Starting the Journey Over

You were meant to do great things.  This doesn't mean that you were born with the ability to achieve those great things.  We do not just innately have all the habits, skills and knowledge we need to succeed.  Often times we need to hone in our skills and grow as a person.  And, I mean continually grow as a person.  Doing great things is not easy.  Just because we are meant for more doesn't mean we just get to have more or achieve more.  We do still have to earn it.  We have to show up every single day.  We have to develop ourselves.  I committed to reading a book a month to help myself grow personally and professionally.  Right now I am reading High Performance Habits  by Brendon Burchard.  There is an assessment that goes along with this book that I highly recommend taking.  Go to highperformanceindicator.com .  This is one way you can work on achieving those great things.  After taking the assessment, if...

I apologize in advance, and I urge and encourage you to read it.  This may seem harsh, but I find myself wondering why we sugar coat things so often.  Excuses... We all make them.  Excuses are our crutch, our "reasons" why we can't be as successful as we want.  I heard something recently that has stuck with me.  I listened to people giving examples of things we get told in helping people live healthy lives.  It is  common that some people disappear on their wellness coaches, personal trainers and life coaches for time spans.  Many times they come back.  The discussion was on what we hear when people come back, and the responses that could be said but often aren't. I will give you a few examples.  1.  "I'm back!"       "Where did you go?" 2.  "I've fallen off the wagon?"      "What wagon?" 3.  "I'm standing in my own way."      "Are there more than one of you?" 4.  ...

Others have gone before you.  They have tried and failed.  They have continued trying and persevered.  So, why do we try to figure it out all on our own?  I have been there.  I have tried and failed at things and persevered at others.  I have also learned to lean on others expertise when I am struggling or trying something new. An example of this happened this past May.  My normal lifestyle is low carb which is not how most endurance athletes live their lives or fuel for races.  My body does not process carbs well due to a liver disorder I have.  Many illnesses also feed off of sugars.  These two items have led me to making a choice to have the nutrition lifestyle I do.  That being said, it is difficult to find fuel sources for endurance races that are not extremely high in carbs.  I could have just thrown in the towel and used carbs or tried a bunch of different things.  Instead, my coach and I started researching....

There is a recurring word that I keep hearing lately in several different avenues in my life.  Grit.  It has me really looking at my life.  Do I have Grit?  Do I have what it takes to succeed and achieve the goals I have set for myself?  It's a tough question to ask yourself.  Take a look at what you want to achieve.  Do you have the Grit necessary to persevere? My answer is a resounding YES for myself.  I have been through a lot in life.  Yes, some of what I have been through has been due to the choices I made in my life for myself.  And yes again, some has been due to things others have put me through.  No matter the cause of the struggle, the outcome has been the same.  I have risen to the occasion and pushed through.  If I had asked myself this question a few years back, my answer may have been different.  I didn't have the belief in myself that I could rise above.  I now know without a doubt that I have Gr...

It's time to challenge yourself.  Whether the challenge is physical or mental, it is time to step up your game.  Summer has come to an end, and routines are changing over the course of the next couple weeks.  How did you spend your summer?  Were you a weekend warrior or a weekend partier?  Both have their different rewards and pitfalls.  Did you grow as a person?  Think about your summer.  There is no wrong answer.  You spent your summer living life the way you wanted to for those few months.  But... now what? Did the summer fun take you off course from some of your goals?  With kiddos everywhere starting their new routines, it is a great time for you to start too!  What area do you want to challenge yourself in first?  Do you want to work on personal growth or maybe your health?  Maybe there is something you've always wanted to try, but have never done.  I keep looking for new challenges to take me further. ...

Are you waiting?  If this happens, then I will do this...  Are you living and if, then life?  I used to live this life.  I kept waiting for the next turn, the next big moment to make changes.  Honestly, I was waiting to live my life.  I though I would be happy if...  I will make a career change if...  I will start this new venture if...  My life was a series of ifs and the thens never happened.  This was my norm.  I thought this was how everyone lived.  I was so wrong and so unfulfilled. I found myself researching by watching others lives, not in a jealousy sort of way, but a curiosity sort of way.  How were they living?  I looked at people who I wanted my life to be a bit more like theirs than my current situation was.  What were they doing different?  They were living.  I mean really living.  They were present in the moment, living their best life.  They were challenging themselves to the ...

This has been my day so far.  I have been crabby with this almost tight feeling throughout my body.  Do you ever have those days?  Well, this is not how I want my day to continue, so I am having a do-over.  I am starting my day over.  There is no reason to wait until tomorrow.  You may wonder just how I am accomplishing starting my day over (cuz believe I get it sometimes that feels impossible!).  Step 1 - Think about 5 things I have to be grateful for.   1. I have 4 wonderful children that allow me to be a very active on the go parent.   2.  The amazing man I get to spend my life with.   3.  A career that I truly love.   4.  My family that supports me through everything.   5.  My very closest friends that are my family by choice. Step 2 - Ask for help.  I asked someone dear to me to send me something to help me smile.  They know me well enough that the pictures were perfect! Step 3 - Sm...

How do you fill your time?  Do you have hobbies?  Do you have a routine?  I have been working on my habits lately, and it got me thinking.  What habits do I have that help me and what habits hurt me?  There is a lot I strive to do in this life, and how I spend my time will determine if I accomplish my dreams.  What do I do when I have down time?  What activities do I fill my days with? On my recent trip to Nashville, I got to hear Brendon Burchard talk about habits, hence my diligence in working on said habits.  Our success is tied to our habits.  This was something I had not thought about in a long time.  It was odd to me that I hadn't paid more attention to this.  It's actually pretty simple.  We only accomplish what we allow ourselves to accomplish.  When I look back over the last 10 years of my life, I have greatly changed my habits already.  I am not quite where I want or need to be, but I am definitely further...

It used to be a real struggle for me to overcome the things others would do to me that were hurtful.  The pain would make a cozy place in my heart and tear me apart.   I would feel a tightness in my chest, a true physical pain for the emotional pain I was feeling.  I spent the better part of a year feeling this way when I realized something had to give.  I couldn't keep holding onto the pain, but I didn't know what to do with it or how to change my frame of reference.  It was eating me up.  It was time to figure out a new way. I recently heard the following saying, "Drop it.  Leave it.  Let it go."  This resonated with me.  (I even have the saying framed in my office.)  We can let the hurt consume us,  or we can make a decision to let it go.  I know this seems tough, but it is a lot easier to let it go and move forward than to carry it with you.  We may never get resolution on what is happening, or the people m...