Tag: just do it

Hit a goal

This was an entry I had written March 25th and realized never got published for some reason. I feel like it was good for me to have to reread especially with where we are now. It was a good reminder for the accomplishments I have had and what will come again someday.

Its truly amazing what three months, 90 days of intense focus on something can do for you and your life. It can be any goal. Mine just happened to be a goal to lean up to where I was before I had my son. January of this year I realized I had one month before my son turned 1. And even though I had lost all of my “weight” I had gained through the pregnancy, I had not lost all of the “fat” I gained through the pregnancy. See if you know anything about health and fitness, there is a huge difference between 5 pounds of fat and 5 pounds of muscle. I don’t know about you, but I want more muscle than I do fat. Yet our society teaches us to get on the scale and watch the pounds drop, which the reality of what they are teaching us is incorrect. We should be more concerned about how many inches we are shredding vs pounds.

Now I get if you are starting out a healthy lifestyle change for the sake of your health and you’ve got about 50-100 lbs to lose, its important to lose weight, I understand that. But if you are like me, I am at a point where I don’t expect much weight to be lost anymore. My focus is to lean up, because in getting leaner I know I will be able to perform and focus better and have more energy and strength.

Jan. 1st, I decided to be intentional with the products I was already taking, stop telling myself I deserve to eat sweets on a nightly basis, and implement intentional exercise time. Now guys, my exercise time, if I was lucky would be anywhere from 15 minutes to 30 minutes. I had a video I did at home, where I could tend to my baby boy if I needed to. ITS NOT THAT HARD. If you truly want something you will make it a priority. Secondly, I learned this recently and I love the way a friend put this, “You can have the best products and supplements to take in the whole entire would, and they still not work for you if you are properly taking them, eating correct (yes with Advocare we do eat real food) and proper exercise.” That was me through this past year with my son. I was taking my products which helped me lose the weight, but I was beginning to eat poorly again and I was making excuses not to workout daily (I mean come on, a new born is a good excuse right?). 2014 came and I said enough is enough, 24 days lets be intentional. So I was…. and I was shocked at my before and after pictures. After seeing those pictures, I realized I wanted to keep going and monthly take another picture.

My second after picture came and during this month I was doing hot yoga anywhere from 2-4 times a week and at the end of the month I started to gear up to teach Zumba classes again. The third picture came and I had done another 10 day cleanse (after a 4 day trip to Texas and fast food eating, my body just was not happy with me so I did another cleanse sooner than what I normally do), and I was teaching Zumba classes 2 times a week and adding my CU24 workout DVD that I can put in at home on the other days.

Just this past weekend, I was at a friends house who we both have been on a healthy lifestyle journey and she had gone shopping with her mom to get new clothes. She was happy to tell me that she is now to a size 6 jeans (she also had a little boy two months after I did). The minute we got into her house she threw one of the pairs of jeans at me and said “Try them on and see if they fit you.”

The moment came in what would you know, I am down into a size 6 in womens. When I began this journey in January, a size 10/11 was getting a little baggy on me in slacks, and a 10 in jeans was comfortable.

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If the world was one big machine

My family and I watched this movie last night. And after watching this scene I leap at the thought that there are still little seeds like this in children’s movies.
While the movie is about adventure, hope, and unlocking many answers, this clip has a tail of its own. One I personally treasure dearly.
“He’s got real, purpose.”
This is a big statement for a child. How can looking at the gentleman a child see the word “purpose” in him? And what makes him not see it in the toy owner, but rather a sadness and bitterness? I believe, as well as there are many studies to prove it, that when you have “purpose” in life, you are more lively. Every day starts with joy in your eyes, because you are doing something you are passion about. You are going to work every day inspired, or you simply have desire in you to change the lives around you. There is a determination that comes when you are in the direction of your purpose.
“Everything has a purpose, even machines…. They do what they are MEANT to do.”

What in life are you meant to do? Are you like the Liberian or the Toy store owner?
“Maybe its the same with people. If you lose your purpose, it’s like you’re broken.”
Finding purpose in life is like unlocking a source of strength you never knew you had before. There is a fight that comes out of people to achieve these purposes.

One thing I do see hinted at, at one point of the clip, is them looking to their parents. “It’s what my father did.” “Maybe if I had known my parents, I would know my purpose.”
Parents- do you see the significance right there? While this might be a fiction novel (now created into a film) there is truth in this piece. Your children are watching you. Your children are looking initially for their purpose through you because that’s who they know. Whether we all got the memo or not, I believe we, as parents, need to be the example of seeking purpose and dreams in our own lives and then showing our kids the way of seeking theirs. Its not about them doing the same thing we are, but more about us being the example of going after our own dreams and helping them see the journey there.

