This printable is free to download and you can use it anytime really. Please let me know if you found this useful and what you would like to write next time? Just to warn you that next year it will be subscribe only next to grow this site and if you’d like more free resources, like worksheets and EBooks. The Worksheets and blogs I write will still be free.
It is time to reflect. There will be a few more blogs and then it will be my Autumn Reset beginning in September until end of October. It will be subscriber only to grow my channel, but still be free to join me in having good reset, finishing projects, admin tasks and what you want to start to do.
Yesterday in the coffee shop with my Husband and son I, saw this lady who wasn’t on her phone or reading or anything but enjoying her coffee. She looked a bit like Celine Dion and it made me realise that sometimes just having time just taking in the moment is much better than looking at a phone or not watching what is around you.
This made me think of a challenge. I am doing a challenge for August. Doing 100 squats a day for the month to raise money for Cancer Research: https://youtu.be/oaImghC1on0
So in September doing my Autumn Reset going to challenge myself to write my blogs, sort out my sons and my bedroom, complete the editing of my next book as the Reset will continue into October, is to do all those thing in silence taking the moment. Not have music on, tv or Youtube and enjoy my coffee. Not on my laptop or phone drinking but sit in the garden as we go into Autumn and just enjoy the moment.
On the train coming back from London, see Vlog: https://youtu.be/eZ3sHtml_8k on train I decided to not be on my phone and enjoy the journey. On the train to London looking around every one was engrossed on their laptops and phones that I realised have we lost the will to use travel to chat with people~? I think we just so concerned on what is on social media to look and chat. I feel we want to be liked on Instagram to feel adequate. So it will be a realisation for me. I am going to use my laptop to write but not with music on or a video on. Be on my phone too much and enjoy a coffee like that lady without a book or notebook and enjoy the moment better and see what happens.
This weeks Cheat Sheet which with the help of AI I have created on challenging yourself. My Autumn Reset will be the first subscriber only content, but will still be free to read and will be from the start of September to the end of October.
There are many challenges you can do and I really feel I am ready to take on more. Just to say my blogs are not written by AI and are from me, I just needed a little help with my Cheat sheets and that I have been learning from them too.
Do walking challenges. I challenge myself to walk, 4000 steps a day instead of 10,000 too much so be realistic and there are writing challenges too. I often do sprints from 10 to 30 minutes not consecutively as that is not realistic to me and there are loads you can do on Youtube but only using this to help make sure I don’t go over time.
So take sometime to just enjoy your coffee and take in the world and not have headphones in or on the phone and just be free to chat with someone. It is good to look around you and sit and not have any noise.
My son knows how to put his shoes on. Repetition. I learned to dance. Repetition.
When my son learned to walk he had little falls, nothing serious, but the more he repeated the motion the more he finally conquered and walked without needing use his walker and like eating it becomes natural. My son knows the words to the Proclaimers songs. Repetition. Putting in to practice is by repeating.
I remember in an interview I said that my work was repetitive and I wanted to move up and they were like “Well this job is repetitive” and felt like an idiot. Employers want someone who will come in and be able to repeat the work because that is the heart of learning. If you want to impress be willing for repetition. Its like Barista’s they make coffee everyday, clear tables and learn how to heat up food and the only way they learn is by repetition. The more you do a job you can then move onto the job that is your dream but still means that you will have to do repetitive work. That is how you get better.
Weight Lifters learn by repetition, jockeys, Tennis players, singers and businessmen and women. When working in a call centre it would be repetitive. You learned codes, how to be great over the telephone, processing problems and my step sister is a Air Hostess/cabin crew and has to go through safety checks, make sure passengers are okay and what to do when the plane takes off and land.
So yes it is important part of life and if you want to be successful in your field it is by repetition. It is a positive word not negative and dart players are good because they repeat and how they count down and know what score to get that beats their opponent and crickets would have boiled over a 100 times to be able to aim for the stumps, jockeys have to learn by repetition to help the horse know when it is time to jump, sprint and be fast. The practice is repetition. Doing the the same consistent throw or bowling. My uncle plays bowls. He plays every year and he has learnt and learnt but repetition. So never fear it but embrace it.
Since a child who didn’t speak at the beginning of my life until I was 4 years old had ambition. I loved music and dance. I dreamed of being on radio and when I left school looked into doing hospital radio but had no idea how to go about it. Now at 48 I am now a presenter for Epsom Hospital radio and yes I get nervous and have self doubt but keep going and now been doing the radio for two years.
