Author: luwame

WHAT A YEAR IT’S BEEN!

Regardless of where you are in the world, your life, like everyone else’s, has been affected greatly by COVID-19. So much of what was once considered normal has changed, and we have all had to adapt to that change in one way or another.

If I were to ask you to describe 2020 in one word, I’m sure you would say anything from GRATEFUL to OMG (which is actually 3 words) or maybe even SAD/DONE/BYE. Whichever way 2020 has impacted you, I find it extremely important to reflect on that impact and ask yourself what you are going to do differently in 2021.

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Every year around this time, I like to sit back and plan out the year ahead. I write out my yearly goals and then break them into smaller monthly goals so they don’t seem impossible. One great lesson from 2020 has been that in addition to planning out my goals, I learned how to reflect on all that has happened as well. By reflecting on everything, I give myself the opportunity to grow from my fallbacks while also celebrating my successes. This is a formula for real growth!

I want to not only do this yearly but also make it into a monthly habit, and the best way to ensure that happens is to have clear questions in mind. Questions I can ask myself at the end of every month that will leave me thinking hard about the season of life I am in and also help me grow. I want to share those questions with you today so that you too can start 2021 with full awareness of what it is you want for yourself.

How does one review and reflect on their life?

Well, for starters, you have to be extremely honest with yourself – flaws and all! Be ready to dig deep into the previous week/month/year and see what really worked for you, what served you best, what made you happy, what fulfilled you and what didn’t work, what made you upset, what didn’t feel right!

1. Have I served myself and others in a way that fulfills me? If yes, when and what was I doing? If no, why not?
   *Side note: I ask myself the question about serving others because it is only when you are contributing to others that you will feel fulfilled. Contribution can be anything from helping a friend to servicing people through your work.
   
2. When did I feel most satisfied and when did I feel heavy/stress/overwhelmed? What was happening during those moments?
   
3. What did I learn this week/month/year about myself? How can I grow with this knowledge?
   
4. What can I learn from my heavy days? Can I drop what makes me feel heavy?
   
5. When was I free to create without worry? Why was I free during that particular time?

Remember, in order to get the best results, you have to answer each question honestly. This will help you plan out the week/month/year ahead, because you will know exactly what works for you and what doesn’t. The beauty of answering each question again and again is that with each day that passes, you are a different person. You are always growing, learning, evolving and therefore you cannot be the same person you were last year, last month, or even last week!

I hope this blog helps you or someone you know. I hope you seek the best for yourself in 2021 and always remember that I am here to help guide you along this journey.

Yours,
Luwam

“It’s beginning to look a lot like CHRISTMAS… everywhere you go!”

This song brings back so many memories for me. Growing up, Christmas was always such a big deal. My mother made sure all the ornaments were hung perfectly on the Christmas tree that only she decorated while my sister and I watched and marveled at her work. The house was always full of decorations and Christmas music started right before Thanksgiving up until Eastern Orthodox Christmas on January 7th.

I have so many fond memories of Christmas gatherings at our house. There would be delicious food that took days of preparation and my mother with my aunts and their friends cooking together on our deck in the freezing December weather. If you are Habesha you’ll understand why they did/do that LOL. I remember laughter all around the house, family getting together, and cousins playing. Even after my parents divorced, my mother was determined to keep the same traditions. This was all pre-COVID, when we could freely meet with relatives, travel, spend time together with the people we love.

Normally, my holiday blog post includes updates on Operation Give NOT Receive, something I started with the family 3 years ago to teach my children the real reason of Christmas. I wanted to fill their hearts with the spirit of giving. (Read all about Operation Give Not Receive here and here.)

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This year sadly, due to COVID, we couldn’t travel home or send supplies like we would have in the past. I wanted to keep the tradition alive, so I started thinking of different ways we can give back right here in our community while still staying COVID-safe.

