One day at a time…one workout at a time… showing up consistently day after day… now this is what leads to achievement and success no matter what area of your life we are talking about ?
Today, I just wrapped up day #90 of a 91 day fitness challenge and am feeling very accomplished and motivated to do more!! Some days it was hard to show up…sick kids, illness, busy lives, fractured toe, hand with torn ligaments, fatigue, soreness…all of these things can happen, but if you are determined enough not to let them interfere with your goals, then you will find a way to get things done. When the determination is strong enough, then really no excuse is valid.
One last day tomorrow of stretching and recovery then am starting the next 8-week challenge of a body beast / insanity Max 30 hybrid. Man, it looks like it is going to be tough, but it is going to be worth it! The feeling of achievement in accomplishing a goal is like no other!
Now to plan out the reward for completing this 91-day fitness challenge…I think perhaps a spa day is in order!??
Do you have a plan to achieve your goals? Would you like some help with goal setting that works? Feel free to contact me for help or if you have questions!
I remember being so tired and sore that I could hardly get moving in the morning! Nagging knee and back pain that prevented me from doing the things that I wanted to do! It was so annoying!!
I am so thankful that I got a coach and joined a health movement that got me fired up, motivated, 40 pounds less and totally energized for life again!!
Today, I did a 25 min killer HIIT workout and felt so amazing afterwards!! Feeling so grateful today that I made the decision to get fit and healthy…totally transformed my life!!??
Yes it is possible for even a granny like me to get abs!!
Working at strengthening and toning the belly muscles like a beast as well as staying away from processed and junk food makes all the difference!! My goal is to have flat toned abs and be rid of this puffy muffin top by the time my 91 day challenge is over…I know I can do it! I am a dang determined granny with a vision anyways…LOL
Determination and a vision for yourself is what will get you the furthest in life in every area! I have learned this one by practising it …and it totally works! ?
What is your vision for yourself? Do you have a health and fitness vision, a financial vision, a business vision, a time freedom or family related vision? Having a strong vision you truly believe in makes anything possible!! Do you believe this?
Holy crap. My first Beast workout of my current 91-day challenge was super hard today! I can certainly tell I have been slacking in the lifting department!! 40 minutes of lifting this morning and worked the whole body including the core! I am feeling like total body rubber at the moment!
In the workout program today, the trainer refers to the lady in the workout as the momma-beast and so I decided I am gonna work towards being the granny-beast.? Sounds like a motivating goal to me!?
Time for a superfood recovery shake and some eggs for extra protein! I hope you have a healthy and active day!!
The only thing between you and your goals is that BS story you keep feeling yourself as to why you can’t do it!! This is what my personal trainer told me this morning during my weighted cardio workout and she is totally right!! How many times did we make excuses and even what we believe is “good reasons” as to why we didn’t achieve our goals! Far too many! …and in fact we tell ourselves these things do many times that we actually start truly believing they are facts! Scary if you really think about it!
I have learned to recognize it when I have come up with a story… such as being too tired, having no money, not enough sleep, not enough time, telling myself I am just an emotional eater (which then somehow made it OK?), sore muscles, feet aching, sore back from a busy day at work, stress from having a 2-year old, lack of sleep, too young, too old, no good at it, not capable, can’t trust the opposite sex, don’t know how…and the story list just goes on and on and on…!! The sad part is that we believe these things, identify with them and let them rule our lives!
I have been through all of these excuses and stories myself! Sometimes when you come from a background of abuse, the stories can get pretty bad. For example, you may believe you are worth nothing, are useless, not loved, not important, not worthy of love and so many more horrible things! You can imagine, that if a person lived with those beliefs (stories) that their life would not be very good, successful or full of happiness! I have had to work hard to overcome many of these stories. It was not easy, but I am proof that it is totally possible to change your perception of yourself and to change how you perceive your past experiences too!
