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Eric Belliveau • June 7, 2017

I’ve been out of competition for a year now, so I took some time to reflect on how my lifestyle has changed since then. The one glaring realization that I found was that I haven’t made a “championship game” for myself. Sure, I’ve accomplished things that got me to where I am now, but I no longer have that end goal, that last game where you leave it all on the field. I have nothing in sight to truly work towards - no playoffs, no end of season. My schedule used to revolve around my studies and lacrosse. I now no longer have either. Now I spend my time on my profession, clients, continuing education, and balancing it all.

This has brought me to my next thought - seasons. Athletes, whether it’s collegiate or professional, all have a schedule. Preseason, in-season, post season, off-season. Four extremely specific structured times of the year. Each season comes with a very specific style of training, not to mention varying time commitments and mindsets. I knew (or at least figured out) exactly what I should be doing, how hard I should be doing it, and when I should be “resting.” There is no guideline once those seasons stop. After speaking to some of my friends and teammates, I began to hear a common statement - without a schedule in their face, they feel lost. A lot of them mentioned they find it hard to motivate or create their own “seasons.” For so long they had to reconstruct their schedule to fit their athletic seasons. And yes, this was by choice.

When I hear people say they’re “in a slump,” I smile because I’ve said it too without even realizing what it really is.

The whole year filters through different levels of performance and rest. The same thing happens in life. It would be unhealthy and unproductive to be at your best at ALL times (aka how you perform in a playoff game). You would eventually burn out. It is crucial to know when you need to slow down and when to step it up. There is never a bad time to start and flip the switch to conform to your own structures, your own seasons. I realized I need to create that for myself.

When I hear people say they’re “in a slump,” I smile because I’ve said it too without even realizing what it really is. It’s just another expression for those who are refusing to do something about it. Be a badass and show up! It is up to you to determine your end goal and how you produce success and happiness in a well balanced lifestyle throughout the year. I came to realize it doesn’t matter where you are or what you’re doing, we choose to be busy.

We choose how we spend our day - every hour of it. Not just what we’re physically doing, but this includes how you spend time in your mind (your internal dialogue). All of it is in your control. So create the best schedule for yourself that you can. Wake up everyday asking yourself, what is next? How can you improve day to day, week to week, month to month. Create everyday battles that challenge you because life is about growth as well as failure. You need both to succeed and there is no way around it.

Find what drives you and create it. Every. Single. Day. Your season starts now, so what will it be?

The Meat Hangover

By Eric Belliveau • October 7, 2020
When it comes to taking meat out of your diet, some people have the idea that they will only see positive changes immediately following this choice. While those positive changes are definitely part of the deal, so is an adjustment period for your body.

We're Trying

By Eric Belliveau • September 23, 2020
We were all thrown on this crazy ride together. Emotions were running high but so were patience, empathy, inclusion, and respect. Most of us could rally behind the #WeAreInThisTogether manta. We wanted to do right by each other - donate to charities, lend a hand, check-in on one another. Do our part. As the days turn to weeks and the weeks into months these dispositions decayed rapidly. I know that this Quarantine order has been going on for a long time. I know that a great number of us do not agree on the why. I know an even greater number of us are “over it”. I am painfully aware of the difference of opinions surrounding the pandemic. It is impossible to NOT be aware of this. This leads us all to frustration, anger, resentment, and the feeling that you are not being heard. Very real and very human emotions! It is okay to feel this way. I am not only writing this from the perspective of a fellow struggling human. I do find myself struggling with everything I mentioned above. Not just daily but multiple times a day. My ability to focus has been challenged by my worry. My ability to create time for myself and focus on self-care has been derailed for fear of other things becoming more pressing. I work on this every day. I am not only writing this from the perspective of one of the business owners who were never given a playbook for this. For weeks on end I thought WTF happened to the business and how would our model need to change and remain viable, how each business owner had to either weather a period in which we were completely shut down or allowed to operate under capacity restrictions, etc. The unknown of what the timeline would bring and whether we would be able to continue our dreams or make an extremely difficult decision of not continuing. This still haunts every one of us daily. I AM very much writing this as a service provider! I am writing this as an impassioned human who genuinely loves what I do for a living. I feel incredibly lucky to be able to have built a career surrounding something I get excited about every day. I am making a stand for all of us that make their living in the service industry. To the receptionist, hostess, waiter, cook, dry cleaner, teacher, technician, barista, utility worker, automobile service technician… It is truly impossible to be inclusive of everyone here.  No one human mentioned above asked for this ‘situation’ we are in. We are sure as hell trying to provide a level of normalcy, service, care, and happiness to the lives in which we choose to serve. With added restrictions, added expense decreased capacity and the fear of being fined or shut down for doing it incorrectly, everyday.

The Meat Hangover

By Eric Belliveau • October 7, 2020
When it comes to taking meat out of your diet, some people have the idea that they will only see positive changes immediately following this choice. While those positive changes are definitely part of the deal, so is an adjustment period for your body.

We're Trying

By Eric Belliveau • September 23, 2020
We were all thrown on this crazy ride together. Emotions were running high but so were patience, empathy, inclusion, and respect. Most of us could rally behind the #WeAreInThisTogether manta. We wanted to do right by each other - donate to charities, lend a hand, check-in on one another. Do our part. As the days turn to weeks and the weeks into months these dispositions decayed rapidly. I know that this Quarantine order has been going on for a long time. I know that a great number of us do not agree on the why. I know an even greater number of us are “over it”. I am painfully aware of the difference of opinions surrounding the pandemic. It is impossible to NOT be aware of this. This leads us all to frustration, anger, resentment, and the feeling that you are not being heard. Very real and very human emotions! It is okay to feel this way. I am not only writing this from the perspective of a fellow struggling human. I do find myself struggling with everything I mentioned above. Not just daily but multiple times a day. My ability to focus has been challenged by my worry. My ability to create time for myself and focus on self-care has been derailed for fear of other things becoming more pressing. I work on this every day. I am not only writing this from the perspective of one of the business owners who were never given a playbook for this. For weeks on end I thought WTF happened to the business and how would our model need to change and remain viable, how each business owner had to either weather a period in which we were completely shut down or allowed to operate under capacity restrictions, etc. The unknown of what the timeline would bring and whether we would be able to continue our dreams or make an extremely difficult decision of not continuing. This still haunts every one of us daily. I AM very much writing this as a service provider! I am writing this as an impassioned human who genuinely loves what I do for a living. I feel incredibly lucky to be able to have built a career surrounding something I get excited about every day. I am making a stand for all of us that make their living in the service industry. To the receptionist, hostess, waiter, cook, dry cleaner, teacher, technician, barista, utility worker, automobile service technician… It is truly impossible to be inclusive of everyone here.  No one human mentioned above asked for this ‘situation’ we are in. We are sure as hell trying to provide a level of normalcy, service, care, and happiness to the lives in which we choose to serve. With added restrictions, added expense decreased capacity and the fear of being fined or shut down for doing it incorrectly, everyday.
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