I like working hard and the things I love to do. I have had jobs that didn’t lead anywhere but helped me with my life to figure out what I wanted to do next. I look at Madonna she didn’t become successful until she was in her 30’s but kept going and still going. She has been making music for 40 years. She had bad press, fallen on stage and sang out of tune but keeps going.
So go through your achievements. What got you there?
I look after my son and my focus was getting a school. Myself and my mum dug deep and he is now in a school and loves it after not getting a place but was consistent and yes it was stressful but, would I do it again if it meant getting my son a good education? Yes.
The point is keep going. You do have to fight battles and you will find that people change towards you when you have your life together but that is their problem and ignore the critters and keep going.
I discovered blog writing after reading a book and it was a book taking the micky out of WAGS and I thought I give it a try ad write a blog and now on WordPress have managed to reach 10,000 all time views on many of these sites and received good amount of views on my Google blogs and I enjoy it. I have always wanted to write a book and when my son was born in 2013 I did just that and published my first book about parenting and this year published my 5th book. I enjoy it so much.
There is more I want to do and love seeing my life grow. I am not earning millions but that no longer matters. I am in a nice home, which I share with my husband and son and in a good place and that is what matters and so What Matters to you?
#Spend time to reflect on your life. My goal as I share this been focusing on not being on screens for too long. This was because I had a migraine, twice as I edit this blog that I had forgotten about. Been focusing on my son enjoying the school summer holidays. Feeling good is the key and not feeling hard done by, because something hasn’t worked out or seen it is harder than what we think.
If you like his blog put in the comments, keep going.
I have been having less screen time. A few weeks ago I had a migraine and I just needed to take a break. So now I am having less time on my phone, laptop and TV.
Yes I do watch Youtube but the holidays have helped me get off my phone, get off my laptop and not watching TV all day and just read and been doing my Wordsearch. I found a good one that has 365 wordsearch book and still with Youtube but to listen to and go for walks, play sports and just having some good holiday fun and it is only been the first week. I like how we explore and focus on just having days out and try different places to eat, would like to have a picnic whilst we are away. Having Mother and Son days and including his father.
Visiting London it seemed that we have become an unsociable city with people on their phones and laptops. Except a few people who knew each other and must have met up were chatting, but people not chatting with strangers. I like a coffee shop and there are a good place to socialise. So we will go to a coffee shop, go swimming and tomorrow we are going to the cinema which is a big screen but we have had a full on couple of days and been a while so is an end of the week treat.
I just wrote a blog about how being a parent has kept me fit: https://getfitgetactivewithme.blogspot.com/2026/07/how-being-parent-has-kept-me-fit.html We are off out next week and be our first mother and son holiday and been a summer of firsts. We did the Guilfest. I like going to see bands play. I love a theatre show and each year we see at least one show per holiday. Not planned one this time, but is on the list of things I still would like to do before the Summer Holidays are over.
My son will be travelling on a Ferry and first time visiting the Isle of Wight and its good to take a break from being online all of the time. I love seeing live events and just make the most of the time I have on this earth to forget my phone, but have in case of an emergency, but not be looking down, paying attention to pings and have good quality time with my son.
When I am on the laptop and my son is on his tablet, when we are at home I will journal and do my wordsearch. We don’t take our devices out unless away and won’t have the TV on. We will play out in the garden and I love to hand write. Why I love journaling and love a notebook to plan. I like to listen to music but sometimes now I realise that it is good on some days to write with silence.
Enjoying the outdoors always does me a world of good. I do get a bit annoyed. Today in the Café after playing tennis this woman kept moving her chair and so was squashed in. Yesterday it was Cyclists and just daily annoyances but do try to stay happy and not allow people who aren’t nice, stop me from having a good day.
It beats being online all the time and meeting friends. I find it rude when your having a meal and they’re on their phone constantly. I want conversation and full attention and scroll but not to the point they’re not engaging. I like a good natter and just a good old fashioned catch up and keeping my phone in my bag, paying full attention with friends because we don’t see each other a lot now.
Yes phones keep in contact. I use Facebook to wish someone a happy birthday and what they’ve been up to but not all the time and was at one point checking my phone every 5 minutes and being on my phone all day. I would watch Youtube when I should be getting my son ready for school and so I spend less time and it has made a difference and just be with the world. Travel on he bus or train, looking out of the window or chatting and we will see what number buses we can see, if we see planes flying over or helicopters and I love it. I’d rather be having a coffee watching the world go by, rather being on my phone or laptop. Its amazing what you see and so when not on devices.
