It’s been a very interesting week for me. Certainly not the one I expected when I was sitting writing my blog last week. All I knew is that I was feeling more anxiety than normal and was experiencing some physical signs that were concerning me. What I didn’t realise, just a week ago, was that the anxiety and physical symptoms were simply ways my body was trying to tell me that it was time to reset.

I have mentioned before that I have been prone to anxiety in my life. It was something I believe I inherited from my mother when I was a small child as I observed and felt her own anxiety. For me that anxiety had all but disappeared over recent years as I had become more comfortable with who I was, what I was doing and my place in the world. In fact, loving my life was how I would describe my situation. So, this anxiety and these low-level headaches that began, surprised and then started to concern me.

I wasn’t sure where the anxiety was coming from and, as I mentioned, the headaches started to concern me, which then just continued to fuel my anxiety. This is how it works folks, and I can give you this information firsthand. It all came to a head through a couple of very uncomfortable conversations with some very important people in my life about my style of leadership and basic communication characteristics. These conversations, whilst hard to hear, were exactly what I needed, because they immediately shone the light on a business area of my life that I then knew was the source of my anxiety.

As a result, I made a time to talk to my mentors and I realised that, right now, even after many years of experience, I need to reset, and go back to the basics. You see, before this penny-drop moment, I was working hard but spinning my wheels. Up until that time, I was not enjoying what I was doing and feeling like I would never get to where I wanted to be. It was the events of this week that have helped me clean the slate, reset, and start again with a fresh approach, clear vision and a willingness to accept help.

It’s been a tumultuous week in some ways and a transformational one in others. I am happy to say that it has helped me enormously and now I hope I can help you. What I realised is that the achievement of any aspiration is not possible if you are not aware of where you currently are in relevant areas of life. Here is a simple example. What if you had the exact address of a destination you wanted to visit, but had no idea of where you currently were, would you get there? Here is the answer, no way! Not until you can precisely determine where you are, can you move towards where you want to be.

This is so true for me. I was working away at a part of my business, with a goal in mind, but no real concept of my current status. That’s why I needed to gain that awareness and then reset. My question, as always, is does this apply to you in any area of your life? Are you spinning your wheels, treading water or feeling stuck in any way? If so, there is a two-step process here. First, you need to be honest about where you are currently at. Second, you need to simplify, reset and go back to the basics.

Are you getting no traction with your wellness goals? Can you be honest about where you are at, and hit reset? Are you struggling with conflict? Are you willing to take responsibility for your role and then hit reset? Is your career stagnating? Are you ready to discover why, and then hit reset? The truth is this, if you are stagnating, stuck, frustrated or anxious, I would have to say, you are probably not aware of or being honest about where you are currently at. The moment you can reflect and discover your current location, you can move from just surviving to thriving.

In my podcast this week, I invented a new word, ‘thrival.’ The podcast is called, ‘Survival to thrival,’ and I talk with the amazing Tracey Jewel. She found herself at rock bottom in her life, just a few short years ago, and after some time to stop, reflect and then hit reset, she began to thrive in life. It’s a great conversation and one I wholeheartedly encourage you to listen to, particularly if you are feeling stuck in any area of your life. Don’t waste any more time feeling anxious, unwell or stuck. Get real and honest with yourself, hit reset and watch what happens.