Reflect & Refocus: Where do you want to be this time next year and what do you need to do to get there?

Like, how do you feel in your health? How do you feel in your body, in your mind, in your soul? And what is it that your soul craves for the coming year? What is it that maybe you've been working towards that you want to continue working towards? Or maybe you've been working towards something that just isn't lighting you up anymore and it's time to just drop it to make space for something new. You're listening to the Circle C Project.

Welcome to the Triple CE Project, the podcast that helps you gain clarity, boost confidence, build courage so you can live lifeless. I'm your host, Ryan Spence, the big lore dropout, life coach, author, speaker, lover of hoodies, hip hop and big hairy, audacious goals. If you're tired of living the life you think you should want and ready to start living the life you do want, this podcast will help you get from where you are to where you.

Really want to be.

So now with friends, I invite you to grab a drink, take a seat, and allow me to guide you towards living a life that's lit.

Hey.

Hey.

Welcome to episode 122 of the Triple C Project. And it's less than two weeks to Christmas Day as I record this here in December 2024. And it feels like it's come around real fast. But then we say that every year, right? Every year we feel that Christmas has creeped up on us, but we have the same number of days each year, so that's not really the case. What happens is we get caught up in the day to day, then we don't really take much time to sort of look up and see where we are. It reminds me of that quote from the. That great 80s movie, Ferris Bueller's Day off, which goes, life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. And that's kind of how I feel a lot of us are living. It's definitely how I was living. And it's easy. Even if you're aware that that's how you're living, you don't want to do that. It's easy to fall back into it because there's always so much to do. There's always so much to take up your. In the. In the here and now. And it can be very sort of hard to kind of take a moment to step back and really look at what's happening, really feel what you are feeling, really reflect and assess whether the decisions that you're making are taking you to where it is that you want to go, and if you're heading in the direction of where it is that you want to go. So this episode is really just to get you to start thinking about that, to get you to start to reflect on the year that's gone and think about the year to come and do that through the lens of looking at where you were this time last year. So, for me, this time last year, we were thick in the midst of our home renovation. Well, I think the worst of it had done, but it still felt like a building site. And we desperately wanted to be back in our house for Christmas. And we were. But there was still a ton that wasn't done. The kitchen was freezing and there were no skirting boards. We had new flooring downstairs. We were still on the old floorboards. There was just so much that that wasn't done. But we had people around. We managed to have a good Christmas. But I knew that my vision for this Christmas is I wanted the house to be much, much further along. And I had an idea of the sorts of things I wanted to have done so that this Christmas we could just be a little bit more comfortable and have moved a little bit further along in the renovation. I wanted to have a big Christmas tree. Last year, we didn't even have a tree. We. We borrowed a small one from some friends that were actually going away for Christmas. So I have my own tree, a big tree, get out, decorations out, and, you know, really sort of create a Christmas vibe in the house and. And still also have the space to have family and people around and really enjoy that time. So the decisions that I. Many of the decisions that I made this year, particularly financial decisions, were geared towards the vision that I had this time last year of where I wanted the house to be, what I want the house to look like. And it meant that I had to make some changes. There were maybe things that I wanted to spend my money on, which I didn't or I didn't spend as much of. Of it on, because the focus was on that vision of the house. And although those decisions were sometimes a little bit annoying, they were easy to make because I held on to that vision. And a year on house is fantastic. Don't get me wrong, it's not finished. There's still stuff to do, and we haven't even started decorating it. And there's definitely other bits and pieces to be done before we get to that stage, but it's in significantly better shape than this time last year. We've got a downstairs flooring, we've got I mean, it's warmer because we've got skirting boards up, all the holes are blocked. We've got our cupboard under the stairs. Our hallway is now nice and tidy. Like, there's just lots of annoying little things that kind of we wanted to be done. We've got our ensuite bathroom. We didn't even have that last year. So by having that vision and remaining focused on that vision throughout the year, it's allowed me to almost fulfill the vision that I had. So that's just one thing. There are other sort of visions and focuses that I had as well, but that's just kind of one thing I wanted to use to illustrate what I'm talking about. And so what I would invite you to do is to do a similar exercise. Maybe you didn't last year have a clear vision of where you wanted to be this time this year, and maybe you did, but very quickly the wheels fell off and that focus got taken away. You got distracted by other things. That's okay. And recognizing that is the first step. And recognize, if you do recognize that, get curious as to why that happen. How did you get distracted? What is it that took you away? What? Were there stressors in your life that were just more important than the vision that you have? Did other people say things or do things that you weren't expecting? Did things come out of left field that made you have to reevaluate what you did? Maybe you were just trying to survive through the year. Whatever it is, get curious and see if you can find some answers, because that's going to then help you in the future when those particular things happen again. You'll be able to recognize them and you'll be able to look back on how you got through them before and use that experience to help you get through them again in a way that's a little more efficient, a little more sustainable, with a little less disruption to your bigger plan. And if you didn't really have a vision last year, then great, have one now. So sit wherever you are right now. Grab yourself a piece of paper, grab yourself a pen and take a few moments. And maybe you do that after this episode. So I'm not talking in your ear when you're trying to do this, but set a timer, maybe 5, 10, 15 