
beautiful clients in the UnitedStates recently and she just
injured her back and was havinga really tough time, and I just
felt so bad for her especiallybecause I could really relate,
(01:35):
because it reminded me of a timemany, many, many years ago when
I was much younger, much fitterand stronger and I used to
teach gymnastics.
And one particular day I wasteaching gymnastics to a
kindergarten class and they wereactually my favourite classes
to teach, because those kids,they were there for the pure joy
(01:55):
of moving their little bodiesand exerting as much energy as
they could.
They were just so full of lifeand went at every single thing I
asked them to do with such joyand enthusiasm.
It was so amazing.
And compared to classes ofolder students who may have been
there because their parentsthought they were going to be
(02:18):
the next Olympic gold medalist,or it was an activity they were
forced to do, or they were maybe sometimes some of them were
obsessing over themselvesbecause they wanted to be the
next Olympic athlete but weren'tquite at that level yet, so it
was causing them some stress andanxiety.
(02:39):
Anyway, I was teaching thisbeautiful kindergarten class
full of five and six year oldsand I was on the beam, the
balancing beam, and I wasteaching them a new routine.
It was very simple and one ofthe kids said to me Miss Sam,
Miss Sam, can you please show usa trick?
Can you do a jump?
Do a jump, do a jump.
(02:59):
And they all started yellingout do a jump, do a jump.
So I did a jump, and they alllaughed and clapped and thought
it was amazing.
And then they're like, dosomething else, show us another
trick.
And they're getting all excitedas only little kids can.
So I kept going through andshowing them different things on
the beam and mucking around andhaving a bit of fun.
(03:20):
Now I had set the beam up for me, not for them, so it was far
too high for them.
So they were just watching meand I probably forgot that and I
got caught up in the moment andI was making them laugh and I
decided, oh, I'll do a flip onthe beam, which I had done many,
many times before and nothingbad had ever happened.
But on this occasion it went alittle differently and I wasn't
(03:44):
concentrating on what I wasdoing.
I wasn't focusing on the beamor on my form or anything I
should have been focusing on.
I was focusing on the kids andI was literally showing off.
So off into the air I went, andI came back down, did the flip
fine, but it was the landingthat was wrong.
(04:05):
So, instead of landingbeautifully on my feet on the
beam, I landed badly on my lowerback across the beam and I
actually broke my back.
It was horrible.
Long story short, for the nextfew years they were some of the
toughest years of my life.
(04:26):
And it was a period of timewhere I was told by many, many
experts that I was actually notgoing to be able to walk
properly again, or if I did, itwas going to be very limited.
It was going to have limitedmobility.
I was going to be restricted toa wheelchair for most of the
time, and hearing that news forme was devastating.
(04:50):
I was your typical Aussieoutdoors girl.
I was always at the beach.
I was always horse-riding.
Now, when I was growing up, Iused to have a horse.
I'd go riding a few times aweek.
I just loved my horse.
Her name was Candy and she wasbeautiful.
She was a retired stock horse,so she was super fast, light on
(05:12):
her hooves, and I just had somuch fun with her.
I loved to bits, but anyway.
I'd go horse-riding, go to thebeach, go roller skating all the
time.
That was another favorite thingand of course, I was always
taking my kids everywhere withme and they loved doing all
these things as much as I didand we had an awesome time
(05:32):
together.
I did athletics at school, I wasa great sprint runner.
I loved my gymnastics.
I did ballet, I did ballroomdancing.
I was always doing somethingwith my body.
I couldn't keep still and if Iwasn't out and about, even at
home, I'd be dancing around thehouse or practicing my
(05:53):
gymnastics, or out in thebackyard I'd be swimming or
running or jumping on thetrampoline, you know, just doing
whatever we could to be active,getting out on our bikes,
things like that.
Lots and lots of activities.
So for me to hear the diagnosisthat I was going to be chained
to a wheelchair and not be ableto do any of the things I loved
(06:18):
to do, that was devastating.
But more devastating to me wasnot being able to do any of
those things ever again with mykids.
That just broke my heart.
And because I was in such pain.
I was in intense, intense pain.
I was on very, very strongopioid medication prescription
(06:41):
medication and I got verydepressed.
I eventually became addicted tothe medication and I just
completely lost myself.
It was a very dark, dark time.
