Put your dreams to the test
Are you a dreamer? Are you a goal setter? Or do you just rock along with life? Do you just live for the weekend and get depressed on Sundays?
I used to be a dreamer. Not a big dreamer. I would say I was a fantasizer. I would wish and hope for things but never took much action. I wanted to win the lottery, I wanted to be 40 pounds lighter, I wanted to travel and be happy all the time. I just didn’t know how to make this happen. I felt destined to work at a job until I was in my 60’s or 70’s. I really didn’t know how I would ever retire because I could barely keep up with my expenses in current life much less save for a future life. I didn’t have a plan B and I certainly wasn’t happy for others who fell into luck or blessings. I thought, why not me? Why do they get the luck? Why do they get the opportunities? When I began working on my personal development that is when more doors opened for me. That is when the “luck” started to come my way.
Today is a big day for me in the coaching world. Today marks the day I decided to say yes and become a Team Beachbody coach 3 years ago. I don’t want this post to be about me and about coaching. That is not the point. There are many points. In the quest to get a better body and feel better about myself I actually found me.
Having fun
I’ve been through many ups and downs in my life. We all have ups and downs. Some of them were emotional and others were with the scale. What I’ve learned is that the ups and downs are up to me. It is up to me how I want to feel and react to a situation or even react at all. I don’t have to defend every point. I don’t have to attend every argument. I don’t have to respond to an insult. I don’t have to lash out. I can choose to remove myself from negative situations and people. I can choose to surround myself with people who care about me. I can choose to surround myself with things that uplift me and help me focus.
Mark and I were driving around running errands for the holidays and reflected on what has changed about us in the last 3 years. How have we changed ourselves? In my original post I had 10 bullet points about how we’ve changed. Pppffff! Screw that. Here is the summary. We’ve freaking changed. We changed for the better. We are better people because we work on ourselves and we do it often. Working out, personal development, meal planning, financial planning, life coaching and more. We invest in ourselves and not in bullshit. We choose to invest in ourselves and our future. Not in what feels good right now. If I have to have a babysitter for a few days so I can attend an event that is what is going to happen. I’m investing in my business and my future. Missing 1 weekend out of my kid’s life is not the end of the world. But missing a key business event could be a huge impact to our future and that does affect my family.
Dream Big
I really could go on and on but I want to shift gears into inspiration. Take a look at yourself now. Are you where you wanted to be? Do you look the way you want to look? Do you have the money you want to have? Have you traveled to the places you want to travel? Do you have the relationships in your life you want? If not, why not? Who and what is the common denominator? Don’t blame or point at anyone else in your life but you. Harsh but true. You may think when in the hell is this girl going to get to the inspiration part because right now I feel like crap? Here it is. Are you ready? You must invest in you. You must work on you if you want anything in your life to change. You must stop making excuses and rationalizations for why you are failing or not achieving what you want. When you take ownership of where your life is then it will shift. Success leaves clues. So does failure. If you want to have or be where another person is then listen to them. Learn from them. If you haven’t achieved what they have then clearly you need training and guidance. There is no reason to reinvent the wheel. No reason at all. Follow the breadcrumbs of success. I consider myself a success and do you want to know what I did? I followed the people ahead of me.
How do you do that? Be open to opportunities. Stop staying no. When it comes to coaching or even just starting a fitness program I’ve heard every excuse in the book. I mean it. Time, money and bullshit excuses. If you are not willing to do something it is because you don’t care enough about it to make it a priority. I’m not sugar coating it. I’m stating the facts to wake you up. I’m your wake up call. What are your priorities? What is your reason for doing the things you do? For me I never want to say no to my son because of money. I want to have freedom to be present in his life. I want the freedom to do what I want, when I want. I want to be around for a long, long time and enjoy every minute of it. Family is a priority. That is why I make some sacrifices with my time now and then so I can be there for everything else. Because I made some small sacrifices for the last 3 years I was able to leave my job. Now I have the time to do whatever I want. I have the opportunity to have lunch with my son any day of the week. I get to read in the middle of the day. I get to nap or see a movie. I get to schedule phone calls with people who need my help. I can attend personal development seminars in the middle of the week. I can travel and not have to ask permission from anyone if I can take the time off. It is pretty amazing. Now I’m dreaming even bigger. Leaving my job was a huge milestone and now I’m setting a bigger one.
I decided to take new action. I decided to become a better person. The first 39 years of my life were one way. The second 39 will be totally different.
What are my passions? What makes me tick? I love laughing, having a good time and feeling good. Once the light came on in my life all I wanted to do was share it with others. You don’t have to complain. You don’t have to be sad. You don’t have to be 40 pounds overweight. You really can do it. You just have to believe you can. I made it from the other side. I was the sad, overweight, overwhelmed person who didn’t want to leave the house. Now I’m a fire walking, cliff jumping, goal setting, awesome mom, wife and human being. I’m not stopping. I have no idea what is going to happen in the next 3 years but the last 3 were pretty freaking cool.
What is your dream? What do you really want? What makes you happen? When did you give up on that? Why did you give up? Your life is speaking to you. You are meant for more. You are not meant to just punch a clock and live for the weekends. You are not meant to work behind the scenes. You are meant to be up front. You are meant to shine. Always. You have a gift. You have many gifts. Every time you are not in balance with using your gifts then you feel sad, depressed, and look for ways to numb yourself. When you are on the right path and working toward your dreams then your life opens up. Trust me. Don’t let others hold you back. Don’t go to your grave with your song still inside you. Don’t look back on your life and say “oh man, I wish I would have…”
So many awesome things have happened in the last 3 years. I can’t even begin to recap them. Not even in a video and I LOVE making videos. The important thing for you to remember is that excuses get you nowhere. You must take action to move your life forward. Quitting will never get you there either. If you want to graduate from college you have to show up for class and do the work.
To use a quote from my favorite movie: “Get busy living, or get busy dying.”
What am I doing now? Working on killing some year-end goals. I don’t know how everything will work but I know that it will. I know because I have confidence and determination. I know because what I’m working on means something and is helping others. I know because I have strong faith.
What will happen in the next 3 years?
Mark will be retired from doing hair. Sorry ladies but that is what I see. I see our coaching business taking off and he will no longer have to work. He will work because he wants to work. Of course I will be his #1 client. I want to see my husband at night and not at 8pm. We will be free. Free of all debt and a new world will open for us to help massive amount of people.
All I ever wanted was to be me and get paid for it. Now that is finally happening. I’m rewarded for being myself.
Take it from me. Dream and dream big. Don’t watch other people live and wish it was you. Dream your own dreams and work toward them. Do NOT let anyone hold you back. When you know your WHY, you can tolerate any HOW. It is so true. Don’t give up on yourself and your dreams even when it seems hard.
It is your turn. Step up. Don’t wait. Whatever you’ve wanted to do, DO IT! Set the goal and make it happen. Don’t live with regret. Don’t live with pain. Don’t do what feels good right now and sacrifice your happiness in the future. Get started on your dreams now.
One night Mark and I were taking a bath together. Just hanging out, drinking wine and listening to music on a Sunday night. Normally Sunday nights I would be in bed by 9:30 and wouldn’t even think of touching wine. I would be getting ready for the work week. It had been retired a few months and at that moment; sitting in the bathtub on a Sunday night I realized I’m finally me.
My Family