minutes. And first of all, think about this year. Think about all of the good things that happened this year, all of your wins. So I've talked before about keeping a win journal. And if you haven't been keeping on an ongoing basis, then take this moment to really just brainstorm what some of those wins have been. Maybe you got a promotion, maybe you got a new job. Maybe you just feel the healthiest you've ever been, the fittest you've ever been, the strongest you've ever been. Maybe your relationships are really on an upward trajectory and you just feel safe and secure in those relationships. Maybe you traveled somewhere you've always wanted to go. Maybe you've done something that you've always wanted to do. Maybe your win is just ending the year in good health and knowing that you have a safe place to return to each day. Maybe you have a loving family to go and spend Christmas with. Whatever it is, no matter how small and insignificant you think it might be. I invite you to write them all down and create this list of wins, of successes for you from 2024. And then when you've done that, then start to take a look at some of the things which maybe didn't go the way you wanted them to go. Maybe there are things that you wanted that you didn't get. Maybe there was things that you wanted to achieve that you didn't achieve. Maybe there were setbacks that really knocked you sideways and you're not quite sure why, or you thinking, well, maybe I could have dealt with them better, but get those down as well. And then what you're doing is you're creating a snapshot of your year. You're not going to capture everything. You know, I don't expect you to capture everything, but you're going to capture a snapshot of your year. And then when you've kind of been through both of those, I then want you to sort of just take a moment to think about how you feel right now. Like, how do you feel in your health, how do you feel in your body, in your mind, in your soul? And what is it that you're soul craves for the coming year? What is it that maybe you've been working towards that you want to continue working towards? Or maybe you've been working towards something that just isn't lighting you up anymore and it's time to just drop it to make space for something new. I've definitely got a couple of those things happening, but really get clear on this time next year, where would you like to be? What would you like to have happened and how would you like to feel? And make a note of those and maybe get that down to three or five bullet points and stick that somewhere. Stick it by your desk, in your computer, in your home office. Maybe you stick them around the house as well, so that you always see them. And then you can start to make decisions that take you closer to them. So if you, you're. If you're traveling for Christmas, right, maybe you're going to see family and maybe you're getting on the car, maybe it's a car right away. You're not just going to jump in the car and just drive. You're going to have a plan as to where you're going. If maybe you've been there before and the plan is in your head and maybe you haven't, you're going somewhere new and you put it into your sat nav, but you're going to have a sense as to how is that you want to get to where you want to get to. And then you're going to make decisions that support that. You're going to drive on the roads that take you there. You're going to ensure that your car is filled with fuel. You're going to ensure that you've packed everything that you need for the amount of time that you're going to be away. You've got the presents, you're going to take any other gifts, you know, all of the things that you would normally plan to go away, but you're going to have a plan of some sorts and you're going to make decisions that support that plan and support the journey that you're about to go on. It's the same with your life, right? If you don't know where you want to be this time next year, then 2025 is probably going to be pretty much the same as 2024 in some ways. Some ways it might be worse, some ways it might be better, but it'll all be by happenstance. There won't be any coherence to it. You won't really feel like you have any autonomy over it because you'll just be on that hamster wheel just waiting for the next thing to happen. For the next thing to happen in this mode of being a reactionary. And really what you want is you want to be in that intentionality mode. You want to think, right, this is what I'm trying to create. This is where I'm trying to get to. This is how I want to feel. This is my purpose. And then you want to make decisions that get you there. And it's going to be easier to do that because you'll know where it is you want to go. So if you want to get a new job in the new year, for example, maybe it's a job that gives you a promotion, or maybe it's just a job that gives you more time and isn't as demanding as the one that you're in now. Then if you know that, then when that recruiter comes a calling, your response to them is going to be a lot easier to make, depending upon what it is they say to you. And if you want to have more time to do the things that you love, to spend with your family, to get yourself in shape, to travel more, to develop your side hustle, then the job that they throw at you, which maybe pays you more money, but is literally going to take over your life, it's going to be a very easy thing to turn down. Even if everyone around you screaming at you, what the hell are you doing? You must take this job, right? You're not going to waste time and energy wrestling over that decision because in your mind, you will know I said that. December 2025 I want to feel X. I want to feel more content, more relaxed. I want to feel I have more space. I want to feel I've had time to spend on the things that I want to spend that time on. I want to have accomplished these things. And by taking this position, that's going to detract from that. So it's going to be easy to make. But if you have no plan, no idea of where you want to be or how you want to feel, then you'll listen to everyone else around you and you'll just do it. Because that's what you do when you're successful. You climb up the ladder, you get on to the next step. Like, you don't turn it down. You don't walk away. So my message to you for this episode is reflect and then look forward and then think about how you're going to get from where you are now to where you want to be this time next year. And I'll be doing the same. I have been doing the same. And I already know there's at least one or two things which I think I'm probably going to have to let go of to create space for the new that's coming, for the things that I want to do this year, for the shifts that I've been feeling for a couple of months, for the calling that that I feel is occurring. One of those things, potentially, is this podcast. I'm not sure if this podcast will continue into