Thankfully, I had absolutelywonderful friends around me and
they were so supportive.
(07:01):
I have a beautiful girlfriend,Vicki, and she would come over
and she would actually massagemy feet and she always made me
laugh and just, she's abeautiful human, she always
brings joy everywhere she goes,so she'd bring joy into the
house and it was just lovelyhaving her there.
And her husband did naturaltherapy and he tried to help me
(07:22):
with my back too, and otherfriends kept checking in on me
and doing what they could, andmy mum was amazing, but you know
, I had two little children atthat time.
They were three and six yearsold, so it was really tough for
them as well as it was for me,seeing Mummy not able to do all
the fun things anymore andseeing Mummy in pain, seeing
(07:45):
Mummy cry, seeing Mummy upset,so that was hard for them.
I think it also contributed tothe breakdown of my marriage.
Eventually, it contributed tothat not the cause, but I don't
think it helped and, like I said, I was in depression and I was
addicted to the drugs and goingthrough pain.
(08:08):
Rehab was such a long, hard road.
What got me out of it, though?
What got me out, was thisinnate sense that this was not
how my life was meant to be.
I wanted more.
I knew that I could have abetter life than this.
(08:29):
I knew I needed to get off thedrugs.
I needed to move my body, eventhough they told me that I
wouldn't be able to, even thoughit hurt like hell.
So I started trying to movearound.
Eventually I could crawl acrossthe floor and then I started
using a walker and I'd try andwalk with the walker as far as I
(08:52):
could, and you know that wastough, that was painful, but I
wouldn't touch the wheelchair.
So it didn't matter how slow Iwas going, how long I took, how
painful it was, I would not getthe wheelchair.
I just got on the walker andhobbled along.
So eventually I got strongenough, I didn't need the walker
(09:16):
and I was on a walking stick.
I walked the kids to school onmy walking stick and I remember
one day I got a lift to thelocal gym because I couldn't
drive, because my legs didn'twork properly at that point yet.
So I wasn't allowed to drive.
But I got a lift to the gymbecause I thought I need to get
(09:37):
off this walking stick.
I just can't do this anymore.
The pain was so intense still,it just wouldn't leave my body.
But I knew I needed to dosomething, so I got dropped off
at the gym.
I stumbled into the gym on mywalking stick and I thought okay
, what the heck am I going to dohere?
(09:59):
I had to sign so many waiversand things before they even let
me in, because they took noresponsibility for me.
And why should they?
After what felt like foreverlooking around this gym, feeling
absolutely, completely out ofmy depth, totally in the wrong
place, surrounded by all thesegorgeous fit bodies and people
(10:21):
who could do anything, I choseto go to the bike.
I chose the bike because Icould sit on the bike and I
thought, oh, I can just gentlypedal.
Well, it didn't quite work outthat way.
It was more difficult than Ianticipated, because the bikes
are electric and they need youto power them with your feet,
(10:44):
pedaling at a basic speed toturn them on, and my legs didn't
have any power.
I couldn't use them properly,so I couldn't even turn the bike
on.
So what I did was just sitthere on the bike and try to
move my legs.
I tried to pedal, and I didthis every single day, for hours
(11:08):
and hours, every single day andeventually I remember with such
joy the day I finally turnedthe bike on by pedaling with my
feet.
I literally cried with joybecause I could pedal this
bloody bike, I could turn it onand even though it was going
(11:30):
very, very, very slowly, Ididn't care.
I turned it on and that was ahuge milestone for me, that was
a breakthrough.
I took that win and then Ifocused on the next milestone,
the next milestone I realized Ineeded help with.
I needed an expert to help mebecause I didn't know what to do
(11:54):
next to get me where I wantedto be.
I didn't know how to helpmyself.
I hadn't dealt with this typeof injury before.
You know, as a gymnast, as anathlete, whatever, you get lots
of injuries, but I had never hadan injury like this one.
So I didn't know what to do.
So I got professional help.
(12:16):
I started working with anexercise physiologist who
understood that, despite all theadvice from the doctors, I
needed not to listen to them.
I needed to do things my ownway, and it was actually very
difficult to find someone whowould listen to me and not the
experts.
So I am forever grateful tothat man.
(12:38):
We were in that gym everysingle day and he was amazing.
He got me walking, he got meoff that walking stick, he got
me strong.
