What this picture taught me...

As we head into the thick of our 5th Lockdown this image made me reflect on how far we’ve come.

I remember my wife and I sitting down as home schooling started in lockdown #1 and saying that we would get the kids to still wear their school uniforms, we would all break as a family at 11am and do a mindfulness practice or some kids yoga, we would cook a healthy lunch WITH the kids and then all play basketball together in the afternoon.

Well, that lasted 1 day, who were we kidding!!!

Now, as we are into #5 we have a very different plan and this picture demonstrates it. My son here is on his class video call surrounded by his current (and more furry) classmates…and for the observant ones reading…he is not wearing his school uniform!

The irony for all of this is that I coach people every day about setting SMART goals and not trying to do too much at the start…but yet I’d made this rookie mistake myself at the start of lockdown.

On reflection, I just needed to sit down with my wife and write out the 5 non-negotiable.

1. The kids needed to be happy and safe,

2. We needed to keep our jobs

3. We needed to fit in some fun time in the fresh air and sunshine while being active

4. We needed to try to eat the rainbow.

5. We need to prioritise our sleep

Nowhere on that list would it have specified what we would wear or what time we would do certain things... being perfect would never have been on there!

When setting goals we need to do it with the lenses of realism, self-love, and support. Not letting perfect get in the way of good is the most critical part of forward momentum as momentum breeds momentum!

We can do this Australia and remember, if you’re not ok, that’s ok too! There is help just around the corner for you! Chat to your friends, your GP, your EAP or even just verbalising and naming your feelings with your furry friend (like my son does) can help…just don’t expect good answers back…leave that to the professionals.

Stay safe, stay active and look after each other.