Hey there! Happy New Month! How’s it going so far?
It’s your email bestie here and as usual, I’m super excited to be writing to you today. This is meant to be my September 2022 recap but my September was a blur and that’s why this email is coming really late. I’ll tell you all about it but first, here’s Something to think about.
The spirit of excellence will help you concentrate on your assignment until you become a standard.
-Pastor E.A Adeboye
I don’t know if you can tell but I always have pretty interesting newsletter titles. Brainstorming ideas for each of my newsletter titles has to be my favorite part of the writing process. That aside, let’s talk about how my September was.
I’ve already stated above that my September was a blur and that was mainly because of two things.
I wasn’t as mindful in the month of September.
Major changes to my lifestyle occurred in the month of September.
September in general.
Sometimes, it seems like you’ve finally gotten your life together. Things are stable and you’re steadily moving in the direction of your goals. Then life happens (not necessarily in a negative way in fact) and you’re back to fitting everything together so that the wheels turn again.
The scenario above perfectly sums up how my September went. September started off really calmly, I had a lot of time to myself and I spent that time building capacity. As I look back now, that time period felt like the calm before the storm.
September took on a much more intense turn. I took on a day job, launched one of my expressions and embarked on two new projects.
It has not been easy and it completely threw my schedules and routine out the window. I’ve had to build from scratch all over again and basically design a system that worked for my new lifestyle. The extra responsibilities however, have been enriching experiences that will assist my future endeavors so I’m not complaining at all.
With these new responsibilities, I’m building my resilience, tenacity, dedication and courage. I’m choosing to show up daily and to choose faith over fear. I’ve also explored creative ways to recharge in the past month.
September really stretched me and it got hard on some days but through it all, I did not lose my joy and I consider that my greatest achievement for the month. I really discovered joy in the little moments.
Let’s talk about the different categories next.
Work.
Work in September involved a lot of hours. At some points, I was working 18 hours a day so I had to get creative about taking a break without necessarily shutting down because I had to show up every single day.
My sleep didn’t suffer so much as well because I was taking evening naps on a daily basis at some point.
Basically, I would get back from work, eat and take a nap before getting started with the other half of my day. It was an arrangement that really worked for me. More details on what I worked on coming up in a bit.
Relationships.
In September, I connected more intimately with a number of my acquaintances and new partnerships and friendships have emerged from that increased engagement.
I also went out of my way to support people as much as I could and I was glad to be able to do that.
I’m currently really happy with where I am in terms of my community. I feel loved, supported and in sync. But of course, there’s always room for improvement so I’ll continue to work on my relationships, reach out if I need to and have conversations that serve to further strengthen my bonds.
Productivity.
I had a pretty productive month and I was more disciplined overall this month. I got up and did what I needed to do even on days when I did not feel like it and it paid off.
If I carry on like this, I’d be finishing the year on a very strong note.
On days when I did not have the energy to execute on my goals, I made sure to do little things like cleaning out my email or my gallery. It made me feel better overall and I’d say that’s a habit I’m keeping.
Sleep.
On average, my sleep was great this past month. Because my phone only recorded the sleep I got at night, I had an average of 5 hours 20 minutes but if I were to factor in my evening naps, I’d say I got at least 6 hours of sleep every night.
Another interesting thing I’d like to talk about is how my mindset about sleep changed over the course of the month.
At first, I started romanticizing my lack of sleep. I started praising myself for working for longer and running on less and less sleep. This was in part due to the fact that each time I told someone about my inability to sleep even when I wanted to, they would laugh about it and say they wish they had the same problem.
I subconsciously started wearing my lack of rest as a badge of honor. If you’re reading this and you do the same thing, I’d like to inform you that it isn’t a badge of honor or a sign that you’re really hardworking. It’s a sign that you are planning poorly and slowly killing yourself in the process.
I’m sorry if my words sound a bit harsh but that’s how hard I had to be on myself in order to start resting properly again instead of looking for new methods to achieve more on less sleep.
Later in the month, I started to really observe how much sleep I needed to function at my best and I started to get upset on days when I didn’t meet up with my sleep target. I knew I had to work on finding a balance that worked.
Here’s what that experience taught me: the truth is that if you’re working on something you’re really passionate about, you will lose sleep at least a few times. In those times when you’re building anything worthwhile or something new your lifestyle will most likely not be the same in that time period.
But that’s okay because it’s that stretching that helps us to give our best. To build anything worthwhile, we have to make sacrifices and step out of our comfort zones.
The key however is to keep the seasons in mind and strike a balance. Plan for your rest and listen to your body as well. Even in times when you should be working hard, listen and act accordingly when your body demands rest.
Food and nutrition.
This past month, my focus was mainly on my sleep so I didn’t pay as much attention to my nutrition but that’s okay. There’s a limit to the amount of things I can pay attention to per time.
In October, I’m taking my nutrition seriously again and becoming more intentional about my personal fitness as well.
Recommended Resources.
In September, I almost did not read my emails at all because I constantly felt overwhelmed. On days when I felt less overwhelmed however, I binged on some of my favorites and I loved every minute on it.
I also signed up for some new newsletters and the amount of emails I get daily intimidates me so I might have to adjust that.
On my less busy days, I tried listening to a few lifestyle podcasts but I couldn’t find any that I liked so please drop a recommendation if you have one. Below is my favorite podcast find for this month.
So many friends left Nigeria this month but I promise this podcast find was a coincidence😂. (Or was it?)
Okay, friends. That brings me to the end of today’s newsletter. Please share this newsletter if you liked it. Leave a comment as well, let’s keep the conversation going.
Special Announcement!
I launched my custom journal service in the month of September and I’d love to invite you to be a part of it.
This past month, my journal was a great anchoring force for me as it helped to organize my life, plan ahead and track the things that mattered the most to me.
A key reason why it has been so effective in improving my life is because I designed it myself to cater to my unique and specific needs.
I understand that not everyone has the time or skills for this however and that’s why I partnered with a designer to help you achieve the same thing.
For a limited time period, I can help you design a custom journal fitted to your exact needs.
The process is simple, you book a slot with me to speak about your goals on a consultation call and then we take that information design a custom journal for you based on your goals. More details in the flyer below. Book a slot today!
That brings me to the end of today’s newsletter! Remember that I’m always rooting for you.
Until next time, Shine Bright.
Love, Dolapo.