It has not been the easiest of times, but South Africans are born and bred with a unique endurance and survival spirit that lies deep at the core of our creative solutions. Change and growth involves actively choosing the action most aligned with the future you desire.

A fresh perspective brings us the opportunity to get involved in creating a life that we love. Change happens right here, right now. It is in each and every moment, good or bad, that we get the chance to change our words, our thoughts, or our actions, towards crafting the future of our dreams.

May this year bring you the mindful moments, and the courage, to make conscious choices towards change. 
 
By Johanica Havenga 

We offer personalised coaching programmes for individuals and organisations.  For more information or to book a session contact us at info@mypocketcoach.co.za 

The covid-19 crisis, and the political, economic, and social disruptions it has caused, is fundamentally changing the way we do and experience life and even how we experience the inconsistencies, inadequacies, and contradictions of multiple disruptions.

What I hear in conversations with leaders and many others is that they’ve lost their ability to dream and feel confident about the future; they’ve lost the essence of feeling meaningful, and they feel that what they do, or would like to do, might not even make a significant impact. The big question on most people’s lips is, “What if we experience yet another massive disruption and everything I stood for, and worked on, becomes meaningless again?”

“I’ve lost the essence of feeling meaningful.”

Our biggest desire is to return to our “normal lives” and the way it used to be – yet that is fundamentally the biggest challenge and the biggest blockage for us to experience the beauty of our “new abnormal” (notice it is not even a “new normal” anymore).

Strange As It May Sound – We Are Given an Opportunity

I believe we all are given a personal and unique window of opportunity to reshape our lives and if we do this, we will discover opportunities that was never available to us before. This in turn will offer insights to help inform future relationships, the direction our lives can take, the priorities we will be passionate about, and the nature of how we perform our daily obligations.

We must take this chance to pause and reframe our thinking. We must take the time to evolve our actions and behaviors, to address crucial areas affecting our health, happiness and reconsider why we need to do what we do.

“We all are given a personal and unique window of opportunity to reshape our lives.”

But First, Let’s Pause

What does it mean to pause? I am of the mindset that if we want to invite something different into our lives, we need to take time to first pause. We all know something about pausing by taking a slow, deep breath, a long bath, a walk in the forest, meditating, or going on retreat. Whatever works for you, it is important to experience a deliberate pause—taking a break to question, to reset, and to reconnect with ourselves. It is about quieting the constant busyness in order to see what newly draws our interest and curiosity and discover a freshness, a newness of vitality, and purpose.

So, You May Ask – How Do I Reset My Life?

Resetting your life is about improving your current situation while also looking at your life and deciding what needs to change – and then making that change happen. It’s about heading in the right direction for the next season of your life, with different priorities.

“It is about quieting the constant busyness in order to see what newly draws our interest and curiosity.”

7 Tips to Reset Your Life

1. Get rid of things, thoughts and relationships that are weighing you down – An accumulation of stuff, mindsets and relationships we don’t really need can hold us back, making us feel sluggish and lethargic. Just as things and people take physical space around you, they take up mental space too; occupying space for things and people that could be of value to your new self.
2. Become more grateful – Practicing gratitude can totally transform your perspective. It can mean you are clearer about what your priorities are and the direction you want to take your new life in. Write down three things that you are thankful for, whether it is big or small, every night before you go to sleep.
3. Create a vision of the life you want – What will the new you look like? Do not be scared of being too detailed or even ambitious. It will evolve as you meditate and work at it but it is great to start with a clear vision to aim for, and adapt it as you go along.
4. Picture the person you desire to be – Chances are that you want to reboot your life because you have grown into a person who you no longer recognize – one with traits or behaviors that you don’t really like. It can be hard to look at yourself in the mirror and accept the brutal truth about the person staring back, but as with all resets, identification of the problem is the first step to overcoming it. Maybe you want to be a kinder, more approachable person who gets along well with others? Maybe you want to be humbler and more willing to ask for help when you need it? Maybe you want to be a more disciplined and hard-working individual who gets things done?
5. Set goals – What do you want to have achieved one month from now, six months from now, a year from now, and even ten years from now? Make sure your goals are measurable, tangible, achievable and realistic so you will know whether or not you have actually achieved them.
6. Build your goals into your daily routine – Big goals are impressive, but if you don’t work toward them a little every day then you will find it hard to reach them. Think about creating a new routine, and how you can make small changes every day/week/month that will add up to a big change over time.
7. Be kind to yourself – Resetting your life is never going to be an easy thing to do. So, when you are going through this process, you need to go easy on yourself – apply patience and kindness. Expect times where you will feel excited about making these changes, and times when you wish you’d never started.

