The Cost of Living Reactively

Jess explains how constant firefighting blocks meaningful change and why reflection matters.

Play episode from 02:31

chevron_right

Transcript

chevron_right

Transcript

Episode notes

Week two of the Stay at the Top Summer Reset series is about lifting your head up and looking forward.

In this episode, I share why holidays and downtime are often overlooked as one of the most powerful opportunities to build new habits. Not because life is perfectly structured, but because there is finally space. Less pressure. More capacity to think, reflect and experiment.

This conversation is especially relevant if the year has felt reactive, fast paced or like you have been running just to keep up. When you are constantly firefighting, meaningful change feels almost impossible. This episode is designed to help you step out of survival mode and into a more proactive way of operating for the season ahead.

Rather than overhauling your life or adding more to your plate, I introduce three simple questions that help you recalibrate and get clear on how you want to show up in 2026.

In this episode, I cover:

- Why holidays can be a powerful runway rather than a pause

- The cost of living in reactive mode for too long

- Why overhauling everything at once rarely works

- The role of identity in sustainable behaviour change

- How to use reflection to get ahead before January begins

- The importance of progress over perfection

- Why capacity and context matter when changing habits

- How to start embedding habits now rather than waiting for the new year

Key Quotes:

“You do not need a new version of yourself. You need to recalibrate.”

“Clarity beats complexity.”