Our new monthly columnist, Holly Moore, starts us off with her guidance on self care for a winning mindset in 2024
I am so excited that Cheshire Magazine has asked me to write a regular feature for you all, following sharing my story last year.
I am Holly Moore, a Cheshire-based business owner, running three businesses in Wilmslow. I grew up in Macclesfield and went to school in Alderley Edge. I started my first business from a dining room table, with no investment or borrowing, after recovering from a battle with OCD.
I have been fascinated with personal development and mindset ever since my recovery from OCD, when I learnt how to control and train my mind. I have been to see Oprah, Tony Robbins and many more inspirational leaders across the world and set up my own personal development brand, Anything is Possible, in September 2022 - a podcast and event inspiring you to believe anything is possible for you at any age.
I want to inspire you, as we step into 2024, to use your mindset to create an exciting future for the year ahead.
Plan and goal set
I believe you can have it all, but not all at the same time. I carry out a goal setting exercise to really focus in on the most important goals for me at that moment and I then break it down per quarter.
I firstly access all areas of my life using the wheel of life tool. This is a tool that allows you to review eight categories of your life. You rate each one out of 10 and you can really see where you need to focus. It’s helpful to do this every three months so you can see where you're improving.
I write down my current mindset against each area. For example:
Current mindset: ‘I will never get the promotion I want.’
I then consider what mindset I want to have and I write this in the present tense, as if it has already happened. For example:
Future mindset: ‘I ran a half marathon in under two hours.’
I then write down five or more actions I need to do to step into that future mindset. I detail these actions very clearly that are achievable in the next three months. I have a specific notebook I like to use. I love a Moleskin and get it personalised with my initials and the date.
I then like to binge read in one day Manifest or Manifest Dive Deeper, by Roxie Nafousi, who was a speaker at the Anything is Possible Conference last year. Or you could decide to read this throughout January to get ready for the year ahead. I then light my Manifest Candle and scribble notes ready for the next part of the process.
Make a vision board
I absolutely love this process and it is proven that creative activities are so good for releasing stress, calming the nervous system and relaxing the mind.
I allocate time on my own, or you might like to do it in a group, and I get all my tools together. I like to do a cut and paste vision board but some people do like to do a digital one. It's up to you.
In my tool kit I have my A1 Anything is Possible board, magazines I have collected over the year, scissors and paste.
Then I make my favourite drink, a flavoured latte or hot chocolate, and grab a large bottle of sparking water.
I look at the eight categories from the wheel of life and I cut out pictures and words that represent how I want to be and how I want to feel. I stick these onto my board, making it look compelling and exciting.
I do my vision board every three months, but you might just like to do it for the full year.
It can include big goals, but also small things like favourite foods, outfits, books to read, etc.
Once this is done I take some time to visualise these moments; closing my eyes and picturing the things I want to happen.
I then hide my vision board under my bed and don’t come back to it for three months, but in the meantime I read and re-read my goals and visualise the scenarios. You then return to it in three months or a year, whatever is your preference, and see what you have manifested and worked hard to make happen.
It’s a really wonderful and creative process that really doesn’t cost anything to do. You can do it on your own or with your friends or family. Make it an annual ritual.
If goal setting is new to you, don’t be afraid of the process. Some people don’t like to do it as they are scared they might fail. But if you frame your mindset to say it’s going to be fun to try, then you can enjoy it. As Joe Wicks said on my podcast: “If you’re going to miss the bus, miss it running.” It's proven that if you write your goals down they are far more likely to happen – for me it’s like a tattoo in my brain and I can’t let go.
Here are some more fun ways to help you achieve your goals:
The Champagne goal
If you get a boxed Champagne gift for Christmas, write a goal for the year ahead on a piece of paper and put it inside the box. Don’t drink the champagne until you have hit the goal.
Share your goals
If you say it out loud you are more likely to do it. Share on Facebook you are running a 5k, or you’re going to learn to bake (that’s me!) so you are putting yourself out there.
100 things that make you happy
When times are tough you need a go-to list of the simplest of things that make you happy, from the smell of freshly cut grass to a pumpkin latte. Take time to write the list and refer to it often.
Know your value
You can find many lists of core value exercises online that can help you identify what drives you. Once you have done this you can keep a check on whether you are living your core values every day.
Do share you vision boards and goals with me. Tag @anythingispossiblegroup when you post (see above!) and be sure to share your successes, too.
