IT'S OK TO SAY NO!

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Oh, hi Over The Influencers!

I wanted to update you first about my London Marathon training and the decision I've taken. You may or may not know I absolutely hate everything about running, always have and probably always will. But it was one of the new things I tried in my early days of sobriety in my quest to always 'do something different'.

Saturday morning Park Runs at 09:00 were exhilarating (if you're thinking about trying your local one - just do it. They're superb) and early morning sunrises by the coast literally took my breath away. But it wasn't all Insta worthy backdrops and personal triumphs.

I broke down and cried after a self imposed half marathon training run which took me to the car park of the family business we'd lost just a few months earlier. I just lost my shit with it all - but kept going and going and going. Looking back now I'm almost relieved I made myself run through such an awful time because had I been drinking I don't know where I'd be today.

I've already digressed - you know me, I like to chat!

I've decided to defer my London Marathon place for this coming October.

When I first signed up to run this with friends for charity I was in a very different place with my personal life, prior to a global pandemic ruining everyone's plans and affecting just about every aspect of our lives.

One of my mantra's is that I refuse to do absolutely anything half arsed. My drinking was full on, my NOT drinking was full on, the launch of our podcast and subsequently this wonderful community was full on, family life and work is full on and the marathon training needs to be full on too.

I can't do it. It's not that I can't run - I can. I know that by choosing to be alcohol free I can do absolutely anything.

But what I can't do right now is give it my full arse.

I'm working full time as a radio presenter, which is literally the job of my dreams, alongside sorting this bunch at home daily and launching the world's best* sober social media platform for the best sober lone rangers in all of the land with Ben & Freddie.

I've realised I can't do it all. So it's OK to say no. Not now.

It's how I tackled stopping drinking alcohol in the very early days. I simply said no. I refused invites out. I said no to 'just one'. I refused to answer people when they asked me when I'd be drinking again. And I kept saying no to myself daily.

It worked.

Last week I told my fund-raising team it had to be a no from me, for now. They were supportive and totally understood. I'd been worrying about it all for weeks.

It's ok to put yourself first, it's ok to be selfish and do what works for you and sometimes it's essential to say no.

I feel like a weight has been lifted, I feel relieved and I feel like I've done exactly the right thing for me.

That's exactly the feeling when you choose to remove booze from your life too.

Happy Sunday and here's to another AF week of positivity, progress and laughter!

Shaz x

*probably