This pic was taken on October 1st, 2017. I'm loving the contrast of the white toe nails, black slides and reflecting blue Sydney waters. None of this is relevant to to this post though - except for the date. Why? On this date, I began Sober October - otherwise known as Ocsober. Which means 31 days, alcohol free.
I come from a long line of drinkers and a family where alcohol is part of the fabric. My father is a living example of the horrific ugliness of extreme alcoholism. Despite this, none of us kids have chosen to rebel with healthier behavior. Least of all me. In fact, the challenge of 31 days alcohol free is very steep indeed. I know, this is hardly what you'd expect of a qualified health coach and yoga teacher. It's the honest truth though. So there you have it.
Eight days in, I've had my moments but overall I'm committed and determined. With every passing day, my resolve strengthens. I have to say that going through breast cancer has something to do with why. You see that's how I learned about grit, and how very resilient I am. Bottom line, I learned that I can do hard things.
I was chatting to a temporary sober friend yesterday on this topic and suggested she use my mantra too. As in "i can do hard things'. There's something so powerful in saying the two words "I can". The more you say them, the more likely are to believe them. The more you believe, the more you achieve. Positive momentum is real. From my experience it's even better once you accomplish your 'can's' as you bask in the post challenge glow, safe in the knowledge you were right.
The truth is, us humans are incredibly capable of rising to challenge. Tougher than we realise, often so much more than we give ourselves credit for. I know fear is real and failure can often seem too cruel a place to end up. Is it though? I think not. Failure isn't black and white, it can be an opportunity to learn, to grow and even try again. So what's to lose?
I've got lots of sober stories already and plenty more blog posts up my sleeve on the topic of going dry. For today though, I just wanted to remind you of the importance of proving your strength. Proving it to the most important person in your world - you.
Next time you find yourself resisting something hard think about this. You can do hard things. You absolutely can. You don't need anyone else to have your back when you can rely on yourself. Powerful don't you think?