Here are 3 ideas:

1. Donate to your local churches.
   How about this year instead of getting gifts, you saved that money and donated it to your local church? Where I live, Medhanie Alem Parish, the Eritrean Catholic Church in Annandale, VA, is working hard to help families during and after this holiday season. Feel free to contact me via email for more information.
   
2. Make care packages for different homeless shelters.
   Give to the local homeless shelters by creating care packages with socks, masks, blankets, soap bars, baby wipes, hand sanitizers, gloves, pads, underwear, and toys for children. One creative way to give back to mothers would be to gather up your old bags and include all the above items so that that mother can get a new bag and have different necessity items as well. If you’re not sure where to find a local shelter to support, search online for “homeless shelters near me” and check out information on the shelters that come up.
   
3. Donate time and/or money to your local food bank.
   All food bank locations are being extra careful to keep both their volunteers and those they feed safe during this pandemic. That being said though, there are still multiple ways the entire family can help. If you’re not sure about where a local food bank is, do an online search for “food banks near me” and then check out the websites to sign up for opportunities and find out where to donate.

Practice Gratitude

I love the habit of gratitude because it reminds us of all we have instead of thinking of what we lack. One thing I started asking my family and clients: “Tell me two things you are grateful for” — it was amazing to see what came up.

With the children, I do it every morning before sending them to school. With my clients, it’s after a workout or life coaching session. This holiday season, one thing I will be doing with my family is having them write down what they are grateful for every night at the dinner table and putting it in a jar. Then either on Christmas Day or New Year’s Eve, we will read all the notes together. It’s something fun for us to do as a family and it makes us thankful for all our blessings.

I hope this blog helps you or someone you know. As always I’d love to hear from you. What holiday traditions will you be starting this year that are COVID-safe?

Yours,
Luwam

So you’ve tried to change your ways, you’ve tried all the different diets, eating healthier, working out, but nothing changes. You try and try and then give up, defaulting to your old ways, which then takes you right back to where you started. I get it, I’ve been there, and I know it is NOT FUN. 

What if I told you there was a better way?! 

What if I told you that you could live a balanced life where you ate smaller portions, enjoyed the foods you loved to eat with some health-conscious changes, and moved your body to your limits daily. This can be anything from a simple walk to dancing at home, naked in front of the mirror. Whatever made you happy and got you up and about. 

This, my friend, is how to start a healthy living journey. I call it a journey because it’s a real lifestyle change, and it’s through the small changes you make every day (the mundane modifications) that you will see long-lasting transformations. 

So, where do you even start? 

Well, for one, you start by simply starting! If you listen to my podcast Inspired by Luwame, you will hear me saying that a great deal. I keep coming back to that statement because it really is that simple. YOU START BY SIMPLY STARTING. What this means is that you do the following:

Work with what you have!

Do not overthink the process. If you want to start running, start slowly by jogging or speed walking. This is you starting with what you have. If you try to rush the process and start running 5-minute miles, you will not only hurt yourself, but you will feel discouraged and give up. However, if you start slow, give yourself time to add speed, and simply enjoy the space you are in, you will notice changes over time. 

Consistency is KEY! 

Let’s stick with the running example. The more consistently you work on your skills, the better you become.  Walking will turn to jogging which will then become running, and the more you do it consistently, the faster you will become. 

Build routines around your new habit! 

Without having a built-in routine, you will never stay focused because every time Life throws a curveball your way, your new habit will become less critical. When you have routines in place, you already know what your day will look like, where you will focus on, and there will be time set aside for that new habit. I urge you to continue to do this until the routine itself becomes a habit meaning that you have done it so often that now it can be done unconsciously. 

Have your ‘Why’ written where you can see it everyday.

This will help you stick to your goals when you remember why you even started to begin with and be excited to continue. I’ll leave you with this quote I read:

“He who has a why can endure any how”

Frederick Nietzsche

I hope this blog helps you or someone you know. As always, I’d love to hear from you. How are you building good habits? What processes are you following to ensure your routines turn into habits?

Yours, 

Luwame