Choose Your Own 2021 Adventure- The Ali Dunn Method
Congratulations! You made it to the end of December of 2020! If you experienced anything similar to me, this year felt like A LOT. A lot of patience, persistence, confusion, fear, sadness and just about every emotion under the sun.
Maybe over the last few weeks you have had feelings of hope. Maybe there are small ideas rumbling around in your head about your future. A small resolution or a big project, or maybe, just maybe, a yearning for change.
But you are stuck. What you have tried in the past hasn’t worked, you are known to “lose interest”, procrastinate, or hide. When failure pops up you bury your head in the sand and thus the never-ending shame cycle continues.
So how is my advice any different? What can I possibly tell you about getting unstuck and making lasting change that you haven’t heard before? I may not have all the answers but I do know that emotions are the key to forming habits and creating lasting impact. More on that here by Dean Bohkari and how it relates to Social Media (yikes!).
Bottom line: YOUR FEELINGS MATTER. How you want to feel versus what you want to do. Feelings are a big cornerstone of coaching (surprised?) and if you don’t tap into your heart, your head will keep making the same choices that are not moving you forward and getting you one step closer to your goals.
In the spirit of my favorite childhood “Choose Your Own Adventure” books let’s go on a “doing” and “being” adventure and see what happens.
Hypothetical Goal: Lose 10 lbs.
Option 1: Doing. If you choose to go on a cleanse and shame yourself for sneaking a piece of brie that spirals into downing a bottle of wine on day 2 go to the bottom of this post…
Option 2: Being. If you choose to understand the reason behind your desire to lose weight, take a bird’s eye view of your relationship to food and get clarity around what matters most about losing these 10lbs, read on…
Welcome to Option 2, the Ali Dunn method! A place where you base decisions on how you want to feel not what your brain tells you to do.
Some questions for reflection to form lasting change:
If you lose these 10 lbs what will it give you?
What is the feeling when you reach for a snack that doesn't align with your health goals? Panic? Stress? Comfort? Guilt? Understanding the triggers and your relationship to food will help move the needle towards developing habits that serve you.
Next, close your eyes and imagine it’s two months from now and you have achieved this goal. What is the feeling? What conversations are you having with friends and family? Are you walking taller? Feeling lighter? Who did you need to be to get there?
Congratulations, you are three steps closer to becoming the vibrant, healthy rock star that you already are!
Welcome to Option 1: the chardonnay shame spiral method!
I am not saying there isn’t a time and place for throwing in the towel mid-cleanse Jessica Chastain style, but I bet you have done this in the past only to have woken up feeling crappy about yourself AND had a hard time getting back to focusing on your goals. Return to Option 2 to re-set your goal game.
(BTW I am not anti-cleanse, I feel like it can be an effective way to rid your body of toxins but it doesn’t support a long-term plan for building healthy eating or exercise habits. )
So what’s on my docket for the New Year? In the spirit of how you want to feel, Sophie Davies and I are excited to continue to offer our 4-session weekly Cup of Clarity for January. This program is for you if you want connection, clarity, and accountability with a group of like-minded women. Plan your week with confidence! Ideal for entrepreneurs and multi-taskers alike. Sign up today!
Also for those seeking more personal coaching and high-impact changes I am currently enrolling new clients. Book a 15-minute chat with me here to learn more!
xo Ali
Currently Reading: The Guest List, by Lucy Foley (a much-needed brain break!)
Current Mantra: “Raise the bar.”
Currently Eating: Scrambled eggs many ways. Spinach, eggs, on Indian lentil flatbread with hot sauce and sour cream. Yum.