How do I work on overcoming these stories? Keep in mind, this is always a work in progress. My mentor (the late Jim Rohn) speaks about those stories, beliefs and thoughts and uses them as a metaphor like “weeds” growing in a garden. This is a great metaphor because if you think about it….you cannot ignore those weeds because they will totally overtake the whole garden (weeds of the mind). Those weeds need to be removed and even once you get the whole garden cleared out of those weeds…what happens? YES!…those weeds keep trying to come back, so you have to continuously keep pulling out the ones that come up.
This is the same way with those stories…
Once you realize (finally gain insight into yourself) the numerous stories (lies) you have been telling yourself about why you cannot do things or achieve things…its like suddenly noticing your beautiful garden (mind) is packed solid with weeds!! AHA! This was definitely an AHA moment for me. I got myself a coach and started working at getting those weeds pulled out. It took months of work, emotional turmoil and challenging times…but, believe me, I got that darn garden mostly cleared out …out of pure determination. However, I realized that a person has to be well-aware that those weeds (stories, lies) will keep trying to come back and keep an eye on the garden at all times to remove them once they pop up! The lesson here was for me NOT to ignore those feelings, but rather allow them to happen, recognize them, and realize where they are coming from and correct them immediately.
Having this kind of awareness can totally change your life. Often, to develop this awareness and clean out the garden takes extra help. Don’t hesitate to get help with this (remember, asking for help is a sign of strength). Once you take the time to learn this, then you will start to recognize the stories (lies) once they happen. Once they are recognized, you can stop, identify the lie and replace it with the truth that you know is there. Its a magical process and is definitely worth learning about! Once you get to work on this, you will be blown away at what you are capable of achieving in your life!
So, if you’ve been stuck up on the fence, unable to make a decision, paralyzed and afraid to take the jump toward your happiness, I am zooming in today to help you. Today is the day that we will work on making plans and making the decision to get off the fence!
So, how does a person do that?
Here are the 5 Steps To Get Off The Fence. It’s time to make a plan to get happy and making progress in life!
Step 1 — Determine Where You’re Stuck
The first step to get off the fence and live a fulfilling existence, is self-awareness. You have to figure out where you’re blocked, stuck or not making progress. This takes time alone, and the ability to be still and quiet to think about where you are not happy. Exercises such as making two lists: One list called “CHANGES/IMPROVEMENTS I WANT TO MAKE”, and the other list is called the “OFF THE FENCE/HAPPINESS ACTION PLAN”. So, for example, if you want to start your own business, on the left hand side, you would write, “Start my own business,” and on the right hand side, it would read, “Moonlight my start-up on the side, working ninety minutes at night and four hours on the weekends until I am making some money and can quit my day-job to focus on my business full time.”
The trick is, the more detailed your two lists are, the better. Post your list in a visible spot. It holds you accountable, and keeps your eye on the prize.
Step 2 — Commit to Doing the Work
Know that nothing will work unless you do. One of my mentors says, “Nobody ever drowned in their own sweat.” It was something that really sunk in and always stuck with me. I believe and and taught my kids that “hard work is always rewarded”. Happiness doesn’t come without a commitment to happiness. Without work. Your happiness is a choice. You getting what you want out of life is YOUR DECISION. And the same holds true for your unhappiness. So, commit to doing the work. Whatever your goals are, commit to hustling to make them happen.
Know that sitting perched on the fence is paralysis. To live stuck is like residing in purgatory. Most people stay stuck because it’s a comfortable place to not have to commit and see something through. But you can’t manifest your highest self without making a decision, no matter how small. It’s about that first baby step. You MUST take it. If you are having a hard time moving forward, consider hiring a private coach to help you! For heaven sakes, take action!