And it was literally him andworking my ass off every single
day, being completely focused,being completely dedicated, not
(12:59):
listening to the pain, notlistening to my body screaming
for drugs, not listening topeople who said you shouldn't do
that or you can't do that, orthe doctors.
I was stubborn and I wassingle-minded and I was
pigheaded about ignoring all thepeople who said no, because I
(13:20):
knew better.
I knew what was right for me,so I did what was right for me.
And the long, long, long, long,long story short.
There's many, much more to thatstory.
Eventually I was off all thepain medication and that was
another brutal journey.
(13:41):
I went through extreme drugwithdrawals.
I literally thought I was goingto die.
Seriously, I thought I wasgoing to die.
That was such an intenselypainful, physical, emotional,
mentally-wracked time.
I was racked with guilt andshame of being addicted to pain
(14:04):
medication In the first place.
I didn't admit it to anyone.
I didn't tell anyone not evenmy husband at the time didn't
even tell him that I wasaddicted to the medication
because I was so shameful of itand I hid it from everybody and
I went through cold turkey allby myself.
(14:27):
I didn't get any help, I didn'tgo to rehab or anything to get
off it, and that was tough.
So when the kids were at schoolI was at home in a shaking,
sweating, vomiting ball on thefloor until eventually I got off
that medication that I wasaddicted to.
(14:48):
I had to fight that myself.
It was incredibly intense butagain, me and my kids we got
through it.
I got through it and it allworked out.
So I got off all forms ofassisted walking and I got to
the point where I can actuallysort of run.
Can't run properly, it's toopainful.
It's probably more of a shuffleand I don't do that very often
(15:12):
because it really damages myback.
But I can do so much more thanthey ever said I'd be able to.
I can even roller skate now.
As long as I don't fall overand hurt myself, I can get on my
skates.
I haven't been able to get on ahorse yet and to be honest, I'm
a little bit scared in case Ire-break.
But I can get on some rollerskates and not fall over at all
(15:36):
I can now do lots and lots ofthings I was told I would never
do again.
And the way I look at thethings I can't do, instead of
being sad or upset or a bitjaded about not being able to do
everything, I've decided that Iwill just remember them with
fondness instead.
So think about those memoriesof doing all those amazing fun
things and just love thememories.
(15:58):
Be grateful for them, becauselife is still good.
The moral of this story is thatyou will have unexpected
obstacles.
Some of them will belife-shattering, some of them
will nearly break you and someof them you will think you will
never recover from, and thatwill happen in your life and in
(16:21):
your business.
But I want you to rememberthere is always a way.
People will always tell youthat you can't do things, but
people are wrong.
You can do whatever you putyour mind to, and it's important
that you remember there isalways a way and that you focus
(16:43):
on that Now.
The way may not be the way youwant it to be, may not be how
you intend it to be, may not bein your grand plan, but you will
have to think about it and tryto have to pivot and change and
find a different way, just likeI did in getting off the
medication and healing my backand still trying new things, not
(17:06):
being scared to try new things,not losing your joie de vie,
not letting things break.
You Keep that vision that thereis always a way.
I had my dream and my vision tobe able to walk through pain in
a way that made me happy andmake sense for me.
I chose to listen to my heart,to go with my intuition, to go
(17:29):
with my gut, but, importantly,to try and to fail to fall but
to keep getting up and to neverstay down, because this is my
one wonderful, glorious life andthis is your one wonderful,
glorious life.
You are the only person livingit.
If you've got big dreams, ifyou have big goals, if you know
(17:53):
what you want for your future,if you know where you want to go
in your business, if you knowwhat it can do for you, what you
need it to do, what you want itto do for you and what you want
it to do for your family andwhat is your greatest heart's
desire, that's what you need tofocus on, not the no's, not the
you can'ts, not the youshouldn'ts, not what anyone else
(18:16):
says is right for you.
Only focus on what you know tobe true, what you know is right
for you.
Your biggest, boldest, scariestdream that needs to be your why.
That is what you need to focuson, your why.
And then you need to workbackwards and work out oh so how
am I going to get there?
(18:37):
And you're not going to reachthose lofty heights overnight.
Those overnight success storiesare not true, as I keep telling
you.
What you need to do before youtake your first baby step is you
need to crawl across the floor,then you need to find a way to
get off the floor and onto thewalker, then you need to get off
the walker and onto the walkingstick.
