Winters used to be my check-out season. Every year, like clockwork, I’d enter hibernation mode—avoiding people, losing motivation, and convincing myself that resting meant doing nothing at all. But this year? This year, I decided to rewrite my winter narrative. Enter: my Winter Arc.
I stumbled across the idea of a Winter Arc on Instagram and YouTube a couple of months ago. The concept? Treat the last 90 days of the year as a personal growth challenge. It hit me: Why wait for January to care about progress? Why not now? And honestly, I’ve never felt more alive during what’s usually my lowest-energy time of the year.
Here’s how I turned my Winter Arc into a season of growth, motivation, and lowkey glow-up vibes:
Reflect + Plan: Setting the Stage
Before I jumped into “doing,” I took a beat to reflect and plan. I’m not talking about a vague mental checklist; I went deep. In uni, I used to set semester-long goals because my life naturally ran on that schedule. Now, as a digital nomad and business owner, I break things into quarters. This shift helps me stay focused without burning out.
For this arc, I turned to the Harada Method (shoutout to Shohei Otani for the inspo). It’s all about shaping your life holistically—career, relationships, health, everything. This method gave me clarity on the bigger picture instead of getting stuck in the “just this year” mindset.
Oh, and journaling? A lifesaver. Writing down my goals and tracking my progress helped me stay honest and accountable.
Building the Challenge
I needed something tangible to keep me motivated, so I signed up for a half marathon. Yep, the girl who barely ran last year decided to run through winter. Having that deadline gave me structure—and a little fear of failure, which was just the push I needed. Either I’d waste money on the entry fee, or I’d push through and finish strong.
Health and fitness became my big Winter Arc focus, along with boosting my productivity. I realized that by taking care of my body, I naturally felt more energized to tackle everything else.
Staying Motivated
Let’s be real: staying motivated isn’t always cute or fun. But here’s what worked for me:
- Content That Inspires: Lena Lifts and Wizard Liz on YouTube have been my go-to. Their no-BS content hits just right when I’m cleaning, running, or need a pep talk.
- Journaling as Proof: When progress feels invisible, I reread my old entries. Seeing how far I’ve come is the biggest reality check—and a reminder that my anxiety often blows things out of proportion.
- Silencing the Negative Voice: Every time my brain whispers, “It’s fine to skip today,” I clap back. Literally, I tell myself, “Shut up, you don’t want me to win.” It sounds silly, but it works.
- Positive People, Positive Vibes: My time in Bali was a huge boost to my Winter Arc. If you’ve read my Bali check-in blogs, you already know: the energy there is unreal. Surrounding myself with people actively pursuing their fitness and business goals made such a difference. Everyone was so driven, and that drive rubbed off on me.
What I’ve Learned
This Winter Arc has taught me so much about discipline, integrity, and self-trust. A year ago, I’d maybe run 20km total. Now, I casually knock out a 10k on a Sunday. That growth isn’t just physical—it’s proof that I can stick to what I say I’ll do.
There’s something amazing about waking up excited, knowing I’m showing up for myself. And at the end of the day, I go to bed feeling peaceful, knowing I’ve taken care of me.
Your Sign to Start
If you’ve been waiting for a sign to kick off your Winter Arc, this is it. Winter isn’t over yet, and there’s so much you can accomplish before the year wraps up.
If you’re already on this journey, I’d love to hear about it—DM me on IG, and let’s swap progress stories.
Let’s make this winter the one we look back on and say, “That’s when everything changed.”
