Are you searching for more positivity? Needing to authentically check in with yourself to see how you actually feel? Are you stuck in negative loops and can’t entirely break the spiral? The Shift is here to help you gain positive insights and invite intentionality into your days.
The Shift is something I developed to help me access positivity and intentional living in my daily life. Once I realized The Shift’s potential, I started sharing this with my coaching clients and other audiences. I’m sharing it here to help you Shift your thinking, invite positivity in, and bring intentional joy and thoughts into your life.
Buckle up; we’re about to get our SHIFT together, babes.
First, the SHIFT is an acronym; each letter represents an idea that will help guide your actions. Each item can be taken separately, but it is more powerful as a whole.
S - Service.
Service is at the core of what we all do. Whether we realize it or not, we all serve and show up for others daily. Service is centered at work, at home, or in our relationships. While some areas of life and work are more service-oriented, we must recognize that we spend much time serving others. However, when was the last time you served yourself as well?
Surely, you’ve heard the phrase, “You can’t pour from an empty cup.” Yet this narrative still exists in our world and thus in our minds that it’s selfish to serve ourselves. Simply put, it is okay to serve yourself and to do the things that bring you joy, aliveness, and a clear sense of purpose. When you serve from a fulfilled place compared to a depleted energy source, your service to others hits differently.
H - How Do I Feel/What Do I Need?
I ask myself these two questions throughout my day and at various times. Additionally, if you’ve ever been in my FireCycle Abilene class, you’ve likely heard me ask you this during the ride.
Let these two questions fuel your day. When I say, ” Let it fuel your day,” I mean to let it FUEL your day. Giving yourself 30 seconds to check in authentically and unapologetically can give you permission to redirect or reset your day. Need help remembering to ask yourself these questions throughout the day? Here’s a pro tip: set recurring reminders/alarms on your phone or smartwatch to alert you throughout the day. However, honor them when they get your attention by pausing and taking a moment (yes, five seconds counts) to reflect.
I - Intention.
An intention is a purpose or goal that you’ve chosen to experience. Intentions are your guideposts to help you get to where you want to be and how you want to feel. Similar to checking in with yourself, an intention is something you can do multiple times a day. Before work, lunch, a meeting, or your workout. In school pick-up lines and before evening time with your spouse or family, intentions are a great way to focus on how you want to show up and feel in the upcoming moment.
Intentions can be in the form of affirmations or focus on how you want to feel. To develop affirmations, fill in the blank “I am ________.” To make your intentions more feeling-focused, complete the phrase, “At this moment, I want to feel _________,” or, “Today I will feel ________.” Be as specific as you can with your intentions.
Pro-tip: Repeat them multiple times to internalize them or even jot them on sticky notes or in your Notes app on your phone, where you can keep them safe. Another great way is to stop and pause and set an intention before you close out one part of your day and enter another (like getting out of your car and returning from work before walking in the door to your home).
F - Fun.
This one is extra cheesy, I know. But it’s a crucial one. The Shift’s challenge to you is to find one thing per day (minimum) that is fun for you. It's not fun for your kids, spouse, co-workers, or friends…but fun for you. I know “fun” can be a loose term for many, but give yourself something to look forward to each day. This can be your favorite afternoon pick-me-up coffee or smoothie order, coveted quiet time, indoor cycling class (hey, I know a place), or anything that gives you something to look forward to.
Similar to those right turns on the resistance knob, big or small - make it count. Find your one fun thing. It doesn’t have to be the same fun thing each day; I’d encourage you to switch it up to account for spontaneity and keep it exciting. Once you have your one thing (minimum), protect it at all costs. It is precious and yours; be fiercely protective of your one thing and honor it with all you’ve got. You’d be surprised by how riveting it is to look forward to one thing.
T - Time.
Time is a nonrenewable resource we all have. While we sometimes wish we had more time, we often need to look at where we are already spending our time. Where are you spending your time? Who are you spending your time with? How are you spending your time?
Perhaps you’ve heard that “you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” While this can account for your immediate social circles, it also accounts for your digital surroundings. Are you spending precious time consuming, draining content and following accounts that are not conducive to your positivity and energy? Setting yourself up to live a more positive and intentional life requires surrounding yourself with positivity in your online and in your personal life.
T - Thoughts.
Admittedly, this is a bonus, but it had to be there to help you recognize the power of your thoughts - the good, the bad, and all the ones in between. While positivity is very often a choice you can make, it’s vital that we don’t neglect the imminent “downtimes” we face occasionally. Honoring ourselves when we feel negative or down is also essential and cannot be dismissed.
When we are facedown in a negative thought loop, it can be powerful to remember that you are not your thoughts. In fact, you are simply the thinker of your thoughts. Give yourself space and time to honor how you are feeling, and if you uncover any unhelpful thoughts, I find it helpful to write them down in a journal or in the Notes app on my phone. I also encourage my clients to be unapologetic in how they write them down and look at them from afar. This creates distance between you and your thoughts and allows you to decide where these thoughts are coming from and if they harbor any truth.
At the end of the day, whether on or off the bike, SHIFT can help identify wh
en it is time to level up or when simply showing up and clipping in is the win. Implementing the SHIFT will be a journey. It will look different for you than it does for me. Make it work for you, and let yourself dive deeper into any areas you want to explore, including that resistance knob. The Shift is not “all or nothing.” Understanding this can help you approach yourself gracefully, both within the four walls at FireCycle Abilene and outside it. You got this, babe.
About Nina:
When Nina is not jamming on a bike with you here at FireCycle Abilene, she is a Wellness and Mindset Coach. Nina’s mission is to help women on the back burner find and shine their light again, and she works with clients 1:1 to achieve their optimal wellness by going inward to go upward. If you are interested in working with Nina as a 1:1 Coach, you can learn more about her, her coaching styles, and other services at www.ninarosepena.com
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