(18:57):
And then you need to get on thebike and keep trying and trying
and trying until you can turnit on.
And then, when you can turn iton, you need to throw away that
walking stick and learn to walkunassisted.
And you can only do that if youbelieve in yourself, if you
take bold action, if you seekout the help that you need to
(19:19):
get there.
Remember I needed an expert tohelp me to get where I needed to
be, to get off that walkingstick to be able to be strong
and healthy and walk again.
And in your business, it'simportant to also take that
approach Recognize where youneed help.
Recognize where the growthneeds to come from in your
business and who can help youget to where you need to be in
(19:43):
that area and make that happen.
Seek out that help, thatprofessional help that you need.
Seek it out and then commit totaking daily action, every
single day.
Push through the pain, feel thepain, do it anyway.
See the obstacles, jump overthem, find a way around them.
Don't let them stop you.
(20:03):
You'll hear no a milliongazillion times, but say yes.
Say this is what I'm going todo, this is what's going to get
me where I want to go.
Say yes to you.
So this is what you need tofocus on when you're moving into
2024.
Don't focus right now on doingyour big, bold plan, nutting
(20:24):
everything out.
You can, if you want, of course, but I think more importantly,
before you do that, you need tofocus on where you're going,
your dreams, your goals, yourwhy.
Where do I want to be?
What do I want to achieve?
Does this dream mean enough tome to do hard things?
Am I going to tackle it withall of my whole heart.
(20:47):
Am I going to do what it takesto get there?
You need to do whatever it takesto fulfill your dreams, to live
your dream life, to takecontrol of yourself, your mind,
your body, your situation, andthe reward will be never
regretting a thing.
You will never have regrets ifyou do that.
You might have wrong turns,things may not pan out the way
(21:07):
you expected them to or wantthem to, but you'll never have
the regret of not trying.
You'll never have the regret ofnot moving forwards.
The only thing you will regretis listening to people saying no
, is listening to people tellingyou you can't, is listening to
people who are holding you backor the voices in your head that
try to stop you.
(21:28):
If you listen to that, you willregret it every single day of
your life.
So, as you start thinking aboutmoving into 2024, I want you to
focus on your dreams, your goals, your desires and where you
need to be for you, for yourfuture.
Your big, hairy, audaciousgoals.
Even if they don't make senseto anyone else, you need to
(21:51):
focus on them.
Focus on your why.
And remember it's not acompetition.
Do not compare yourself toanyone else, because your
journey is uniquely yours and itis beautiful.
So just take every amazing stepand find the beauty and find
the joy, and find your resolve,even among trials and hard aches
(22:12):
, in those days where you thinkyou just can't do it.
Because, guess what?
You can and you will.
So make that the most importantthing you focus on as you move
into 2024 and then work out yourplan, because all the planning
in the world will not workunless you do this first, unless
(22:32):
you get crystal clear and fullycommitted to you and your why,
knowing you're worth it,believing you're worth it and
acting like it's already yours.
So go, be brave, be bold, livebrilliantly, and I look forward
to chatting with you again inthe new year and I'd love to
hear all about your plans nextyear, but I don't want to hear
(22:54):
about them now.
All I want to hear about now isyour why and your commitment to
your why, and next year inJanuary, that's when we'll start
talking about the plan.
Merry Christmas everyone.
Thanks so much for listening.
I'd love to know your biggesttakeaway from today's episode,
(23:15):
so leave me a comment below orsend a DM on Instagram.
If you enjoyed this episode,hit the subscribe button
wherever you listen to theBrilliant Business, Beautiful
Life podcast and feel free toshare it with someone else
who'll love it too.
I look forward to seeing youfor the next episode and
remember the time is now foryour Brilliant Business and the
beautiful life you adore.
Welcome to the Brilliant Business, Beautiful
Life podcast, where we sharesimple, actionable strategies
plus the mindset and wellnesspractices you need to build the
business and life you love.
Head to 16thavecreative.
com/playbook and download yourfree guide to design the
business and life you deserve today.
I'm your host, Samantha Bell,and this is the Brilliant
(00:27):
Business Beautiful Life podcast.
Are you ready for the businessand life of your dreams?
Let's get started.
Hey everyone, welcome back tothe Brilliant Business,
Beautiful Life podcast.