Step 3 — Expand Your Skills
Yes. Expand your skills and commit to learning something new. Often we stay stuck and on the fence because we don’t have the skills and knowledge needed to move forward. So work at getting that knowledge and expand your skills. This could mean taking up a new hobby, enrolling in a course, volunteering, or simply giving away your expertise for free. What I mean here is, if you want to become a PAID speaker for example, speaking for free is a great way to get your name our there, and gain experience and expertise. If you want to start a consulting company, offer coaching or consulting for FREE at the beginning, both to get your feet wet, AND to build a customer base.
Expanding your skills does not only mean just enrolling in courses and acquiring new knowledge, it also means putting the current knowledge you have to work…. (ACTION!)
Step 4 — Get Out There and Meet NEW People
Commit to taking up a new hobby, volunteering, getting more involved in your community, or joining a networking group — for the purpose of meeting NEW people. We often meet the people we need once we get out there and make an effort. When you reach out to people in your network, ask for help, discuss options, then you will acquire the knowledge to help you get off the fence and move towards your goals.
If you allow yourself to just be open, and to join places like your local Community Groups, book club, sports or activity club, a writing group, traveling to live events or finding a mentor….it will naturally happen that you will meet the people who will help you move toward your goals.
Step 5 — Make More Time for the Things You Love To Do
When you do the things you love to do, it helps boost your serotonin levels (the happiness hormone), which aids in fighting depression, and other mood disorders. Doing the things you love can put you in a state of euphoria, lowering your cortisol levels (the bad hormone), which clears your mind and allows you to make good, quality decisions. For me, I love spending time with my sisters — we laugh, have fun, and it does my mind and body good. I also love spending time alone in a bookstore, working on personal development, or just perusing the aisles in an art section of a store. It calms me and regroups me. What is it for you?
When you do what you love, you are being good to yourself. You are spoiling yourself. And spoiling yourself is your right. Feeling good allows you to make clear decisions. Do it, guilt-free.
In the same token, it cannot be stressed enough the importance of the following four factors in sharpening your mind for effective and strategic decision making:
Get a healthy amount of sleep
Maintain an active lifestyle and get daily exercise
Healthy nutrition and superfood to feed the body and mind
Meditation (Spend adequate time to relax without interruption when the mind is quiet)
So my wish for all of you, is to get off the fence as soon as possible!!! it will free up your mind and allow you to move forward in life and achieve great and passionate things!!
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(Acknowledgement: ‘The 5 Steps to get off the fence” Adapted from Erica Diamond, at www.womenonthefence.com)
Having a strong belief in myself and my vision is what keeps me going every day!
Having trouble staying motivated on your health or goals journey?
Having a true belief in yourself and your goals is essential since nothing will work if you don’t believe in it. Do you find yourself saying to advice..”I don’t believe these ideas will work for me”? A lack of belief in ourselves will limit us no matter how great the ideas or opportunities are that we are exposed to.
So what to do then?
People who are successful are determined to make situations work for them rather than playing the role of victim and searching for reasons why a situation will not work.
If we believe that change is possible for ourselves, we will be willing to test, experiment, and try new things even when we feel uncertain. If we don’t believe it is possible to make new things work, then it’s hard to make any progress. I don’t care how good the ideas are, nothing will work for you if you don’t believe in it. And more importantly, nothing will work if you don’t believe in yourself.
True belief in yourself leads to more positive energy, drive and motivation… Put pen to paper and write down what you would like to achieve and develop a vision for yourself to develop that inner power to build your belief in what is possible.
Once you develop the belief that “anything is possible” and that you can “do anything you set your mind to”, and believe in your vision …you will be amazed at the change in yourself and the incredible motivation and action that comes from it!
The honest truth…. I feel like I am losing belief in myself today, so I needed to hear this post more than anyone! Despite this, I made myself complete day 10 of my current 30 day fitness challenge (at least I have accomplished this!) …I am going to put pen to paper today and follow my own advice!
Please COMMENT on this post with your ideas about how to improve motivation and belief in ourselves
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I really only had to learn about a half a dozen things in order to become fit and healthy…a half dozen! Anyone can learn only a half dozen things!
