Audrey Hepburn was known for her physical beauty in her youth but I love to look at pictures of her in her 60's because there is a beauty that simply wasn't present in her younger years.
Did you know that she devoted years of her life to UNICEF. She contributed money for decades and then spent 1988-1992 volunteering in some of the poorest cities in Africa, South America,and Asia. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award . She was fluent in English, Dutch, French, Italian,Spanish,and German. Her passion for making life better for people that are forgotten is what truly marked her life. She was born with an angel face but that didn't define her. There was so much more to achieve in life than being worshipped for her youth and beauty. When I look at these pictures of her, I truly think she was even more beautiful in her later years! Youth does not own beauty, true beauty is something we earn through a life well lived! Our culture tells us that getting older makes us less valuable, less beautiful, but how ridiculous is that? Our only meaningful years are supposed to be between 18-29?? I reject that with all that is in me! At 37, I have more wrinkles than I used to. I've lost some of my youthful appearance but I am living with purpose in a way that my younger self couldn't have imagined. I like myself as a person so much than I did in my 20's! I'm happier, healthier, and more comfortable in my own skin. I am excited to experience my 40's, 50's, and beyond because I'm no longer living for others approval! Instead, like Audrey, I want to make a difference while I'm here. I want to leave humanity better for having been here with however many years I get on this planet. I hope I get to live as long as my incredible grandmother and have my great grandchildren see the beauty of a kind, loving, revolutionary heart. They might not even see a glimmer of the beauty my youth offered through thinning white hair and 90 years worth of wrinkles, but if I'm anything like Granny Franny, they will think I'm beautiful all the same! Don't believe the lies, ladies! You are more than a pretty face! #beautytips You are not a failure. It's a lie too many of us believe and we look for reasons to justify it. We come up with things like we aren't talented enough, we aren't strong enough, we aren't intelligent enough, or business savvy or fill in the blank. We believe we aren't enough.
But then, we see people that break out of that mold, don't we? People that aren't as talented as we are, that maybe aren't as strong or intelligent and we see them blaze a trail of success. You have everything you need to succeed at what you are passionate about! The two biggest mistakes I see people making are: 1. Not having their own goals. They are looking at other people's goals or what they believe would gain them respect instead of pursuing what they are passionate about. In your health journey, this might mean you have a goal set to look like another person. You might go through cycles of starving yourself or working out extensively trying to hit a goal that ultimately you don't even care about. What you crave is the respect or admiration that you see that other person receiving. When you set a true a achievable goal for yourself, there is joy and excitement in the process that spurs you on! 2. Negative inner dialogue. I see so many women that use fear and shame to try and motivate themselves. They stand in front of the mirror and berate themselves. They spend time telling themselves they aren't good enough. People that succeed and reach their goals believe they can! They see their potential. They speak truth over themselves. They surround themselves with people that uplift, inspire, and encourage them! What we think and say, transforms into our belief system. What we believe about ourselves directs our actions. Is it no wonder that we so often fall short? Knowing ourselves, setting true goals, and building belief and confidence instead of shame and fear is what we need! Forever is composed of nows. From the thoughts we think to the actions we take, what we are building is happening in the now! Make sure you are building toward a future that you want! ❤️ There is incredible strength in being open and vulnerable. The power to live your life on your own terms and to boldly be who you were created to be without shame or fear, that is the beginning of greatness. That is what all revolutionaries have in common and that is what changes the world! Dream without fear, live without shame, love without limits! ❤️
Yesterday, at Super Saturday, Sagi ended his very inspiring message making us chant this this several times. Each time you could feel the determination growing, excited energy filled the room and you could see belief shining from people's faces. Belief that their story mattered. Belief that they could reach their goals. Belief that they can make a difference in this world.
Losing a pound or 100 pounds, inspiring one person or a million people, it all starts with believing you can, deciding you WILL, and consistently doing the work! Motivation won't carry you through, that comes and goes. You have to decide, commit, and succeed! That starts with a mindset of, " I can do all things!" When the negative thoughts start to invade, reply with," I CAN! I WILL! I MUST!" I am one of those obnoxious people that loves school. I think I have always been the most in my element when I am learning! In fact, once I was out of school and done with work to be a mom, I got lost. When I wasn't in an environment where reading, learning, and growing were mandatory, I felt guilty "indulging" in personal development as if that took away from my family.