Today I've sort of slipped outof the scheduling.
I actually missed last weekbecause the wheels fell off life
and this week is late, so Iwanted to deviate from my
(00:50):
planned podcast and just nottalk about planning for 2024.
Everyone's talking about that,and I think there's something
actually far more important todo before you start putting
plans in place for your businessfor next year.
So I wanted to chat about that,and it's a bit of a story.
(01:13):
It's a personal story, so I'mgoing to share that with you n
ow.
I was having a virtualconversation with one of my
beautiful clients in the UnitedStates recently and she just
injured her back and was havinga really tough time, and I just
felt so bad for her especiallybecause I could really relate,
(01:35):
because it reminded me of a timemany, many, many years ago when
I was much younger, much fitterand stronger and I used to
teach gymnastics.
And one particular day I wasteaching gymnastics to a
kindergarten class and they wereactually my favourite classes
to teach, because those kids,they were there for the pure joy
(01:55):
of moving their little bodiesand exerting as much energy as
they could.
They were just so full of lifeand went at every single thing I
asked them to do with such joyand enthusiasm.
It was so amazing.
And compared to classes ofolder students who may have been
there because their parentsthought they were going to be
(02:18):
the next Olympic gold medalist,or it was an activity they were
forced to do, or they were maybe sometimes some of them were
obsessing over themselvesbecause they wanted to be the
next Olympic athlete but weren'tquite at that level yet, so it
was causing them some stress andanxiety.
(02:39):
Anyway, I was teaching thisbeautiful kindergarten class
full of five and six year oldsand I was on the beam, the
balancing beam, and I wasteaching them a new routine.
It was very simple and one ofthe kids said to me Miss Sam,
Miss Sam, can you please show usa trick?
Can you do a jump?
Do a jump, do a jump.
(02:59):
And they all started yellingout do a jump, do a jump.
So I did a jump, and they alllaughed and clapped and thought
it was amazing.
And then they're like, dosomething else, show us another
trick.
And they're getting all excitedas only little kids can.
So I kept going through andshowing them different things on
the beam and mucking around andhaving a bit of fun.
(03:20):
Now I had set the beam up for me, not for them, so it was far
too high for them.
So they were just watching meand I probably forgot that and I
got caught up in the moment andI was making them laugh and I
decided, oh, I'll do a flip onthe beam, which I had done many,
many times before and nothingbad had ever happened.
But on this occasion it went alittle differently and I wasn't
(03:44):
concentrating on what I wasdoing.
I wasn't focusing on the beamor on my form or anything I
should have been focusing on.
I was focusing on the kids andI was literally showing off.
So off into the air I went, andI came back down, did the flip
fine, but it was the landingthat was wrong.
(04:05):
So, instead of landingbeautifully on my feet on the
beam, I landed badly on my lowerback across the beam and I
actually broke my back.
It was horrible.
Long story short, for the nextfew years they were some of the
toughest years of my life.
(04:26):
And it was a period of timewhere I was told by many, many
experts that I was actually notgoing to be able to walk
properly again, or if I did, itwas going to be very limited.
It was going to have limitedmobility.
I was going to be restricted toa wheelchair for most of the
time, and hearing that news forme was devastating.
(04:50):
I was your typical Aussieoutdoors girl.
I was always at the beach.
I was always horse-riding.
Now, when I was growing up, Iused to have a horse.
I'd go riding a few times aweek.
I just loved my horse.
Her name was Candy and she wasbeautiful.
She was a retired stock horse,so she was super fast, light on
(05:12):
her hooves, and I just had somuch fun with her.
I loved to bits, but anyway.
I'd go horse-riding, go to thebeach, go roller skating all the
time.
That was another favorite thingand of course, I was always
taking my kids everywhere withme and they loved doing all
these things as much as I didand we had an awesome time
(05:32):
together.
I did athletics at school, I wasa great sprint runner.
I loved my gymnastics.
I did ballet, I did ballroomdancing.
I was always doing somethingwith my body.
I couldn't keep still and if Iwasn't out and about, even at
home, I'd be dancing around thehouse or practicing my
(05:53):
gymnastics, or out in thebackyard I'd be swimming or
running or jumping on thetrampoline, you know, just doing
whatever we could to be active,getting out on our bikes,
things like that.
Lots and lots of activities.
