What if you confidently and firmly decided to make the change you’ve been wanting to make?

Let's dive into confidently and firmly deciding to make a change!

It’s been just over a year since I quit drinking alcohol. I didn’t have a problem with it and was already a light drinker (though I drank way too much in my younger years).

There were a few reasons—making healthier choices, being mindful of the example I wanted to set for my kids, and a family history of addiction. Mostly, though, alcohol just lost its joy for me.

It no longer served a purpose or aligned with who I wanted to be.

In the months leading up to quitting, I often found myself debating whether to have a drink when out with friends or at the end of the workweek. I’d overthink it and expend mental energy.

Most of the time, I didn’t really want one, but I felt the social pressure or was in the habit of having a drink.

Then, one day last September, I had a thought: What if I just stop altogether? In that moment, I confidently and firmly decided: I am no longer a drinker!

From then on, my choices became clear. Since I’m no longer a drinker, there was no more debating whether to have a drink.

This was an identity shift, like choosing a new badge to wear.

It freed up mental energy. I stressed less. I made quicker and easier choices—all from changing the starting place I was operating from.

There have been times this past year when I wanted a drink, but I came back to: I am not a drinker, so what would I do?

When you shift the place you operate from, these everyday choices become easier.

You make quicker, meaningful change—because you're deciding upfront what's right for you. It puts you back in the driver's seat, in control of your choices and direction.

You free up mental energy you used to spend debating and overthinking what to do. And you'll feel less stressed and more confident in how to move forward.

The key is this internal decision must be aligned with what you truly want and value—not what you think you ‘should’ do.

A bigger shift like this isn’t about huge, sweeping changes—it’s about making an internal decision about who you want to be and how you want to operate.

Think about it:

• Are you a busy, burned-out leader or a balanced leader?

• An impatient, distracted parent or a kind, present parent?

• Someone who doesn’t have enough time for everything, or someone who makes time for what really matters?

When you change your starting point, your choices become clearer.

Looking back on any meaningful change in my life, it never truly happened until I made an internal, firm decision.

What if you confidently and firmly decided to make a change you’ve wanted to make—big or small? Be bold!

Put your line in the sand and trust you'll figure it out.

And when you need to make a choice or get off track, ask yourself, ‘If I am being _______________, what would I do?’

Stop overthinking it and make choices from THAT place! Your future self will thank you.

What’s next? Get your copy of Your Balanced and Bold Life: Work Less, Live More, and Be Your Best, available on Amazon and other major online retailers, or visit www.staceyolson.ca/book.

This book will guide you to be happier, balanced, and successful—whatever that looks like for YOU!