I now take medication to help, I do watch or listen to something on my phone, but I also read. I tried not being on my phone all the time but I love to listen to the radio or BBC Sounds and been watching the World Cup when in bed as I don’t have a TV in my bedroom. However to quieten the mind I will make sure I brush my teeth, have a cup of tea or hot chocolate anything that helps with relaxation and winter time a nice hot bath.
What does Google say about an overacting mind: it’s usually just your brain stuck in “problem-solving mode” or dealing with an activated nervous system.
It can trigger anxiety if you fear your home. I lived on ground floor of a block of flats in an Housing Estate as a child and was scared of someone breaking into my room or if I had watched something scary on TV, a news headline or if I had a bad day.
I dream a lot. It can be varied on what and when I started to have really bad nightmares I would try and stay awake. This can trigger the mind of resisting to sleep and there are clinics you can go to and tried many different medications but the one I take now is the one that really helps, it is Haloperidol and it does have side effects, but I take another medication to lower the side affects and sleep through the night and feel better for it.
Get medical help. Not sleeping is exhausting and I felt sick with tiredness because I could lay awake all night and at one point I didn’t sleep for a whole week because of my mind being active. Yes it can be trauma that causes that. It became a habit that has taken a lot to change. I am not one that can sleep for too long. I find it makes me feel rotten by doing so and insomnia is hard to kick. This can cause overthinking and 5 to 7 hours is enough for me and not going to bed too early. I find this can trigger my overactive mind and wake up at midnight, so then I find I can’t get back to sleep. I do sleep in a bit at the weekends but I am still awake early.
Letting my Overactive mind run whilst walking helps. It is good to just let the thoughts flow out of my body and a good walk does that for me. I also like to work in silent some days and sleep in silence. The temperature of a room. The heat has got to me and can trigger my thoughts. A nice cool shower and a wet flannel on my body can help and listening to a podcast, he said that just feeling good in bed, helps and just listening to something and reading is my main sauce of helping my mind be quiet and sleep.
I do think it is heredity because my mum is the same and my Nan (my mums mum) and my mum did used to sleep in until she had me and my brother, but wonder if this is due to taking ages to get to sleep because of having an overactive mind.
Put a Yes me in the comments if you have gotten to the end of this blog and if you relate. You can use the comment box below. It would like your point of view and helps me in knowing that my blogs are helpful.
When it comes to how we feel about the way we feel or had a bad day and you can’t stop thinking about it write about it. This will help to make sense of what happened and what would make you feel better. I had a Migraine a couple of days ago and it really hit me hard so I decided to take a break from screens and wet to bed and now limit my screen time.
Picture from the Guilfest
If I have made a mistake when doing radio, I go over what I would do differently and what I have learned.
I learned in my last show to create some scripts for introducing my show better and with cooking a meal that I did wrong. I tried to make a Carbonara but I didn’t make enough sauce so took note of that and know for the next time.
Address the bad and how will you turn it around?
We saw that the traffic was heavy going back to the A3 to get to Tolworth to go home so we went a different route and life is like that too. Still focus on the destination and workout how many ways you can get there. You may need to do a U-turn, but if you can still reach it. I was having issues with posting Youtube videos as my software kept crashing so I thought well I have my phone so film on that now and use the software to edit videos for Youtube on my phone and I am getting so much enjoyment from that. I have no schedule and like being sporadic as I will plan but like today I wanted to do some cleaning I write it down but say Clean One Area and that instantly makes me do it. Lower the pressure and how can you make everyday yours and get much more out of your life. I went to the Guilfest and it was crowded and flying ants and I was a bit dubious and it meant moving away from that area and when we returned it was fine and I thought no I am going to enjoy it no matter what is swarming and just move away. We got a drink, found the toilets and so my anxiety faded and I didn’t want to spoil it for my son as he’s favourite band was playing and why I booked it and next time take chairs and get there earlier perhaps move and gave us a chance to look around. I do feel it needed more organisation because people were scattered all over the place and I may pay the extra year and pay for the VIP section.
My laptop crashed and luckily have been able to use my husbands laptop and now hand write books I want to publish and use Google Doc and so learned not to save everything on my husband’s laptop on Word but google docs I can use it via another laptop as many of my book ideas have gone and so not to rely on technology and go analogue still. If I use a notebook and write out a its less likely to go missing.
So I now make the bad into good by thinking of what went well and how could it be better next time.
Evaluate like you would in an accident. Is it safe? Did anyone get harmed? could it have been a dangerous situation?
