What a Difference a Year Makes

We believe and always coach others to really celebrate and recognise the events in life - big or small. So, before we go diving headlong into a brand-spanking New Year, we wanted to take a reflective look at the year we are still in and just take a moment to breathe in and appreciate some of the things that have happened this year...fancy joining us?

Our first group holiday

In February, we all went as an extended family to Center Parcs for a long weekend. It was something that we had said for years that we would love to do but there was always a reason not to go - trying to co-ordinate work, holidays, family commitments, but we decided at the end of 2017 that it was important to us, so we just decided to make it happen! It was wonderful just mooching around, exploring in the woods (it is amazing to me how excited Kaleb gets at finding stones, acorns and sticks), having lovely food, playing games - creating wonderful memories doing the simple things. Cheryl and I sang and danced around the house a lot as we usually do but the boys happily humoured our antics! It was such a relaxing weekend and what we reminded ourselves was that as much as we love trips to New York, we are just as happy in a little lodge in the woods! It is the company that matters, the place comes second.

Cheryl’s Dad

In May, Cheryl’s Dad, Davy, sadly lost his battle with IPF - Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. Lots of people first notice a niggling cough, but they’re otherwise fit and healthy. This was certainly the case for Davy when he was first diagnosed as he was fit, healthy and otherwise in great shape.  He was proof that being diagnosed with a condition does not define who you become, as he continued to be active and keep himself fit for as long as possible. He handled his condition with a huge amount of grace, never moaning about it and being clear on what he wanted to happen when the time came.  For Cheryl and her family, seeing someone you love battle like that is heartbreaking - but it’s also inspiring, humbling and a powerful reminder of how grateful we should be for each breath we take and the blessings we have every day our of lives. It was also one of the major life events that prompted us one week later to set up Now Is Your Time.

If you haven’t heard of it you can check out more about IPF by clicking here.  

Now Is Your Time

This was just HUGE for Cheryl and I - it was the realisation of over a decade of thinking, “Imagine if…” and “If only...”. In our professional lives Cheryl and I have always coached others, but to do this as our business is quite literally bigger than either of us have ever dared dream about! After Davy passing away, we sat and thought - “What are we waiting for?”. We didn’t have a good enough answer, as just being scared, was not allowed!   Aside from the fact that we dictate our own working hours, get to work together and have fun every single day, meet the most inspirational people - we have the honour of being part of the transformation of the people we coach. It is breathtaking to witness the change in people right before your eyes! Changing their beliefs and empowering themselves to take control of their body image, their self-worth or their life purpose.  We pinch ourselves in these moments, reminding ourselves that we had once only had a vision of this!

The L Plates came off

Hollie, Cheryl’s daughter, not only turned 21 this year, but after some persistence, also passed her driving test! For Cheryl, this was one of her stand out moments of the year.  It’s not just about the landmark moment of your child achieving this level of freedom or the fact that you can now have your daughter repay you for years of being a taxi service...for Cheryl, it was seeing the sheer joy on Hollie’s face in the test centre as she shouted, “I did it!” and just didn’t care who was watching or listening.  Seeing your child blossom and grow in confidence and self-belief and knowing that some of the hard conversations, tough parenting moments and years of trusting that it would all come good - are all happening right before your eyes. Happy days.

The big 10

Neil and I hit our 10 year anniversary this year. Nobody was more surprised than me! I had a very limiting belief for many years that I was unlovable and that I would eventually push any man away because I was such a monster.  Have you ever thought that? That you were such an awful person, that sooner or later everyone would realise and they would dump you for the sack of worthless rubbish that you are? For me, that was one of the damaging longer-term beliefs I held on to, no doubt firmly established when I was a young child who was systematically sexually assaulted by a family member. My first marriage compounded that belief. When I met Neil I had done an awful lot of work on myself, but that little voice tried really hard to be heard in the first years of our relationship - and still pops up time to time. Now I recognise it and I have the tools to be able to let it move on.  So 10 years was a huge milestone for me and we celebrated with a quiet weekend away to a cabin in the middle of nowhere - which was bliss!

If you haven’t already, we would love to invite you to join us in The Soul System - it’s our free online Facebook community where we share daily motivation, share life lessons and inspire each other as much as we can. We know you would love it! You can join us there by clicking here.

Have a wonderful New Year!

Love and hugs,

Donna & Cheryl xx