The following scene I love almost as much as the first. Hugo begins to explain to his friend his perspective. “I use to imagine the world as one big machine. Machines don’t ever come with extra parts you know. They come with exactly what they need. So I figured, if the world was one big machine, I couldn’t be an extra part. I HAVE to be here for some reason.”

Your purpose isn’t something I believe you have a clear sentence to state by the age of 10, 20 or even 30. If you watch the movie, Hugo’s drive lead to one thing and then to another and another. By the end of the movie, if he had kept a journal and looked back I’m sure the words out of his mouth would have been “I would have never expected myself to be here today.” That’s the joy and the heart ache of a purpose. Most people see your purpose as something you need to have clearly uncovered before going after it. What purpose really means is having a desire for something and with action, taking a few steps and allowing those steps to open new doors. You, of course, have to have A direction. Example: All Hugo wanted to do is fix this robot because it was the thing he and his Father were working on before he died. He believes inside the robot is a hidden message from his Dad, but what he finds turns into a whole other adventure of its own.

My purpose still isn’t the clearest of day, but there is a innate desire in me every single day for “more”. I can’t always tell you what more is but every day I am searching for it. It’s enough of a disgust daily to get me to move closer and closer to more research and more action steps on a daily basis. I have a desire to do and be more in my life. Yes THAT IS SO VAUGE. But like Hugo in this scene, all he say’s is “I have to be here for some reason.” He doesn’t explain the reason. He just says there has to be more. And he searches for it.

Don’t lose hope and don’t lose sight in your circumstances. Think of the world as one giant machine, and remember, no machine has extra parts. You are a value piece to complete the master piece.

A fresh start

I want to lay a lot of things out this morning, because I am declaring that today is a new day and the start of a new beginning.

My husband and I pick up his mustang yesterday. After a month of it not working, they finally found the simple problem. Get this- it didn’t require buying any new parts (though through this time Jeff did get a lot of things that needed fixed in the vehicle fixed, because he thought they were the problem). No something got loose in the carburetor and that’s why the mustang wasn’t wanting to start. Crazy huh?

I saw that as a turning point. Sure the van wheel that we just got put on, is loose and is going to be fixed today. Sure, yesterday Jeff’s check was incorrect and we didn’t get as much as we expected. BUT, I am declaring that we are coming on the other side of this. Because I feel this way today, I want to get some personal goals back in check.

This last month due to everything going on:
– We ate pizza twice for dinner and other nights it was quick fix meals, such as box dinners that I haven’t had since I was a kid (P.s- that may seems normal in some families, but in ours, we never do that).
-Exercising has gone out the window because I haven’t had enough time since all of the “all the sudden” events we have had.
-My reading both in the Bible and in Leadership books have been nonexistent. Again, no time for them and by the end of the night sleep is the only thing I want to tackle.
-Our business has been put on hold. No time lately and by the end of the night we realize we didn’t get to it.
-My work, period has been delayed every single day. Due to multiple different reasons.
-Cleaning has kind of gotten done. But sometimes when I have a spare moment I have chosen to do something mindless like play a game, instead of mindlessly clean or folding laundry.

All that to be said, I’m a little ashamed of my choices. I know that we have been through a lot in the last 5 weeks BUT, I can still do better. Time to get my daily routine back in check. And if that means going to bed late, waking up early, taking Max E and drinking lots of Advocare Spark throughout the day, than so be it.

72 day challenge continue to flow through my mind today. So I’m taking that as a hint. The beginning of this year, after I had Jonathan, I put myself on a 72 day challenge. Advocare had this challenge for fitness purposes, but I also chose to do it and add focus with personal growth and getting back on track with everything else. While at the same time learning to have a baby in my life. Now I’m thinking I need to do another to head out of 2013 with a bang!

I already checked the date and if I started it today, I would be ending it on December 1st. What if, I put my blinders on for 72 days and work hard each day? By Christmas season, what if I would be down 10-15 more pounds, got my toning back, got work back on track, tackle more debt, have a better vehicle (I don’t want to drive this van forever. We after all, just sold my Toyota because it died on us), accomplish my goal of 30 books in a year, found better quick and healthy ideas for dinners, got ourselves back up to making 2,000 part-time with our business AND gave the family a better Christmas than what they had last year? What if? What if I only accomplish half of my goals, would it still be worth it.

Absolutely =D

So right now I’m going to make a list of things I want, and things I’m willing to sacrifice to get them. Who knows, maybe my next entry, I will give you an idea of my commitment to these next 72 days. All I know is, if nothing changes, nothing changes. And something needs to change =)

Love,
Daughter of the Most High