Are you still breathing? Was it that bad now you have answered those questions?
I laugh now when my dad would say there are doobie noshes after us as he would say when walking from the entertainment venue to our caravan where we used to holiday and it was great fun. I take so much from that. I loved family holidays and being with a mixture of people. Yes I got sick on holiday and my nan did, but we still had fun and enjoyed those times and I love the things we do now.
We still went for a drive like we do each weekend, we had a nice breakfast and with my migraine going to take more care when it comes to screens and do things away from a screen like having a sort out, read or now I like to watch a bit of the World cup and the tennis.
Today continuing this blog sorted out my sons toy cupboard in the living room and put it off but glad that was done.
There are times where we have all gone down the wrong path. We have done things that we think “I shouldn’t have done that” but at the end of the day you did, but I can’t fix the past. We can learn, but you have to move on and redirection doesn’t have to be hard because it is good to try things out and we only learn by experience.
Dealing with regrets. Instead of thinking about changing what we didn’t do or did do, what about if we looked at it, “No I didn’t do that but I did this instead”. I didn’t continue working with the Groundsman at Fulham FC and become the first professional Female Coach in the football leagues, but I did find a good job to build my experience even more and working with the groundsman got me ready to have a paid job. It taught me attention to detail, not having a sneaky cup of tea with the maintenance workers, being on time, completing jobs, following instructions, getting out of my comfort zone and having a routine.
Its not never too late. My mum went back into education and did a degree in her later years and now retired, but she went to night school and Lee Child didn’t start writing books until he was 40. Madonna singing career didn’t take off until she was in the 30s and Olivier Newton John, was Sandy playing a high school kid in her 30s. Is there anything more to say?
Write down what you are happy with. So I am happy that I now do morning walks, read in the morning and evening, workout through out the day and having my morning coffee. I get to play football with my son, I get to cook nice meals and I like to journal each day. So do I want to change that? Is your life best ever? Would you give your life a 10 or you feel miserable a 1? What would make a difference? Change can start anytime but you’ve got to do it for you.
Turn the noise off. If your finding constantly hard to function mentally turn it down. I like to listen to the rain and wrote a blog about it: https://mystylewayofliving.blogspot.com/2026/05/listening-to-rain-can-be-peaceful.html it can be just what you need to switch off from social media, emails and to gain sense and what will make you move forward not backwards.
Make plans. I love to plan. It is one of the things that lifts me and feel that I can make logical decisions and I always make sure I have something to do each day. It helps to redirect if the bus is late, that I planned to get and how else can I get where I want to be and if it will be a good thing or perhaps I should think of other options?
Go analogue. Yes I have a the Journal APP but love writing in a physical journal. I do use Notion, but sometimes I love to write it down because I find it goes in and tried planning my whole life on Notion, but it hasn’t really worked for me and my laptop died and so I had to sign in again and not able to view it on my phone because it used up the storage, so now I use a physical system, with Notion and it has helped with my memory and using google docs and so mainly use Notion for planning my yearly programmes. The Summer Project, Autumn and last year started Winter Wellness.
It is all about not feeling bad because something didn’t work out and that looking back is a trigger you need to re-direct and decide today to think about now to move forward. Forgive those that have hurt you. No longer holding on to possessions that trigger your negative emotions and just live a a life that suits you using the tips above. Not all may work but it is worth dipping your toe in to see and figure things out.
I have gone for jobs where I it has been a disaster. I remember going to one and I said I’d looked at the website and it was obvious I hadn’t and yet I was so close in getting the job and they didn’t like the fact that I had turned up early, which now I am somewhat glad I didn’t get it. For me if I was running a company punctuality would be top of the list.
I tried to apply to be a red coat a Butlins and I don’t even think my application had reached the time or day.
My first time I applied to work at Butlins I was rejected and applied again the year after and finally got a role and it was persistence that finally got me the chance to fulfil a childhood dream. My first holidays were staying on a holiday camp that we’d go to with our grandparents and I loved it.
Rejection is a good thing because it helps to see if this is what you want can happen, but if you really want it and what can you work on that will make you successful next time. I was desperate to get a role and auditioned for Haven, applied for Pontins and when I first left school I was rejected by gyms I had applied for as at school I did Leisure and Tourism and got the roll sending my C.V to football clubs as a Steward at Fulham Football club.