next year, whether I'll take a break at the end of the year and see how that feels. Not because I don't enjoy doing the podcast, but because there's. There's a calling for something else. And in order for me to give what I need to give energetically, spiritually, emotionally, physically, mentally to this other thing, I need to create the space to do that. And this may be what has to go in order for that to happen. I don't know yet. I'm just kicking out there the thoughts in my head that I haven't worked through, but just to show you that I'm working through this process right here with you. And I'm doing that because I am a coach and I have been coached. So I've been through this process with a coach and I have taken other clients through it. And I know how important it is to create that vision and to then make decisions that support that vision if you're going to have any chance of getting there, any chance of escaping survival mode and moving into thrival mode. And there are a couple of other things as well, which I'm thinking about in terms of simplifying how I get my message out there, how I help and support people, whether or not I maintain my substack or I bring everything into one space, potentially creating a YouTube channel to really help people build a consistent yoga practice. Because as I've taught more this year, I've real and coached more people. I realized more and more that bringing yoga and coaching together is so powerful and so important. My original plan when I left Big Law was to do that, was to teach yoga, to bring people to the mat, to guide them back to themselves. And then I got asked more and more often to coach people. And then I began to do that through coaching. But I still feel that both of those things are powerful. And I feel that if you can build a consistent yoga practice in a way that fits around your lifestyle, that isn't 60 or 90 minutes, trying to get to a class every day, when you've got meetings and calls and commutes and school runs and all of that, but in a way that you can take 15, 20 minutes in your day to just connect with yourself, to just move your body or to just connect with your mind. Sit and meditate, connect with your breath, do some breath work. All of these tools that support your wellbeing, that allow you to gain that clarity of thought of mind so you can see where it is you want to get to and make the right decisions to get there. That's going to be a big focus or a bigger focus, should I say, for me, in 2025. And so making those practices more freely available on, say, a YouTube channel I actually feel may be more beneficial if I have to choose one, then continue with the podcast next year because the podcast is here, it lives there, It's a living, breathing thing. I just had my stats from Spotify this year and one of the top episodes of this year is an episod from when this podcast was called the Yoga Dent podcast back in 2020. So the podcast is still there. The people who need to find particular episodes will find that it's not going anywhere. But in order to connect with this other piece, with the whole being piece. So not just the mindset, but the whole being, the soul, the connection with self, yoga has to be a part of that. And so at the moment, that's my brainstorm, my, my sneak peek for you into the, into the inner workings of my brain. That, that might be, might be a switch in focus for, for 2025 in place of the pod. But who knows, maybe there'll be some bonus episodes here and there, but the decision is not fully made. I've got some brainstorming days coming up to kind of really plot out, okay, how do I want next year to look for me? But this episode was really just to get you thinking the same and to kind of just give you a sneak peek into my own doing workings of my mind as to how I do it and the things that I'm thinking about. Because whatever I share with you, it's things that I've gone through that I've worked through and that I've taken people through. It isn't just stuff I've read in the book or I've taken from some influencer social media feed. You know, I'm very much high integrity in the work that I do. So I want to share with you experiences, ideas, tips and strategies and tools that that have had a real effect that have really helped people in the hope that they will help you to get from your life of lethargy to a life that's lit. Move from survival mode to thrival mode, move from stressed out and stressed to clear and calm. Whatever it is, may be whatever it is that you're looking for. So that's it. That's me for this week. Before I go, don't forget, the Triple C Project book is out now. You can go grab that from my website, iamrinespence.com yoga buying it directly from me supports me as a creator. So if you like the podcast, you like anything I share on social media and you're not quite ready to pull the trigger on coaching yet this is a really good way to acknowledge the work, support the work. And I'm eternally grateful for any support that you you give. And it also means that rather than paying for some bidding to go into space again, you're actually supporting a real person with money that's going to go back into the community. So. Ironridespence.com yoga grab yourself a copy of the Triple C Project book and the Triple C Method book if you don't have that already. Or get them as a gift. Like think of that friend, that colleague of yours who maybe has had a really tough year or is maybe been constantly going on about how they hate their job or they need to change or they want to do something different. Give them that as a gift. No, that. That book. The book is a great start for them to start thinking differently and they'll look at you as a great friend for giving that to them. So yeah, I would love if you could go and grab copy or copies for yourself and also for your friends and colleagues who you really feel could benefit from what I share from the experience that I share, particularly from going from big law lawyer to big law dropout and what I had to learn in that process and the three pillars of clarity, confidence and courage. Okay, that's it. I am out of here. Thanks as always for being here. Really appreciate it. Please, please, please leave a review for the show. Let me know what you love, what you take away, why it is that you listen, and why anybody else should listen. It makes more difference than you could possibly imagine just by you taking 60 seconds to click on the stars. Four or five stars. It's great. And write one line about why you listen to the show. It really does make a massive difference. So I'd love if you could go ahead and do that for me and until next time. Because there will be a next time. Even if I am pausing the podcast, I wouldn't pause you without saying goodbye. So there will be at least another episode. So until then, stop living a life of lethargy. Start living life lit.

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