How to make a hard decision

I just posted my first YouTube video for the month (one of my September goals is to put out 4 YouTube videos).

Super pumped that I did it - I was starting to wonder if I’d even have time to make one video - I have a million things happening right now, but I did!

The title speaks for itself - if you’re struggling with a decision, I’ve got a fantastic mental tool you can use to figure it out.

Leave me a comment to let me know what you think, and if you’d like to see more, subscribe!

Push ups: Week 6

Day: 39
Push up ability: 18

I went for a gorgeous walk today, I usually go running around here, but this week I’ve been a bit unwell so I didn’t want to push it too much. However, when I got back I managed 18 press ups! Woohoo!

I wasn’t sure if I’d still be able to even do 13 like I did a few weeks ago, because I haven’t been training much at all, just a few here and there when I remember. I’d really like to work on my form more too, perhaps a few YouTube videos and maybe asking a personal trainer for pointers.

I’ve been crazy busy the last few days, and have a really busy two weeks coming up, so I’m actually a bit concerned how I’ll get my daily blogs done because my schedule just so chock-a-block.

Should be some vlogs coming your way too if I can create the time to edit them 💪🏻

So let’s see how we go this week!

Ask for help - no, really.

I’ve been exhausting myself the past two weeks, trying to do it all on my own, juggling a million things, when really I have so much amazing support. It doesn’t even matter what it is for you - if you’re getting overwhelmed or stressed or exhausted, don’t forget to ask for help.

I did, and now I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders because my friends and family are INCREDIBLE.

Just a short but seriously important message today. Don’t forget your support network. Go and ask for help.

Do it.

Veganniversary

Did you know in 2017 I had a vegan t-shirt line?

This September marks 3 years of being vegan! Hands down, best decision I’ve ever made.

Shall I get a tattoo?! Haha - maybe one day!

I made the decision in a split second. I watched this video and it just hit me. I’ve never looked back.

Why am I vegan? It comes down to this: Why would you kill someone when you don’t have to?

If you’ve been hearing about veganism but not really sure why people are vegan, then watch THE BEST SPEECH YOU’LL EVER HEAR.

I used to be really angry. I was the classic angry vegan everyone hates. There was a point were I cried almost every single day for a month. I was distraught.

I’m not less angry about it now, I’ve just channeled my anger into activism.

I have hope in my heart that we will have a vegan world one day. That’s what keeps me positive <3

If you want to chat about going vegan or veganism in general, please email me at hello@saraharnoldhall.com or message me on Instagram! My arms and heart are wide open for you!

Counting my blessings

It’s so easy to think we aren’t doing well. Not succeeding fast enough, not making enough cash, not getting enough likes on Facebook. I hate to admit it, but I get caught up in this trap sometimes. The “I should be further ahead by now” trap. I was feeling it today.

But I just went out now to get something to eat from the corner store, and outside there was a man begging for £2.30 so he would have enough to get a room in a hostel for the night. He was sober and really quite sweet. I gave him the money - which I don’t ordinarily do passing by - but I just felt today it was right. When someone is begging me to help them get a bed - what would I want someone to do, if I was in that position? I know there’s a lot of politics around whether you should give money or not, but in the end, I just have to go with my heart. I wouldn’t sleep tonight if I knew he might not have a bed because of my actions.

I remembered something I’d heard a while ago - that when someone asks something of you, they are really giving a gift to you. I didn’t help him, he helped me. He helped me by giving me the opportunity to walk my talk of compassion. He helped me by reminding me how grateful I am to have a roof over my head, food, a support network of friends and family, and my health. He helped me by giving me an opportunity to make this world a better place - even in the smallest, tiniest way - something I want my life to represent.

And now he’s helping share a message. Count your blessings. Your worst-case scenario is probably someone else’s dream life. I’m not even really writing this for you, reader. It’s just a note to self: don’t forget this.

Consistency

Does this quote haunt you? It kind of haunts me. I think about all the things I would have achieved had I followed through with my plans. All the things I had planned to do. But I didn’t do them, did I? (E.g. when I was 16-18 it was my dream to be a DJ/producer like Avicii or Martin Garrix, and I didn’t take enough action. I bought a turntable, but I didn’t practise!). Not even because I was lazy, or didn’t work hard enough. Just purely because I wasn’t consistent enough with my actions.

Some of you will be thinking I’m totally right. And there are others who will be thinking I’m being way too harsh. I don’t believe I’m being too harsh. Because I think in general, we let ourselves off the hook too easily for the things we can control, and we blame ourselves too easily for the things we can’t control.

Here are some of the things that are waiting for me on the other side of consistency:

1. A thriving YouTube channel. I know very well that the only reason I haven’t progressed my YouTube channel is because I haven’t been posting consistently. That’s about to change, because this month I committed to creating 4 videos.

2. Long term financial stability. I didn’t ever have a decent plan. I just sort of thought “I’ll save up money and then spend it and then save again.” Isn’t that what people do? (The answer is yes. But that doesn’t mean it works well!) Now I’m following financial guru Dave Ramsey’s 7 Baby Steps for financial peace. It really has given me peace of mind.

