The Straight Dope: Focused On Lifetime Goals

The Straight Dope: Focused On Lifetime Goals

Feelings Aren't Facts

It seems I am very close to ending Phase 2 of this P90X round 2, and I am SO happy for a day "off." As the day wears on I have a feeling the pull to get on my bike or go for a run (or both) might overtake me. We'll see. Growth is found in the recovery we make room for and my body certainly needs it. Will Yoga X ever get any easier? The answer is no, but my "practice" will improve, my breath will become more of an ally than it currently is. I WILL become more flexible. Thank goodness it's windy, rainy and the Masters golf tournament is on the tele today. I could punch the it's-Sunday-day-of-rest-and-you-worked-like-a-dog-all-week card. And just do nothing today. What a concept.

Have you ever started something and thought 'how in the world am I going to gracefully (or not) extract myself from this hot zone? And WHY did I tell everyone I was going to show up, do this, rock the house'....whatever your declaration was? I'm mean seriously people, attempting to get the most out of yourself and live up to your potential as a human being is difficult. This is not for the Teletubbies. No offense intended. You are not some amorphous mass to be singularly shaped by everything and everyone around you. That might be about where you started from when you finally drew the proverbial line in the sand and set sail on this new odyssey, but that was then. This is now.

Here is my encouragement to all of you whom have ever started something and wondered what in the heck you got yourself into. Now you can't even see straight, you are exhausted and feeling overwhelmed with the weight of the now fractured plate you loaded up at the buffet. YOU CAN DO IT. One bite at a time. Over time. Try not to judge your overall being on just a few data points. Are you trending towards better action, thinking, health and wellness? That's all I try to focus on because like you, I can easily become discouraged when I forget my "why." I don't know who said it but I always remember when I'm feeling disconnected from my goals, "Obstacles are the things we see when we take our eyes off our goals." ~ anonymous

Whatever the gauntlet you've thrown down for yourself might be, remember to take it slowly. One task at a time, one day at a time. Drink lots of water. Take a 10 minute walk everyday to just clear your head. Take the rest you deserve. This is actually a critical activity for anyone whom is working on optimizing their performance each and every day. I don't care how much cardio activity you have in your workout program. Walking and taking in your surroundings is incredibly restorative to your mind and spirit. Don't miss this. It's easy to do. It's also easy not to do. These few simple, no-matter-whats that can become your lifestyle will make you feel better and be better.

If you don't have written goals. Take 15 minutes today. Today. And just think about what you want

your life to BE like. Write it down. This is for you, you're true self goals. Not what your perception is of what someone else might want for you. I know it is challenging to do this exercise and the reason for it is simple. It's possible that some of you have anxiety about doing this exercise. You know deep in your heart that there might be a gap between what your desired life is and what you are actually doing about it. The GAP. It's either causing you stress or it's motivating you. What's your choice? I like your chances when you finally decided to commit to your dreams. You are unstoppable. Believe it. Believe in you. I do!

Much To Do

In 20 more days I'll be traveling down to the belly of the beast, Los Angeles, CA. The land of the lost, Hollywood, Tinsel Town, LA BABY, Laker Town, and I'm sure many other monikers that I am not aware of. To me, LA is one huge traffic jam just waiting to test my patience. As such it is rare that I will subject myself to her suffocating embrace.

However there occasionally is a great reason to make the pilgramage to the BIG CITY. Beginning April 30th, and continuing thru Sunday May 2 I will be part of the 3rd Annual Beachbody Coach Summit.

This is an event I am so looking forward to for a variety of reasons. For one, it's the first time I have attended it and secondly there will be so much positive energy there! I know the voodoo positivity emanating from coaches (whom are traveling from all over the country to be there) will be wildly intoxicating! And I am sure I'll learn a thing or two about how to better manage my coaching business and therefore enable me to help more people gain better fitness, with greater efficiency. What a concept. Learn - do - teach.

So, in the meantime I have 29 workouts ahead of me, 24 Shakeology to enjoy, 100 meals that I'm planning using nutrition tips from Beachbody's website, and 160 hours of sleep. I like that the big number is the amount of sleep I'll be enjoying between now and then. It just goes to show the critical factor in achieving growth in any area of our lives is found in the time we are actually recovering from our efforts put for each and every day. Proper sleep is CRITICAL!!

