When It Feels Almost Impossible

Hi! Last week was so ON BRAND. Thursday I visited In Good Spirits, Chicago's alcohol-free bottle shop, and it was so cute 🥹. Straight outta Pinterest. Then I had a sweet dinner at a casual Michelin-starred restaurant with my husband, where I BYOB my new drinks. I love being a city girl! 

Saturday I went to a Prima Pave wine tasting at Eataly that my friend Kate was hosting. I LOVE Prima Pave. Then I attended Chicago N.A. Day put on by Chicago AF and my friend Carrie. I liked Chicago N.A. Day because I got to taste some things that I love, like Gruvi obviously. And try some new things too. There was a lemonade with cumin in it; that was wild. It would make a great and complex cocktail if put in a pretty glass. I also got to sample some things I didn't like without having to purchase them.

I don't give bad reviews for drinks (or books, btw) because I so appreciate that they are there and we all have different tastes. I don't want to give a bad review for something someone else might like. I will always be truthful with the things I really love. I think you already know that. I will always thank and share the products that are sent to me, whether I like them or not.

The best drink in the place was a whiskey smash by Ritual. I LOVE Ritual spirits, and their tequila is winning awards everywhere. They even have airplane bottles, which is just freaking genius. I wear their sweatshirts with clever sayings and just advertise them everywhere I can. The nicest people and local Chicago folks too. 

I am working some new habits into my routine with the 30-30-30 plan that I mentioned last week. I realize how hard it is. Not physically. Mentally. I am reminded of early sobriety, which is almost 7 years in the past for me.

We have to get out of our way, don't we? Almost immediately, when we decide to change something, our mind starts to rebel. Tell us reasons why not to do that, why we will eventually fail, so maybe just give up now. A f*!k it all attitude shows up strong when faced with a little resistance. We start questioning our decision and decide self-improvement is a dumb idea. We default to the idea that we'll never achieve our goals, and on and on. 

I am reminded of early sobriety. I am with you. Ugh, it is so hard. It feels almost impossible. And then, the worst part, even when we do give it our all, we don't see those miraculous changes everyone on Instagram talks about fast enough, so we just want to quit our big idea and go back to drinking. I know. I know. Trust. I KNOW. 

It's really hard to transform ourselves with the same thinking that got us into our drinking patterns. A jar can't read it's own label, and that is why a coach's support is so valuable.

Once you change your thoughts, you change your life. 

A few tricks to manage cravings I've been thinking about this week are:

Knocking on Heaven's Door, a yoga move. Standing with feet hip distance apart and swinging your arms and body back and forth, "knocking" or tapping your hips and booty with each swing. It's kind of like slapping yourself silly, and it works to move the energy and get out of your mind. This could kick a craving to the curb and give you some new headspace and a flood of lightness and happiness to the brain. I love to get some momentum and smile while I do it! 

Another tip is to commit to a period of time (I love a 90-100 day challenge); my Jumpstart digital course is 42 days if that feels more manageable. When your mind starts to freak out about forever, remind yourself it is temporary. That seems to calm your brain down immediately. Stick to your plan for X number of days and then decide what you want to do. You don't have to decide about forever right now. Just for today type of mentality really does work. You can trust you will start to change in the process. My client's report back that this was hard to believe at first, but they have all found it to be true. Have a little faith. You can hear their stories firsthand by joining our award-winning Insider Community. I like to just keep imagining how good it will feel to reach my goal, and that seems to keep me on track to put in the work to get there. In other words, I start to believe that I actually can do it and will do it, and so can you.

Here's what's going on this week. Mark Your Calendar/Success Plan for This Week ⬇️ Including my newest podcast drop! 

✔️ 1/21 6 pm CST Peer Support Call

(RSVP for reminders and links sent to your inbox)

✔️  1/21 New Peripeteia Podcast: Nutrition, Sobriety, and Holistic Health with my cutie friend Dr. Brooke Scheller

✔️  1/23 Noon CST LinkedIn Live: Alcohol's Impact on Workplace Culture if you can't make it live, RSVP and catch the replay

✔️  1/23 2 pm CST LIVE Workshop: Embracing the Shadow: Using Darkness as a Catalyst for Change (inspired by heavy metal music + Riot Fest) RSVP, please, so I know who's going to be there.

A Glimpse into...

Next week:

✔️  1/28 6 pm CST Peer Support Call (RSVP for reminders and links sent to your inbox)

✔️  1/30 Group Coaching Call: Member Story Share

Next Month:

✔️  Every Tuesday Peer Support Call, Every Thursday Group Coaching Call

✔️  2/5 - 2/12 Virtual Thrive Through Wellness Summit; more info to come.

✔️ 2/11 Insider Book Club You Are Not Stuck author Becky Vollmer will join us for conversation. Reading is not required; just come, hang out, connect, and learn. She's pure magic. Listen to our podcast and see.

✔️  2/10-2/14 Virtual Food Summit: Use this link to sign up to learn about Master Metabolism and Elevate Your Well-Being with Expert Guidance on Food as Medicine, Herbs, Ayurveda, and Mindset Strategies for Vitality and Hormone Balance. 

✔️  2/20 MY 7 YEAR SOBERVERSARY! Celebrate with me by joining a call. I'll be giving away piles of Quit Lit Books. 🥳 

p.s. Everything in pink is a hyperlink to learn more. Including setting up a call now for coaching support or to learn more about becoming a coach yourself. The greatest gift you can give me is to refer a friend to this newsletter.