3. 100 push ups. I can do about 10-13 at the moment. I haven’t progressed very far from my last few weeks because I haven’t been making training a priority (so just got down and did 10 right now - gotta walk the walk if I talk the talk!).

4. Windmills. I’ve been wanting to get this breakdancing move since I was 15. Have I been practicing consistently? Nope. I haven’t even attempted one for a couple of years. And you know what’s crazy? I reckon I could get it in a few months if I practiced consistently enough, because last time I tried, I could do half a revolution. But I’ve been stuck at half a revolution for 8 years! It doesn’t need to take that long. I never mentioned it, but this is my main motivation for getting 100 push ups. My upper body strength (and balance) has been holding me back a bit. I don’t currently have a plan for when I’ll begin training again. But it’s one of my 8 Impossible Goals currently on my list (which you can read here).

5. French. I studied it for FIVE YEARS and I still can’t speak it properly. Did I work hard? Yes. Was I consistent? Nope. Still a major goal.

What is waiting for you on the other side of consistency?

Unstoppable

On Friday, after writing down everything that’s happening in the next month, I had a few hours of ‘oh my gosh there’s no way I can possibly get everything done I need to get done, I’m going to have to drop some things off my plate.' I got so stressed I cried.

And then I went for a run. And I remembered what Tony Robbins said that he does on a run. He says “I’m fucking unstoppable. I’m fucking unstoppable.” Over and over and over. I tried it. That is POWERFUL. By the end of my run, I was in a whole new mindset.

Creating success is not a question of lowering the bar. It’s a question of increasing your effort.

I decided that this is actually a challenge, to see if I’m capable of crushing a million things on my list. To see if I can handle every plate I’m spinning (spoiler: I can and so can you).

Where are you backing down in your life right now, where it’s really a call for you to step up?

That image is now my phone wallpaper. Please screenshot it and use it as yours, and most importantly, say it out loud whenever you see it, to remind yourself that you are fucking unstoppable.

She did the impossible

I’m so excited to introduce you to a huge inspiration of mine, Megan Eddings - the founder of Accel Lifestyle, an eco-friendly, ethical activewear company. This video is a sneak peek of a full length 30 minute training inside Impossible Incubator.

Megan is a creative chemist who did something that people in the apparel industry thought was IMPOSSIBLE. She invented an anti-microbial fabric that doesn’t smell, even when you sweat in it - and what sets it apart from every other anti-microbial fabric is that STAYS that way. It doesn’t just work for the first few washes - it works FOREVER. But that's not even the only impossible thing she did - her entire brand is completely ethically made in the USA, zero sweatshops involved, AND is eco-friendly and plastic-free. Everyone told her there was no way she could make it 100% sweatshop free, but where there’s a will, there’s a way, so she did it!

Megan has won several business awards for her innovations, has been highlighted in Forbes magazine, and was a TOP 3 National Finalist in an Inc. Magazine competition.

May 24th is even proclaimed 'Megan Eddings Day' in Houston, Texas for her philanthropy work!

“Nothing is impossible. If they can do it, I can do it.”

What a superhero! Can we officially call her IMPOSSIGIRL?

Follow Megan on Instagram: @megand1431 and @accellifestyle

Thank you Megan for changing the world and inspiring me to keep trying to do the impossible. I can’t wait to get my hands on some Accel Lifestyle apparel!

Check out the rest of the interview inside Impossible Incubator!

Storytelling

The other day I had a card “pulled” for me from an oracle deck. I don’t personally believe in any divine input in this, but I think it’s fun to see what comes up and if it resonates with where you’re at in life (I feel the same way about astrology, doesn’t seem to be science-backed (open to hearing if you think it is!), but still fun to see if you fit the “sign” you are allocated.

So this “storytelling” card was the one I got. I really resonated with it, and so I wanted to talk share why.

The stories we tell ourselves are so powerful. If tell ourselves the story of how we are strong, resilient and destined for success, that’s what we’ll see. If we tell ourselves the story of how we are hopeless and doomed, that’s what we’ll see. We get to choose how we see each situation and the world.

For a long time, I had been telling myself the story that people don’t want to engage with my content. That people aren’t interested in me for me. I have completely changed that identity now. Now I’m telling myself the story of how I’m building my success, how people contact me because they’re interested in my work, I’m getting better each day, I’m working on myself, and each day just gets better and better.

What is the story you’re telling yourself?

Random Acts of Honesty

I got given this mindset journaling prompt by a coach: What would I be afraid for people to find out? Now go and share it.

Ahhhhh! That brings up SO many icky feelings. YES, I want to be honest and authentic, but on the internet, really? Do I have to? Yes. I’m challenging myself to share the stuff I don’t want to share for two reasons:

1. I hope it encourages you - by knowing that not everything is perfect in my life, I hope that you get strength from that and know that everything doesn’t have to be perfect for you to be amazing.

2. Because I don’t want to have any “secrets”. I want to feel FREE. If I share the truth about my life, then no one can expose me, right?