When you boil it down to the simplest of choices that move us in the right direction, it all starts with an apple. Yes!! An apple!!
We have all heard the saying …”an apple a day…”
The basis of our choices really does begin with choices this simple… We can choose to have an apple a day or we can choose to have a Hershey bar (or something similar) per day. By choosing our food, we are choosing how we want to feel and ultimately how our health will be in the long run. Yes, we choose how we will feel by these simple choices ?
The key thing is that I only had to learn a half dozen things in order to turn my health around. It’s truly simple. It may not be easy, but it is simple and not hard to learn ??
Yesterday was rest day, so for some reason, I was thinking I would bound out of bed today for my early workout, feel energized and extra strong…but the opposite was true! ?
I actually started overheating far too soon in the workout, felt nauseated, had a cold sweat going and my muscles felt weaker than usual… Then when I was done, I had an overwhelming urge to go back to bed!! I have already had a full litre of water this morning, but am still feeling a bit dehydrated, so maybe that’s the problem…
Despite feeling somewhat crappy, I pushed through every rep and now I can at least say I did my workout of the day even though my performance was not stellar ?. My icy chocolate recovery drink is a welcome relief today, that’s for sure!
No regrets for getting it done though!?. Being consistent every day and keeping the momentum moving forward will bring me the most success. Also the things in life that steer us into being a stronger person are not supposed to be easy! Right? ?. My current philosophy is this…Set the rudder in your life in the right direction and keep doing slight adjustments as you go to stay on the right course towards your goals. Don’t let yourself or someone else nudge you off course!
Don’t you just love that feeling after a satisfying and healthy meal… That great feeling of warmth, satisfaction and relaxation ?. Just thinking about how happy this makes me feel, reminds me of something…
Only a couple years ago, I remember having the attitude that… “I will be happy once I get my mortgage paid off…”… “I will be happy once I am in better shape and 30 pounds less”…I will be happy once my business is successful…” “…I will be happy once my yard is totally landscaped and beautiful..” Who can ever be happy with this attitude?
It was a real eye-opener once I started working on personal development that I had it all WRONG!! Imagine waiting 15-20 years for the mortgage to be paid off to be happy? I realized I will never be 100 % happy with my weight or fitness level, so why wait to be happy about something that may never happen? Why wait years before being happy about my yard? Also, it takes years to build a business, so why wait til it is successful to be happy? Let’s face it…once one goal is reached, there will be more to reach for! So I had to learn to refocus my thoughts totally in order to be happy!!
I learned to implement small successes towards my goals to feel happy and fulfilled TODAY that I am making small strides towards my goals. Instead of making them distant end points of happiness, I turned them into the icing on the cake! Instead, I focus on the small things each day that will get me there and it makes me happy now!
For example, I decided that putting an extra $100 on my mortgage principle every paycheque is what I would implement now. This makes me totally happy! I know I am making small step towards a big goal and it is not at all overwhelming! I focus on eating clean today and getting a workout in and am happy knowing I am doing the best I can towards better health and improved fitness level over time. I focus on one small area of the yard each year, and over time, I am sure the yard will get nicer…it’s way too overwhelming to attempt to get it all done fast (it’s a Huge yard!). I also take courses, work on myself and be consistent in my business, which makes me happy as I just know these simple things will lead to little successes as time goes on ?
The message I got from my own personal development was it is imperative that I focus on being happy in the present! Life is too short to keep thinking about huge long term wants and being depressed because they seem huge, overwhelming and unachievable!
I really had to re-work my whole way of thinking in order to be truly joyous and happy NOW and in the present! When i did this, I started to realize more and more what I have to be grateful for and it feels great and is so motivating!! ?
Helping others to discover happiness NOW is also one of my daily goals. Please reach out to me if you need help or support in this area…it’s truly a magical thing to change your mindset ?
