We've been talking lately about that time of year when the season changes and you start looking toward your next sport, activity, or adventure. As the days and nights change with welcomed sunshine and outdoor playtime, so does everything in our environment.
Snow melts and water levels rise. Grasses grow green and birds sing. Animals wake up and bugs bite.
The season change encourages us to shift what we do and keep attached to the nature around us.
This change has us looking forward to our next adventure, and we have to prepare for it.
One of the things I really enjoy about the season change is this opportunity to re-evaluate where you're at and where you want to go. This may be adjusting your eating to remain seasonal, cleaning out those closets and junk draws that have become overflowing, or progressing your training to be ready for the next great memory you're going to create.
As I've wrapped up my winter season (not cooperatively!), I inventoried where I was on a personal level with my family and with my fitness, and I've reviewed where I was on a business level. This also allows me to look back and see if what I wanted to do actually got done, or got close to what I was aiming for.
With my family, our past season went great.
and we know that happens with good stimulus over time.
With my fitness, that was a bit up and down. I did get to snowboard at least once a week all season long, and I felt good about my riding and my development. I don't know about you, but even though I feel great about my riding, I'm always trying to get better and learn something new. Regular riding every week helped me get stronger and ride better.
What I didn't maintain as well was my workout routine in the gym.
I juggled my schedule to make time for family and for snowboarding, and that cut into my time for working and working out. I had weeks when no gym time was had. I'm at the gym all day, but that doesn't mean I worked out. I'm not excited about this, but that was then, and now I'm planning for the future.
On the business front, things were booming. I've been busy. I think I've mentioned that before. It's a good problem, but it was making me time-poor. I love what I do, and I can work at it for long days, short nights, and over and over again.
I actually like the work.
What I didn't like was my limited time with my family, and then when I did have time, I was thinking about work. Funny how that happens, because sometimes I'm at work thinking about them.
Overall, I did well with my intentions and the direction I wanted to be moving in. Not exactly where I wanted to go, but pretty close.
My family plan was necessary to keep my kids from forgetting who I am. My wife too.
It worked out, and I think they actually want to hang out with me more!
We are keeping the weekday morning available for family time, but we added in a new part of the plan.
We noticed that our kids may need more one-on-one time. We always do everything together, but sometimes a four-year-old doesn't want to do things with a two-year-old. And, sometimes a two year old doesn't want to do things with a four-year-old. We decided to take weekend days and split up one parent to one child. Then on the next day, we switch them. We are only a weekend in so far, but it worked really well. The behaviors we don't love reduced, the smiles and stories increased, and the nights have been some of the best in a long time. Parent win!
My fitness plan was determined by my recent history
.
When I looked back and saw how many days I didn't get proper training, it was easy to get onto my scheduler and start blocking out workout times. I also started a weekly goal writing practice that includes what workouts I'm going to do and on what days. I recruited an accountability buddy by committing to training with them at the same time on the same day, every week.
Most of all, I told people I was going to be changing my plan, and I tell them details more than just I'm going to work out.
Even by writing this blog, I'm putting myself in a position where it would be very uncomfortable for me to tell people that I didn't hold up what I said I would. I'd rather just do the workouts instead of having to write this again in a few months and tell you how I didn't change or improve who I am. That sounds way worse that working out and enjoying it!
To adjust my business plan, I made the big leap of hiring an employee.
This is the necessary step I need to buy back my time, so I can make bigger decisions, and keep my business brain at work while my family brain stays home.
I've learned from people wiser than me, that when moving forward, the question isn't what, it's who.
I could have been caught in the spiral of asking myself what I need.
What I need is more time with my family.
What I need is more accountability for my workouts.
What I need is help with my business.
When you reframe the question to who you need, you can see how all these whats are answered with a single who.
Who I needed is someone that gives me more time freedom, so I can use that time with my family.
Who I needed is someone that can help me be accountable, so I keep on task with my workouts.
Who I needed is a person that can make my business look, feel, and perform better.
I needed to admit that I needed help. I needed to admit that I need a person who can do the things I do, but even better. I needed to find the next step to moving in the direction I'm aiming.
I won't spoil the surprise yet, but soon I'll be announcing who that person is. Very soon you'll be seeing how this person is changing the look, the feel, and the product of Snowbeast Performance.
This realization came as I was preparing for the seasons to change.
As I looked at where I am, how I got here, and where I'm headed, I realized that I needed a who, not a what.
If you've got something that you need help with, instead of trying to figure out what you need, start asking yourself who you need.
If you don't know where to start that process, then we can be the who for you. We can help you figure out who the person is that can help you get what you want. Sometimes that's us, sometimes it's not, but we are always looking to help you find who it is you're looking for. #snowbeastperformance