Never allow it to get you down. The famous writer Jojo Moyes first books she wrote were rejected. Kevin Keegan was told he was too small to play professional football when he trained at Liverpool as a kid until years later he was one of their top scorers. Only Fools and Horses was going to be scraped, the double act Cannon and Ball came last when they went on Opportunity Knocks and Les Dawson also did that show too and didn’t win.
Rejection can still lead you to opportunities. Mariah Carey trained for many years as a backing vocalist until she became an artist and was waitressing when she finally got noticed. Paula Abdul was chorographer before she had hits and was a dancer, before a singer.
Listening to Jojo Moyes speak on Davina McCall podcast, begin again proved that you should never give up and get to know your trade and enjoy the process. I like that I get to spend most of my days with my son, building my blog sites, working on books and Youtube videos when he is at school and just learning.
So never feel if you have been rejected that your dreams aren’t going to come true.
Be consistent and persistent.
Please check subscribe if you’d like to read more and if you’d like to check out my Youtube channel and subscribe there too. There is not cost then please do: https://www.youtube.com/@Carriechalloner
I have never felt good in all of my life as I do now. I feel so good because I am not allowing the inner critic get to me, that talks me out of things but now I am Shaping My life because I’m following my dreams to get closer and have experiences. I look forward in achieving my goals, by not putting hurdles in the way. So take that trip around the world, go to see the World cup, go on a cruise and see a family member who’ve you’ve been meaning to see but never got round to it. Make the time and you’ll feel better for it.
Me at the Hampton Court Music Festival. I did do a vlog about it, see link at the bottom of this blog.
I am doing things that I never thought I would do. No I am not a millionaire. No offence to those who are but I am living. I am going to be going away with my son for the first time. Just him and me. Part of me is nervous but looking forward to it at the same time. A friend of mine travelled solo for the first time, just her and you have to live. Take the chance. I have been full of excuses in why I shouldn’t do something putting hurdles in the way and my mum said it once “If you want to do something you’ll always find a way if it is something you really want to do”. I have had opportunities. I could have trained every week in a local football team but I just couldn’t push myself but it was seeing the players who were built like bricks and put me off rather than using that to work towards learning football, but then I did some Courses later on and coached a team and so I achieved that goal, With dancing I went every week. With football I feel that I wanted the glitz and the glamour be the female version of Gazza and run rings around the other players rather than just enjoying the moment.
That is okay but I wanted to be Wonder Woman not seeing it as a learning experience. Back then women’s football was still being overshadowed by men’s football and I ended up running a team but fell pregnant and the team was taken our of my hands and even though that was disappointing I am grateful for it now as I could just enjoy my pregnancy and glad I had the experience.
I did dancing because I was good at that. I played football because I began playing at school but one of the girls made a remark and once again stopped going. It would matter to me when I was called a name by someone. Now I have gotten older got a lot stronger and why I got into running, now do a radio show and write. I published another book this year When Mothers are Real.
I took Henry to music festival in Hampton Court and got another this year and then with my mum going to see Bon Jovi. I am taking my son on a Ferry for the first time and he now plays tennis, which he has done well at. He finally got a school placement and so my aim now is to publish a new book I am working on, continue with my radio show I do for a local hospital, continue with my yearly Life Coaching programmes I’ve created and there is still a long way to go but I am no longer allow fear to follow my dreams and doing what I said I will do.
Take chances. I was listening to a Podcast hosted by Davina Called Begin Again with Jojo Moyes and it was so interesting. Here’s a link if you’d like to watch it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpTd0zOyg8Y&t=2894s and how you should never give up and enjoy the process. Jojo talks about how much she’s done now since she spoke to someone about her life and her failures. We all fail that is how we long and it makes you stronger. I feel that we can feel bad in taking some time wanting something for ourselves.
I like doing my yearly reading challenges. I love reading everyday. That’s helped with shaping my life because it has helped me with my books. It has helped me with writing and seeing the different styles. Going on my morning walks and watching a concert. I have been enjoying watching the world cup and listening about music. I love creating my show, even though the inner fear makes me resistant and get nervous but at the same time feel like “Wow I can’t believe I am doing this” and I did write a blog about Its Okay to Be Selfish as we need to help our world shape to help others we care about have shape. I want my son to have experiences, friends and a life that he is happy with. I love it when we play table tennis, go to the cinema, take trips on buses and trains and he is looking forward to seeing the Proclaimers and now I am being more intentional and it feels good.
So Shape you life and own your goals.
For more content why not check out my Youtube channel. I could do with some support and share parts of my life as a mum and a writer. Please check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/@Carriechalloner
Everyone can build a castle 