How did I put on so much weight? Why was I feeling like I was exhausted every minute of the day? And what did all that money get spent on?

These were just some of the questions I kept asking myself on a monthly, if not weekly basis, during my mid-20s. It felt as if there were choices being made without my consent and that the pace of living in a big city like London was one of the many things to blame!

If so, I was merely just existing day-to-day and week-to-week rather than feeling like I was living on purpose, where I could be in the control seat. This is certainly no good way to live and the feeling can be overwhelming. What I didn’t realise back then until I began to feel the most energetic I’ve ever felt (doing more in the same 24 hours that you and I both have), was that one of the greatest, most powerful steps there is towards change is awareness.

If you are truly serious about achieving all those grand visions you have for yourself this year, it is essential to raise your awareness and consciousness around the choices leading you towards/away from where you want to be.

And this is where the exercise of tracking comes in, because it can be somewhat difficult to manage or improve something if you can’t measure it!

As I began tracking every bite of food I ate, what I spent my time doing every hour I was awake and every penny that left my bank account, I was literally blown away by what I was observing. Simultaneously, I became infinitely more conscious about the everyday decisions I was making.

I questioned whether I wanted to spend those spare hours sat on a sofa watching yet another TV series or getting myself out of the house and feeling the benefits of regular workouts. Whether I should be splashing the cash on expanding my wardrobe collection or investing in personal development books and attending events to grow both my knowledge and network. And so on.

In fact, I was now making a conscious effort to make smarter, better decisions.

You see, as you become more aware of the decisions you’ve been making, you will start to notice a shift in the way you show up in life. This is the magic of tracking and what this inevitably results in, are winning habits. Habits that will accelerate your journey from where you are to where you want to be.

It’s what happens when you stop blaming everyone and everything, and accept that you are responsible for exactly where you are today and the situation you are in.

So as we begin a new week, I want you to carry a small notepad with you and track an area of your life that you would like to improve.

If you’ve found it difficult to save a meaningful amount of money from month-to-month for example, the first thing you will want to track is where that money is going. Each time you swipe that card or empty your wallet of its change, I want you to take just a few seconds to track where it went. Do this activity for at least four weeks and notice what you notice.

Remember… every decision – no matter how small – can alter the trajectory of your life.

Here’s to being more aware about the choices you make on a daily basis!