Okay, here’s to random acts of honesty:

• Even though I run my own business, I also do freelance work (social media management) on the side to ensure a stable income every month. In coaching, some months you’ve got lots of clients, and then sometimes you have none. It can be super scary. Before I got my freelance job, I spent a month wearing sunglasses inside because I’d broken my regular glasses and couldn’t afford a new pair because I didn’t have any clients that month. I even went to the movies and had to wear them, haha! I’ve casually mentioned it before that I do freelancing, but I’ve been scared to “announce” it, because I worry people won’t think I’m successful enough to hire me if I don’t earn a full time income as a coach. But I know I’m a great coach - and the number of clients I have month to month has nothing to do with my coaching skills, only my marketing skills (which I’ll admit, I need to work on!).

• One of my biggest fears is a media storm. When the Everest Film came out in 2015, there was this one article done about me, titled “Sarah Arnold-Hall: Where Is She Now?”. I’m scared that one day, someone is going to find my blog and my business and share it with the world before I feel “successful enough”. I’m afraid it will get international coverage like the last one, and I’ll have my half-done website and cringe YouTube videos broadcasted to the world before I have a chance to prove what I can really do. Kind of like if it were your first time painting a portrait in art class, and then halfway through, someone showed it to the whole school. You’d be like, “Wait! Don’t show everyone, it’s not ready yet! I can do better! Don’t judge me based off this!”. Haha - a silly example, but do you know what I mean?

• I compare myself to others success - not often (doing mindset work on it!), but when I do, it’s ugly! I’ve been procrastinating creating YouTube videos because I feel like my house isn’t “pretty enough” like other YouTubers. And if my house isn’t pretty enough, then people won’t think I’m successful enough… blah blah blah.” You know, it’s really interesting writing these out - I can see where I need to do more mindset work! I’ve spent the last 2 weeks irritated that our walls are painted Magnolia and not White. Of course, I won’t let it stop me long term, but it’s amazing how the silly details like comparing yourself to other people can make you procrastinate!

• Body confidence is a thing I’m working on, particularly on loving my beauty spots. I’ve spent at least the last 10 years disgusted that I have two brown spots on my cheek. I’ve tried loads of makeup to cover them up, always made sure to be photographed on my “good side” and spent far too much time analysing dermatologist websites to see if they can remove them. What a waste of time! It’s only in the last few months, after finally realising that I can’t get them removed without scarring that I’m trying to come to peace with them. I can hear how ridiculous this sounds as I’m writing it. There are people starving, and I’m worried about two marks on my face?! But the self confidence and body positivity movement doesn’t seem to include slim women and men. And I think faces should be included in the body positivity movement too!

• I get messages every single day from strangers grieving for me that I lost my dad. It’s the most bizarre experience to pick your phone up at breakfast, and lunch, and dinner and find that someone is sorry for your loss that happened 23 years ago, before you were born. It feels a bit like I’m attending a virtual funeral every time I open my DM’s. Sometimes there are even voice messages of people in floods of tears. 95% of the messages are from men, and at least 10% of them also contain a request to date/meet up. I’ve been proposed to 6 times on Instagram messenger. And one guy actually straight up told me we were getting married, he didn’t even ask. Haha! However, apart from the really weird messages, I do appreciate the love I receive, and I’m incredibly grateful for every kind and loving message. If you’ve ever sent one of those and I haven’t replied, it’s because I get hundreds of messages every week. You can show your support by engaging with my current content (and then I might reply!). I’ve been afraid to share this, because I don’t want people to think I’m not grateful. I just want you to know I’m happy and I don’t reply because I don’t want to talk about it with everyone all the time.

• I owe my boyfriend $2000. I feel like “debt” is something people don’t talk about enough. We hide it, because we are all trying to give off the appearance that we’ve got our entire lives together. I’m here to tell you that no one has it all together. And it’s okay if you have debt. It doesn’t make you a lesser person. It just means it’s time to learn to handle money better! (Guilty!)

• I’m afraid to talk about the Everest film online incase it defines me. Right now, people know me for that. I hope to become better known for who I am and what I do in the personal development world, that people find me for me and learn my history afterwards.

• I live in an apartment with other people! (Why is this so taboo? Sorry I don’t own a house at 23 haha!) When my partner Daniel and I moved to the UK, we had the option to rent a house to ourselves, or share a house with other people. We actually make a conscious decision to move in with other people, because we were afraid of becoming isolated (especially since I work from home all day in my business and as a freelancer). It costs the same to get a room in a flat in central Brighton as an entire 3 bedroom house in Cardiff.

• I’ve never had an alcoholic drink in my life. I went through 3 years of partying at University and never touched drugs, alcohol or cigarettes. I’m afraid of talking about it even though I KNOW it would help someone out there (would have really helped me to have more role models who didn’t drink!). I’ve had conversations before with people who judge me because they think I’m judging THEM for their actions by not drinking. But my decision not to drink has nothing to do with you. Most of my friends drink, and I don’t have a problem with that! But I still get embarrassed telling people I don’t drink sometimes. Working on it!

I think that’s enough truth serum for one day! I actually do feel a weight lifted of my chest. If you feel called to write your own Random Acts of Honesty, let me know! (I would love to not be the only one sharing her secrets on the internet!).