So for me to hear the diagnosisthat I was going to be chained
to a wheelchair and not be ableto do any of the things I loved
(06:18):
to do, that was devastating.
But more devastating to me wasnot being able to do any of
those things ever again with mykids.
That just broke my heart.
And because I was in such pain.
I was in intense, intense pain.
I was on very, very strongopioid medication prescription
(06:41):
medication and I got verydepressed.
I eventually became addicted tothe medication and I just
completely lost myself.
It was a very dark, dark time.
Thankfully, I had absolutelywonderful friends around me and
they were so supportive.
(07:01):
I have a beautiful girlfriend,Vicki, and she would come over
and she would actually massagemy feet and she always made me
laugh and just, she's abeautiful human, she always
brings joy everywhere she goes,so she'd bring joy into the
house and it was just lovelyhaving her there.
And her husband did naturaltherapy and he tried to help me
(07:22):
with my back too, and otherfriends kept checking in on me
and doing what they could, andmy mum was amazing, but you know
, I had two little children atthat time.
They were three and six yearsold, so it was really tough for
them as well as it was for me,seeing Mummy not able to do all
the fun things anymore andseeing Mummy in pain, seeing
(07:45):
Mummy cry, seeing Mummy upset,so that was hard for them.
I think it also contributed tothe breakdown of my marriage.
Eventually, it contributed tothat not the cause, but I don't
think it helped and, like I said, I was in depression and I was
addicted to the drugs and goingthrough pain.
(08:08):
Rehab was such a long, hard road.
What got me out of it, though?
What got me out, was thisinnate sense that this was not
how my life was meant to be.
I wanted more.
I knew that I could have abetter life than this.
(08:29):
I knew I needed to get off thedrugs.
I needed to move my body, eventhough they told me that I
wouldn't be able to, even thoughit hurt like hell.
So I started trying to movearound.
Eventually I could crawl acrossthe floor and then I started
using a walker and I'd try andwalk with the walker as far as I
(08:52):
could, and you know that wastough, that was painful, but I
wouldn't touch the wheelchair.
So it didn't matter how slow Iwas going, how long I took, how
painful it was, I would not getthe wheelchair.
I just got on the walker andhobbled along.
So eventually I got strongenough, I didn't need the walker
(09:16):
and I was on a walking stick.
I walked the kids to school onmy walking stick and I remember
one day I got a lift to thelocal gym because I couldn't
drive, because my legs didn'twork properly at that point yet.
So I wasn't allowed to drive.
But I got a lift to the gymbecause I thought I need to get
(09:37):
off this walking stick.
I just can't do this anymore.
The pain was so intense still,it just wouldn't leave my body.
But I knew I needed to dosomething, so I got dropped off
at the gym.
I stumbled into the gym on mywalking stick and I thought okay
, what the heck am I going to dohere?
(09:59):
I had to sign so many waiversand things before they even let
me in, because they took noresponsibility for me.
And why should they?
After what felt like foreverlooking around this gym, feeling
absolutely, completely out ofmy depth, totally in the wrong
place, surrounded by all thesegorgeous fit bodies and people
(10:21):
who could do anything, I choseto go to the bike.
I chose the bike because Icould sit on the bike and I
thought, oh, I can just gentlypedal.
Well, it didn't quite work outthat way.
It was more difficult than Ianticipated, because the bikes
are electric and they need youto power them with your feet,
(10:44):
pedaling at a basic speed toturn them on, and my legs didn't
have any power.
I couldn't use them properly,so I couldn't even turn the bike
on.
So what I did was just sitthere on the bike and try to
move my legs.
I tried to pedal, and I didthis every single day, for hours
(11:08):
and hours, every single day andeventually I remember with such
joy the day I finally turnedthe bike on by pedaling with my
feet.
I literally cried with joybecause I could pedal this
bloody bike, I could turn it onand even though it was going
(11:30):
very, very, very slowly, Ididn't care.
I turned it on and that was ahuge milestone for me, that was
a breakthrough.
I took that win and then Ifocused on the next milestone,
the next milestone I realized Ineeded help with.
I needed an expert to help mebecause I didn't know what to do
(11:54):
next to get me where I wantedto be.
I didn't know how to helpmyself.
I hadn't dealt with this typeof injury before.
