How many times in your life do you start something, and never quite get it finished? And by finished, I mean all the way, so that whatever is it that you set out to do has actually been done?

I can be pretty bad at this, at least when it comes to things that I want to do for myself. If someone else asks me to do something then I will drop everything immediately and jump through hoops to get it done straight away; I can think of nothing worse than a job that is hanging over my head. But when it’s something that I want to do for myself, well then, that’s another matter entirely!

I can’t tell you how many times I have started something, not gotten around to finishing it at the time and then either lost momentum or, even worse, lost the actual work and never got anywhere. I hope this isn’t you too…

But, my friends, it’s a new year and I am trying a new approach! This is the year of action, and I am all set on getting things *actually* done.

Yes, I completely realise the calendar year actually started a little while ago now (I know, even Chinese New Year has been and gone), but if you have kids, it doesn’t always feel like your year really begins until they are back at school and you’ve hit a few weeks of ‘normal’. Before that it can all just feel like planning and theory. Planning is grand, but what I’m actually talking about is action! Two completely different things; both totally valuable and necessary for actually getting the job done.

Thinking about things only gets you so far (believe me, I feel like I have been in this phase for years) so now I’m ready to take the leap! If there’s something you’ve been planning for a while, maybe you’d like to take the leap too? How amazing do you think it’s going to feel if you take the first step towards whatever it is you’ve been thinking and dreaming of?

So if there’s something you’ve been dreaming of, I hope you can find the courage/energy/audacity to take a first step! I applaud you if you get just one thing done today that has been on your list of ‘to-dos’. That, my friend, is progress.

If you have taken a step forward, then celebrate it! Well done you! Because life is only ever one step at a time, and each one is important, it can only be a good thing to recognise and congratulate yourself when you have taken action. Don’t let one step stall you (sometimes when you’ve made some progress, it’s easy to think you can take a little break as a reward) instead let it help you build momentum to get the next thing done.

And if you don’t know where to start, then just start somewhere, anywhere – it doesn’t matter in which order you get things done, who’s really to say what is right or wrong anyway. Just see if taking that step can help you find some flow in your spirit, get a step closer to your goal and feel proud of moving forward…

Summer Sunshine Smoothie

with nectarine, banana, strawberries and turmeric

Serves 2 – dairy free, sugar free

The funny thing is, I made these smoothies a while ago – back at the start of summer in the first real flush of heat. I wrote the recipe, took some photos, and then let it all sit on my computer for close to 3 months. So here I am, finishing it off, better late than never. Hey, the nectarines are probably even sweeter now that it’s later in the summer.

1 nectarine
1 frozen banana
1 handful of strawberries
1 small, thumb sized knob of turmeric, peeled
3/4 cup coco quench (a coconut milk and coconut water blend, or go roughly half and half of each)
1/4 cup hemp seeds

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Serve it up in glasses, and let it be good energy for getting things done.