This I can promise you: It will all be worth it in the end.

Lastly, always ask yourself the following questions:

• KEEP DOING – What is it that you have to KEEP doing because it has a positive impact on your life?
• STOP DOING – What is that you have to STOP doing because you’ve done it over and over again, yet it is not helping you?
• START DOING – What must you START doing that you have not done before, yet it will make a difference?

Still not sure how to go about resetting your life? Want someone to guide you through it? Speak to me today so I can walk you through the process. Contact me through info@mypocketcoach.co.za to connect.

By Alistaire Lategan

During the last two years we have been driven by disasters to make the necessary changes to continue a comfortable life. The medical fields made fast and effective advances, we realised the importance of healthy bodies, and we have made a shift online resulting in happier employees, less traffic, and an overall good impact on the environment. We exist in the balance of chaos and order.

When chaos arrives, so does change. Change interrupts the perfectly planned path we were on. Change can bring loss accompanied by grief. Chaos is uncomfortable and change can take its toll on the mind. But chaos will soon again be balanced with order, and with it a new way of life.
We encourage you to take some time for mental health. Check in with yourself to see how you are coping with the universal chaos and change – no matter how well you managed to keep your house in order. Check in with your strong friends too.
May you face all changes with a healthy mindset.

Here are 6 Mental Health Tips by Dr. Mike Hansen
Exercise – Aerobic and resistance exercise displays improvements in mental health. Low to moderate intensity exercise improves mood without increasing tension and fatigue.
Eat Well – Research is showing the increased risk of developing depression and anxiety when consuming a highly processed western diet.
Sleep – Optimise your sleep space; eliminate screens before bedtime and incorporate a form of mindfulness or relaxation into your routine.
Nature – Healthy sunlight exposure plays a vital role in mental well-being.
Connect – As social beings it is important to maintain healthy relationships.
Stay Positive – There is light at the end of the tunnel.

Johanica Havenga
Executive Coach and Body Integration Specialist

We are here to assist you with the process of making healthy lifestyle choices and changes.
Contact info@iegroup.co.za for more information on our coaching sessions for individuals and teams.

Get clear on your dreams.
Know them, understand them, believe in them and trust yourself enough to achieve them.

Ask for help when it is needed.
You are on a planet filled with billions of brilliant souls. You are not an island. You do not need to do it all alone.

Take action.
All it takes is the very first step. Take it.
It is never too late; but the time to begin is today.

Johanica Havenga

We offer coaching in areas of Life Skills which will assist in crafting a clear vision of your dreams and set plans in motion. Contact info@mypocketcoach.co.za for more information or bookings.

As restrictions begin to lessen, life slowly returning to a new-normal, it would be wise to reflect on your life.
Where were you at the start of the series of unfortunate events? Where do you find yourself today?
As humans our natural urge was to kick into survival gear, but it has been more than a year and it is time to really reflect and reconnect – with others and with ourselves.
We need to integrate the lessons, the losses, the life altering adjustments. We need to look life square in the eye as resilient beings and take control of that which felt like a moment of chaos.

Write a reflection letter to yourself and your soul – check in with your mind, your physical body and your heart.
Here a short letter to get you started:

Dear (insert your name here)
You are a true inspiration. Thank you for looking after me in moments unknown to mankind. I want to know that you are happy, that you feel healthy and whatever-else might be on your heart.
I want to check in, alter, and adjust where needed and give more attention to areas neglected.
You are a resilient, strong soul and I am proud of what you did, what you do now, and what you accomplished during a rather difficult time.
Rest if you must. Make changes where they are needed. Smile a little more when the sunlight hits your face. Soon we will step out into the streets with more strength than we had before. You’ve got this.
Yours truly, Me

Johanica Havenga

Contact us at info@iegroup.co.za for more details on our personal and professional coaching modalities, as well as customised workshops for teams and organisations.