You know, as a gymnast, as anathlete, whatever, you get lots
of injuries, but I had never hadan injury like this one.
So I didn't know what to do.
So I got professional help.
(12:16):
I started working with anexercise physiologist who
understood that, despite all theadvice from the doctors, I
needed not to listen to them.
I needed to do things my ownway, and it was actually very
difficult to find someone whowould listen to me and not the
experts.
So I am forever grateful tothat man.
(12:38):
We were in that gym everysingle day and he was amazing.
He got me walking, he got meoff that walking stick, he got
me strong.
And it was literally him andworking my ass off every single
day, being completely focused,being completely dedicated, not
(12:59):
listening to the pain, notlistening to my body screaming
for drugs, not listening topeople who said you shouldn't do
that or you can't do that, orthe doctors.
I was stubborn and I wassingle-minded and I was
pigheaded about ignoring all thepeople who said no, because I
(13:20):
knew better.
I knew what was right for me,so I did what was right for me.
And the long, long, long, long,long story short.
There's many, much more to thatstory.
Eventually I was off all thepain medication and that was
another brutal journey.
(13:41):
I went through extreme drugwithdrawals.
I literally thought I was goingto die.
Seriously, I thought I wasgoing to die.
That was such an intenselypainful, physical, emotional,
mentally-wracked time.
I was racked with guilt andshame of being addicted to pain
(14:04):
medication In the first place.
I didn't admit it to anyone.
I didn't tell anyone not evenmy husband at the time didn't
even tell him that I wasaddicted to the medication
because I was so shameful of itand I hid it from everybody and
I went through cold turkey allby myself.
(14:27):
I didn't get any help, I didn'tgo to rehab or anything to get
off it, and that was tough.
So when the kids were at schoolI was at home in a shaking,
sweating, vomiting ball on thefloor until eventually I got off
that medication that I wasaddicted to.
(14:48):
I had to fight that myself.
It was incredibly intense butagain, me and my kids we got
through it.
I got through it and it allworked out.
So I got off all forms ofassisted walking and I got to
the point where I can actuallysort of run.
Can't run properly, it's toopainful.
It's probably more of a shuffleand I don't do that very often
(15:12):
because it really damages myback.
But I can do so much more thanthey ever said I'd be able to.
I can even roller skate now.
As long as I don't fall overand hurt myself, I can get on my
skates.
I haven't been able to get on ahorse yet and to be honest, I'm
a little bit scared in case Ire-break.
But I can get on some rollerskates and not fall over at all
(15:36):
I can now do lots and lots ofthings I was told I would never
do again.
And the way I look at thethings I can't do, instead of
being sad or upset or a bitjaded about not being able to do
everything, I've decided that Iwill just remember them with
fondness instead.
So think about those memoriesof doing all those amazing fun
things and just love thememories.
(15:58):
Be grateful for them, becauselife is still good.
The moral of this story is thatyou will have unexpected
obstacles.
Some of them will belife-shattering, some of them
will nearly break you and someof them you will think you will
never recover from, and thatwill happen in your life and in
(16:21):
your business.
But I want you to rememberthere is always a way.
People will always tell youthat you can't do things, but
people are wrong.
You can do whatever you putyour mind to, and it's important
that you remember there isalways a way and that you focus
(16:43):
on that Now.
The way may not be the way youwant it to be, may not be how
you intend it to be, may not bein your grand plan, but you will
have to think about it and tryto have to pivot and change and
find a different way, just likeI did in getting off the
medication and healing my backand still trying new things, not
(17:06):
being scared to try new things,not losing your joie de vie,
not letting things break.
You Keep that vision that thereis always a way.
I had my dream and my vision tobe able to walk through pain in
a way that made me happy andmake sense for me.
I chose to listen to my heart,to go with my intuition, to go
(17:29):
with my gut, but, importantly,to try and to fail to fall but
to keep getting up and to neverstay down, because this is my
one wonderful, glorious life andthis is your one wonderful,
glorious life.
You are the only person livingit.
If you've got big dreams, ifyou have big goals, if you know
(17:53):
what you want for your future,if you know where you want to go
in your business, if you knowwhat it can do for you, what you
need it to do, what you want itto do for you and what you want
it to do for your family andwhat is your greatest heart's
desire, that's what you need tofocus on, not the no's, not the
you can'ts, not the youshouldn'ts, not what anyone else
(18:16):
says is right for you.
