It’s that time of year when we start thinking about the new year which is just around the corner and what we’d really like to do and change. New opportunities await! How very exciting.

A question for you… have you put time aside to plan your new year? Or perhaps you’re ahead of the curve and have done it already! If so, are you happy with what you’ve got planned?

Part of my role at Practice Wellness is creating awareness in people of their true passions and unlimited potentials, and help them achieve their goals. Most of us grew up in societies where our life paths have already been decided for us, also known as “the norm”, where anyone outside this norm is likely to face some level of criticism.

I’m a big believer in going above and beyond societal or universal norms to seek out my passions and then pursue them, which is what I’ve done personally. My life is completely on a different path to what my family had panned out for me. I broke out of an organised religion whilst remaining a follower of Christ – one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. I became a vegan to the total bewilderment of people around me. I left a comfortable lifestyle in London to become a travelling yoga and meditation teacher, ending up in a city where I practically didn’t know anyone. Over the years, I travelled around the world as a single woman and discovered a whole lot about myself. Yes, it’s been quite a journey and what I gained is absolutely worth every bit of discomfort I experienced along the way.

Of course, I still have a lot of discoveries to make, challenges to overcome and goals to achieve. I keep going because I’m focused on “becoming the best version” of myself. For me, this means being able to rise above the small daily annoyances, expectations, assumed norms and being stereotyped. I want to live with a sense of service to others, with humility, holding space and exercising emotional intelligence so I can focus on the big picture and what really matters in the grand scheme of things. I am concerned not only about my own development, but also my contribution to the wellbeing of others around me and the impact I may be having more widely. In yoga, we call this karma!

That’s enough about me. Over to you, please. What does “becoming the best version of yourself” mean to you? What needs to happen for you to overcome any challenges you may be having in order to realise your dreams, reach for your goals or reach even higher and unapologetically be yourself? Or as the father of humanistic psychology, Abraham Maslow, says, to “self-actualise”?

Are you clear on what you really want to achieve, say in the next year or so? How enthusiastic and committed are you to bring your goals into reality? I would be honoured to support you with goal-setting. Here is what I’m offering:

– A free 30-minute consultation if you would like to try out coaching with me. Book your consultation – pick a date and a time.

– A free 30-minute online introduction to coaching workshop when you can learn about the history of coaching, techniques that you can start using immediately to help you with your goals and communication skills. Book a spot at the next workshop.

– 60-minute online workshop on identifying your values and life purpose. Values are ideals that give meaning and purpose to your life. They are central to your feelings of happiness, satisfaction and fulfilment. Similarly, finding your life purpose could help you connect better with the world around you. Book your spot at the next workshop.

Moreover, I’ll soon organise a fun visionboarding workshop for January 2024 in Bath, UK. A vision board is a collage of images that represent your goals and dreams. It can include cut-out pictures from magazines and words that help inspire you to manifest your dreams and get where you want to go. You’ll then place your board on a wall where you will see it often so you can always be reminded of your goals and therefore be motivated. Watch this space for further details. If you’d like to join me for visionboarding, let me know and I’ll keep you posted!

Finally, as today’s blog is about overcoming limitations, you may be interested in a scientific experiment done with a bunch of fleas in a jar. When first placed inside a jar, the fleas attempted to jump out and escape. A lid was then placed on top of the jar and fleas found they could not jump as high as they were previously able or wanted to. When the lid was lifted a few days later, the fleas would not jump higher than where the lid used to be, as they have now been conditioned. Human beings can similarly be conditioned to stay within set limits in terms of exceeding their goals. Moral of the story is to break through the limitations of an imaginary lid! Watch this experiment on Youtube (below).

For more information on my online introduction to coaching workshop, watch my recent video.

For more information on the values and purpose workshop, read my earlier blog.

As ever, I’d welcome your thoughts on any of the above points. You can post them below or email me.

Have a great weekend.

Sossi x