If you want to know more about Coach Summit 2010, or the incredible Beachbody Coaching Opportunity, I welcome any and all inquires. Say hello at my website !

To Your Health!

....I was sitting in church on Easter morning with my two beautiful kids. As I sat there, my little girl curled up next to me, I reflected on how grateful I am to have been blessed with such, vibrant, beautiful, healthy children. They are my greatest source of joy. And my next thought was about how challenging it is economically, how tight our budget is, how many places I want to show them, as well as the wide variety of experiences I want them to have. There is a yearning in my heart that will not let up. Because I want them to be exposed to the best education, and the gift of travel to other cultures, I feel the constant motivation to grow, to succeed so that I can provide these things to them. These are the thoughts that keep me up at night. Living a life fully engaged, so that my children can live a fully engaged life is all I ever dream about. And plan for.

And I thought, yes, the budget is tight. This is a good thing. Living within ones means was not the experience I had growing up. My parents put forth a different model. They did the best they could with what they knew. I hold on to that grace for them and I forget the rest. Today, my children are having a different experience. Living lean is a good for them I tell myself. I have LOTS of irons in the fire and I know somehow, someway we are going to be okay. I think that's called faith

...So, the offering basket is coming my way and I know I can give a few dollars, especially since I had not tithed in quite some time. As I was sitting in the front row, having arrived to church at THE LAST MOMENT possible, the basket came to me right away. I put it on my lap, opened my wallet and every bill I came across was a $20 denomination. I wasn't quite prepared to part with $20 even if it was Easter Sunday. So I finally got to the one dollar bills, peeled a few off and dropped them in the basket. Three seconds later, long after the basket was passed to the next row, I looked at just how much money was left in my wallet......and, somehow, I had given the usher ALL the money in my wallet, except for 2 dollars. I think it was a little over $100. I literally felt sick for a moment, then another moment and then I said a prayer I say a lot. I knew that the money was going to be used in a very powerful way and that it was better off in the church's care than mine. I obviously didn't really need it as it practically, magically flew out of my hands and into the loving care of my church.

Gods will? Sometimes I think it's better to act my way into better thinking instead of the other way around. The good book says over and over again, faith without works is dead.

Happy Easter to you.

It's Easter today. A day that means a lot of things people all over the world. I"ll save my personal beliefs and....confusion for another time. One thing is for sure however, Easter comes at at time every year while the days are getting longer, flowers and trees are bursting with new growth and the vibration of new life and infinite possibilities course thru my veins!!

This is the time of year that it becomes increasingly challenging to remain indoors for more than an hour at a time and today after sipping cocoa, reading and writing I for one will be outside, taking in the beauty of everything around me. And sweating. Today I NEED to sweat and purge the sludge that has accumulated over this "Spring Break". Thankfully school hours return tomorrow and some of us can get back on track with the daily rituals that makes us happy. Eating well, exercise, focused time with people I care about and excellent rest!

Even with the holiday and a changed schedule, the degree to which I swayed very off my path this week was minimal and to be expected. After all, every day I keep waking up human. It's comforting to know there is no such thing as 'perfection' or being 'finished.'

Focus

One of the things I have quickly realized is that in order to have something to say here it is very important to actually get out and take action in my life. I'm not saying that action has to be perfect or actually be some Earth shattering experience for it to be meaningful to my life....but the message of the day to myself is to focus on what matters most today. And to take action in those areas that merit and/or need my attention. And there is the rub we have in our day to day choices. It seems there are always things that can come up thru out the day that NEED your attention but they were not part of our master plan for that particular day. What to do? When I know exactly what I want and where I am headed, the inevitable distractions of the day do not produce the cacophonic discord in my head I used to feel. When these life bombs go off, I adjust my chin strap and keep moving forward as appropriately possible.

So today, no I will not get caught up in trying to figure out this setting or layout choice, or wether it's going to rain tomorrow or not. No this is the moment to get back on the course that was originally charted before the drift began. Someone once said that 'mistakes are just mid-course corrections.' I actually know who said it but to give them credit might blow his head up bigger more than it already is. Get back into your zone. I am.