Allowing myself to rest:

In all honesty, learning to take time to rest is something that I’ve struggled with. When I slow down, I feel like I’m not being as productive with my time, hitting my workout goals or making the most out of my day. But, this is a thought pattern that I am actively trying to change by reminding myself of those benefits that I listed above.

I am learning to be more kind and gentle on myself and listen to my body instead. Just like anything, what our bodies need to relax and restore will be unique to us. So be sure to lean into what your body is truly craving. Try not to compare yourself to others for the art of comparison can be so dangerous. I encourage you to be confident in owning your rest.

Letting go of overthinking:

Recently, I learnt about the ‘spotlight’ effect which has really helped reframe my perspective. The idea is that we are all the main characters in our own stories and everyone else is a side character. And so, in everyone else’s story we are the side characters. People don’t notice as much as we think they do.

When it comes to caring about what others think, if we care about others’ thoughts, we will never ever be fulfilled or happy as we simply cannot control it, ever. There’s an idea that if everyone liked you – you wouldn’t have lived your life for yourself – but for others. If you live true to your belief system and values you will upset people! That’s the truth, as it will not be the same as what other people value and that is a GOOD thing. I have learnt this the hard way in leadership. It’s something I had to let go of to be able to be a better leader for my team at Kic.

Finding balance in the day to day:

I do have a big role here at Kic, with a lot of responsibility, but it’s been a journey trying to find balance with it all. Some weeks or days are very packed, and when this happens I try to make sure I prioritise my movement, meditation, and time outside as it helps me feel better with productivity.

I’ve also learnt to (try) to choose not to let the stress impact me directly. I definitely still get stressed at times when I’m under a lot of pressure but in those moments I focus on the controllable aspects and try to move forward instead of sitting in the stress.

To keep my days balanced, I also find it helpful to time block hours in my days, so my weeks don’t end up as 100% meetings and then I can’t get any work done. At the end of every day, I make sure to prioritise my tasks for the next day, and for later in the week, to make sure I have enough time for everything. That way, I start each day ready to get into it. This just works for me, but everyone is so different, so take from these tips what you like.