Everywhere I look I’m seeing signs of rebirth…of rejuvenation.

It’s the buds on the trees, the beautiful spring flowers emerging from the ground, the birds chirping and building their nests. After a winter of hibernation, of quiet, of solitude, there’s a real sense that everything’s starting to open up again.

This year I’m really feeling that parallel between nature and my own life. Maybe you’ve noticed it too?

For many of us, this winter has been a period of enforced hibernation. We’ve been hunkered down inside, storing energy, biding our time. And, without getting ahead of ourselves, with the prospect of restrictions easing, this does feel like the right time to emerge. The right time to rejuvenate ourselves — and our lives.

Which begs the question: what will your rejuvenation look like?

As we look forward to summer and to a period of (hopefully!) more freedom, more normality, and more opportunity, it’s the ideal time to think about ‘future you’.

What does she look like? How does she spend her time? How does she want to feel? What are her goals?

Now, we all have a different vision at this point; a different picture of the ideal future. But I guarantee one thing: we probably all have things we’ll have to shed and things we’ll have to let go of if we want to get there.

What do you need to shed to step into future you?

For many of us, the best place to start is with a good old fashioned literal spring clean. The kind your granny would have approved of.

There’s a very good reason this is a centuries old tradition: clearing the physical clutter from your life gets you into the exact mindset you need to start letting go of the other, less tangible things that are no longer serving you.

So have a think about the areas of your home that feel the most draining to you right now.

It might be:

• The drawer that’s packed with Tupperware — most of which no longer has matching lids.
• The wardrobe full of clothes that won’t fit until you’ve lost the 5lbs you’ve been trying to get rid of for the last three years.
• The bags full of baby clothes that you’re never going to use again (not least because your youngest is approaching double digits!)
• The jars of food hiding at the back of the fridge. You’re not even sure what’s in most of them. These days, mostly Penicillin!

Now you’ve dealt with the physical energy sappers, it’s time to get a bit more creative and think of the other aspects of your life that might be holding you back from that vision of future you.

You can widen your spring cleaning scope to include:

That people that aren’t serving you.

Lockdown has been illuminating in many ways. You may have been surprised by the people who suddenly become even more important to you…and surprised by who you didn’t actually miss at all!

If there are people in your life that you’d pop into the second category — it might be the colleague who spends the whole time bitching about your boss, the friend who never asks about how you’re doing, or the toxic person who always knocks your confidence — this is the time to cut ties.

It might sound harsh, but by clinging onto relationships that are no longer healthy or fulfilling you’re doing you both a disservice. If you let the friendship fade, you’ll both have time to focus on new relationships that suit you better. 

And you can spend more time with the people that’ll help make future you a reality.

The hobbies that aren’t serving you.

Whether it’s the exercise you’ve been doing because it was the only class that fit into your schedule, or the hobby you’ve been doing since you were a teenager, we often fall into the trap of spending our downtime in ways that are no longer meaningful to us.

So have a think about how you’re spending your precious spare time.

Are you doing things that light you up? That challenge you? That you can’t wait to get stuck into?

Or are you going through the motions? Doing things out of habit? Or reluctant to give something up only because of all of the hours you’ve already put into it?

If it’s the latter, it’s time for a reframe.

The time you’ve spent on your hobbies or interests so far? That hasn’t been wasted. It gave you what you needed at the time, it taught you something, or it contributed to your current levels of awesomeness.

But if it’s no longer something that ties in with who you want to be, or how you want to feel, you’ll save yourself a lot of time going forward, by switching your attention to something else.

The identity that isn’t serving you.

Maybe you’ve always seen yourself as ‘the helpful one’, ‘the busy one’, or ‘the high-achiever’ among your group.

You’ve  embraced that identity and used it to justify always putting others’ needs before your own, saying ‘yes’ even when you should’ve said ‘no’, or sacrificing time with family and friends in pursuit of the next promotion at work.

Of course, if those identities are serving you well and if they fit into the vision you have of your ideal self and your ideal life, keep at it!

But if there’s an imbalance there — if you feel that your current ‘identity’ and actions don’t align with what you want your life to look like as you move forward — it’s worth asking yourself a few questions:

• Can you still be helpful while addressing your own needs?
• Why is it so important to always be busy?
• Is career progression the only possible marker of success, or can achievement come from elsewhere?

And if that identity doesn’t mesh with future you, figure out a way to let it go.

Nature definitely has the right idea: she knows that for the spring blossoms to have their moment in the sun, trees have to shed the old leaves that no longer serve their purpose.

And sometimes we have to do the same.

So what does future you look like? If you’re not sure where to start, there are two ways I can help.

First, is through my personalised 1:1 coaching, which will help you find the most confident, most empowered, most sparkly version of you. And the second is The Balance Club, where you’ll access a community of incredible women ready to lift you up, and a vault packed with masterclasses and information to help you shine. Pop your name on the waiting list to be the first to know when doors reopen.

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