Hey y’all.

Hope you’re poised for a spectacular weekend! Relax. Breathe. Give yourself room to feel all your feelings. And most of all, be as aligned as possible with the YOU of your dreams. It’s never easier than it is right this minute for you to do that.

Here’s how I know that. This story comes from the Whole30 Facebook group I run. Yes, you can still get something out of this even if you’re not doing Whole30 or have no idea what that is.

This is what I shared at the group, and the reaction it got (both in the group and when the experience itself happened) is why I decided to make this a little more public.

Earlier this week, I was on a Skype coaching with a fitness/health/wellness coach. She’s becoming a coach and wanted to practice with people who have interest in her area but who wouldn’t necessarily become her clients, people who *are* coaches so we could give her feedback on how she’s doing. ๐Ÿ˜‰ So, of course I volunteered!

One of the things I said about my Whole30 journey and the loss of 55 pounds in 5.5 months and the transformation of my body into this lean, muscular, machine that craves exercise and movement, that eats up sleep like it’s candy, and that no longer craves ANY food/drink that my system treats as poison really struck her, so she repeated it back to me, and hearing it said aloud TO me (rather than just in my head) made me realize it was something worth sharing with y’all.

I told her that, “Hey, I’m 47. It’s never going to be easier to build muscle mass, improve bone density, boost metabolism, and create a space for healthy aging than it is RIGHT THIS MINUTE. Every single thing I’m doing — the workouts, the way I’m eating, the sleep I’m getting, the self-care I’m walling off — is a GIFT for 67 year old me, or 87 year old me, who won’t be able to do these things with as much efficiency or rapid success. My self-care is a GIFT for future me.”

I realized, when she spoke about the impact of seeing our health TODAY as a gift for our aging or aged selves, and how powerful it would be if her clients could get that concept, that, shit, y’all… every moment is THE easiest moment it is *ever* going to be for us to be healthy. It gets harder every moment going forward from here.

Not only because of inertia and habit and momentum, but also because there’s only so much impact the aging body can receive from our efforts at a certain point. It’s all playing catch-up eventually.

But if we get out ahead of it — even by a few years — we can absolutely make aging easier on ourselves. We can have a kinder future, physically.

So, that’s what I do, every day. I giftwrap this awesome bod for my future self in workouts and Whole30 compliant eating and bubble baths and massages and deep stretching and deep breathing and mindfulness and moving meditation and water consumption and SLEEP.

That, my friends, makes every bite a pleasure… and sticking to it *very* easy. I hope this inspires you somehow. Love you all!

Okay.

So that’s the post I made and I hope you love it. I love it. I keep reading it and thinking, “Damn! This is SO good!” (I think that a lot about my writing, though. I’m really quite good at this.)

Here’s where I can tie this mindset tweak back around to just about anything, really.

Your craft? Sure, it’s gonna be better later — after lots more training.

Your relationships? Sure, they’re gonna deepen over time — with lots of strategic watering.

Your tools? Sure, they’re gonna improve — as your credits and your confidence get built up.

But your hustle? Your passion? Your drive for staying at it even when you get fatigued, when it feels too hard, when you see others succeeding while you feel like you’re sitting still?

None of that is easier to maintain than it is RIGHT THIS SECOND.

More importantly, every bit of the work you do right now to stay committed, stay focused, stay joy-filled along your creative journey is an investment in yourself. It’s a gift you’re giving to future you! It’s a seed you’re planting that will bloom down the line when you need it most.

So double down, my friend.

I’m doing more two-a-days than ever *not only* because it feels great but because I know future me is so happy for this investment in myself!

What can you do more of right now — not actor busy work type stuff, but *real* investing-in-future-you MINDSET work — to ensure the you who’s at this in a decade has made it through rough spots well enough to actually achieve the benchmarks of success that get better with age?

Lemmeknow! Comments are open below and I read ’em all, y’all!

Members of The SMFA Dojo private Facebook group? Look out for an inspired Facebook Live sesh soon about Shawn Achor's new book Big Potential. I'm STOKED to have an advance copy! I'm tearing through it like a maniac! And it might as well have been titled "Everything You've Ever Believed or Taught about How Success *Really* Happens Is Correct, Gillespie," but that title probably wouldn't sell too well. ๐Ÿ˜‰ (Not yet in the DOJO? Fix that in just 100 days, y'all!)

Have a ridiculously yummy weekend! I sure will. ๐Ÿ™‚

XO


Bonnie Gillespie is living her dreams by helping others figure out how to live theirs. Wanna work with Bon? Start here. Thanks!

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6 Comments

  1. Catherine Campion October 6, 2017 at 5:54 am

    Yup, my 45 year-old bod can confirm this to my 16 year-old self who woke up to the horrors of industrial animals-as-food production and switched to a plant-based diet and daily yoga and meditation practice. I’m back in my hometown of Minneapolis this week, and none of my Midwestern friends and family seem as happy, (mentally and physically) healthy and fit as I am. They all wanna know, “my secret.” To which I reply, “The same stuff I told you about 30 years ago!”

    Keep being the lighthouse, and people will make their changes when they’re ready to.

    Reply
  2. Linda Landeros October 6, 2017 at 1:00 pm

    Yasss!!! This is why I signed up for GIGFTNT – I knew I had more work to do on my mindset. And this all came about because of my healthier lifestyle that I gradually fell into over the past year. I’m an aspiring vegan (I eat cheese and yogurt still), I’ve been sleeping better, and my thrival job as a dog walker helped me lose some weight and feel healthier. Forget my clothes fitting better, or outright having to buy new smaller size clothes. I love how I feel, and I feel like a more productive actor. Getting my body healthy inspired me to get my mind healthy for this industry. I’m in it for the long haul! Thanks Bonnie!

    Reply
    1. Bonnie Gillespie October 6, 2017 at 1:39 pm

      Love it! Thank you for joining me in celebrating this time of action! <3 Excited for what's next!

      Reply
  3. Tunisha October 9, 2017 at 3:34 pm

    I told her that, โ€œHey, Iโ€™m 47. Itโ€™s never going to be easier to build muscle mass, improve bone density, boost metabolism, and create a space for healthy aging than it is RIGHT THIS MINUTE. Every single thing Iโ€™m doing โ€” the workouts, the way Iโ€™m eating, the sleep Iโ€™m getting, the self-care Iโ€™m walling off โ€” is a GIFT for 67 year old me, or 87 year old me, who wonโ€™t be able to do these things with as much efficiency or rapid success. My self-care is a GIFT for future me.โ€

    OMG, I loooooove this and I need to figure out how to get to that point. Logically in my head I understand this but it’s not in my heart yet to take action.

    Reply
    1. Bonnie Gillespie October 12, 2017 at 8:52 pm

      Can you find one little thing to take action on, Tunisha? Like one thing at a time you can try to build in, in this direction? <3 It's not something that happened overnight for me, I don't think.

      Reply

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