Only focus on what you know tobe true, what you know is right
for you.
Your biggest, boldest, scariestdream that needs to be your why.
That is what you need to focuson, your why.
And then you need to workbackwards and work out oh so how
am I going to get there?
(18:37):
And you're not going to reachthose lofty heights overnight.
Those overnight success storiesare not true, as I keep telling
you.
What you need to do before youtake your first baby step is you
need to crawl across the floor,then you need to find a way to
get off the floor and onto thewalker, then you need to get off
the walker and onto the walkingstick.
(18:57):
And then you need to get on thebike and keep trying and trying
and trying until you can turnit on.
And then, when you can turn iton, you need to throw away that
walking stick and learn to walkunassisted.
And you can only do that if youbelieve in yourself, if you
take bold action, if you seekout the help that you need to
(19:19):
get there.
Remember I needed an expert tohelp me to get where I needed to
be, to get off that walkingstick to be able to be strong
and healthy and walk again.
And in your business, it'simportant to also take that
approach Recognize where youneed help.
Recognize where the growthneeds to come from in your
business and who can help youget to where you need to be in
(19:43):
that area and make that happen.
Seek out that help, thatprofessional help that you need.
Seek it out and then commit totaking daily action, every
single day.
Push through the pain, feel thepain, do it anyway.
See the obstacles, jump overthem, find a way around them.
Don't let them stop you.
(20:03):
You'll hear no a milliongazillion times, but say yes.
Say this is what I'm going todo, this is what's going to get
me where I want to go.
Say yes to you.
So this is what you need tofocus on when you're moving into
2024.
Don't focus right now on doingyour big, bold plan, nutting
(20:24):
everything out.
You can, if you want, of course, but I think more importantly,
before you do that, you need tofocus on where you're going,
your dreams, your goals, yourwhy.
Where do I want to be?
What do I want to achieve?
Does this dream mean enough tome to do hard things?
Am I going to tackle it withall of my whole heart.
(20:47):
Am I going to do what it takesto get there?
You need to do whatever it takesto fulfill your dreams, to live
your dream life, to takecontrol of yourself, your mind,
your body, your situation, andthe reward will be never
regretting a thing.
You will never have regrets ifyou do that.
You might have wrong turns,things may not pan out the way
(21:07):
you expected them to or wantthem to, but you'll never have
the regret of not trying.
You'll never have the regret ofnot moving forwards.
The only thing you will regretis listening to people saying no
, is listening to people tellingyou you can't, is listening to
people who are holding you backor the voices in your head that
try to stop you.
(21:28):
If you listen to that, you willregret it every single day of
your life.
So, as you start thinking aboutmoving into 2024, I want you to
focus on your dreams, your goals, your desires and where you
need to be for you, for yourfuture.
Your big, hairy, audaciousgoals.
Even if they don't make senseto anyone else, you need to
(21:51):
focus on them.
Focus on your why.
And remember it's not acompetition.
Do not compare yourself toanyone else, because your
journey is uniquely yours and itis beautiful.
So just take every amazing stepand find the beauty and find
the joy, and find your resolve,even among trials and hard aches
(22:12):
, in those days where you thinkyou just can't do it.
Because, guess what?
You can and you will.
So make that the most importantthing you focus on as you move
into 2024 and then work out yourplan, because all the planning
in the world will not workunless you do this first, unless
(22:32):
you get crystal clear and fullycommitted to you and your why,
knowing you're worth it,believing you're worth it and
acting like it's already yours.
So go, be brave, be bold, livebrilliantly, and I look forward
to chatting with you again inthe new year and I'd love to
hear all about your plans nextyear, but I don't want to hear
(22:54):
about them now.
All I want to hear about now isyour why and your commitment to
your why, and next year inJanuary, that's when we'll start
talking about the plan.
Merry Christmas everyone.
Thanks so much for listening.
I'd love to know your biggesttakeaway from today's episode,
(23:15):
so leave me a comment below orsend a DM on Instagram.
If you enjoyed this episode,hit the subscribe button
wherever you listen to theBrilliant Business, Beautiful
Life podcast and feel free toshare it with someone else
who'll love it too.
I look forward to seeing youfor the next episode and
remember the time is now foryour Brilliant Business and the
beautiful life you adore.
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