Something I have come to realize as I have been liberated from this kind of thinking is that training of all forms polishes the spirit and that is what brings around that internal change that makes us excited to be alive! How many of us can't wait to be out of high school and then college and then we drudge through work looking forward to retirement, is that really all life has to offer?! We lack an appreciation for the training, for what that does for us mind, body, and spirit. This is one of the first concepts that I encourage my challengers to accept. The process can't be looked at as a means to an end. If you are only in this to lose 20 pounds the process won't change you. You will reach your goal and go right back to your old habits. However, when the purpose is transform yourself from the inside out, you truly experience a life change! It grows you, it molds your thoughts, you see your worth, you get excited about life! Life has so much more to offer than simply "getting through" it! Enter the arena, face your fears, fight with blood, sweat, and tears, and slay the obstacles in your way! You were created with a relentless spirit and you will be amazed at what you accomplish when you take the time to train, strengthen and polish it! Suddenly, you will have vision for your life and be indescribably glad that retirement is optional! No one wants to retire when they are accomplishing great things! The adventure is in the training! Fall in love with the process! #trainhard #enjoytheride It's funny how life sneaks up on you. Circumstances and experiences create a mold of sorts that form our ideas about life and shape the way we view ourselves and sometimes we don't even see it happening. I was talking to an amazing women last night who was sharing her struggling with social anxiety, something that she had not experienced before to that extent and I was able to share my story with her.
Living in fear of other peoples opinions, feeling shame when they can't relate to you or show outright disdain for your life choices, mulling conversations over in your head long after they have past, wondering if you said too much, revealed to much and feeling exposed, these are all things that I went through every time I went out. I stopped wanting to socialize with people! I felt judged all the time and, quite honestly, I don't even think it was truly happening. I got myself in a frame of mind where I was so focused on what other people were thinking and trying to hide my crazy. You know what I've learned? We are all crazy! haha It's the truth! We all have stuff! I felt insecure because, for the first time in my life, I was out of my element. I was trying to be a good mother by giving them every second of my time and energy and not leaving any room for being an individual. I was constantly comparing myself to other moms trying to see if I was doing a good job and the plethora of opinions on that was mind numbing! As I got others opinions, I opened myself up to their judgement. If I didn't agree with them or follow their advice, I feared coming in contact with them and often shame was put on me for my choices. I simply couldn't make everyone in my life happy with me and I felt like I was going to implode! You know what? Nothing outside my life has changed. Opinions run rampant, what changed was my mentality. I started making time for ME, caring myself mind, body, and spirit. I pursued my God given gift of serving others. I took my eyes off what other people think of me, and got to work being someone I respect, and being an encouraging, nonjudgemental voice in a world struggling with fear and shame. I'm not looking for my worth in the opinions of others anymore and that is the only difference! I feel comfortable with who I am and how I am living. I am always looking to grow and learn to be a better wife, mom, and human being and its ok if I make mistakes along the way! It's ok for YOU to make mistakes as you figure it out too! SO be an individual. Let yourself out of hiding. You don't need the approval of others, you need your own approval and the way to get there is to start being who you were created to be! It's not selfish to spend time growing your gifts and interests, it's life giving! For yourself and for others. I got a message from one of my challengers last night telling me excitedly that she is seeing true growth in her life, not simply in her health journey. She signed up for guitar lessons, she's feeling courageous, she is hopeful and excited about her life and it started with little successes in group! I had the same experience. It was a spark that set my heart on fire for life again. The truth I was taking in was adding to my physical health but more importantly it was showing me just a small sample of what my own potential!
Setting goals and achieving them, even small ones, encouraged me and made me excited to set new goals and bigger ones! I had another conversation with another challenge today who was sharing with me that she has discovered that she actually loves her own body after years of being at war with it because it wasn't the cultural ideal. The group had helped her to really think about what SHE thought was attractive, what HER goals truly were and she was able to throw out the lies that were holding her back. For some the group is a place to come record their work and progress, for some it's a place to connect with other women, for others accountability or encouragement or a haven where truth is spoken over them as they sort through their past. We all enjoy different aspects of it but it helps us all GROW, it helps us reach our goals when we are surrounded by others setting and working towards their goals. We inspire each other and propel each other forward! I just found out that Beachbody has put the All Access Challenge Pack on sale for $160! That is EVERY workout that Beachbody offers, everything new that comes out this year, the portion control container system, the nutrition plan, and a months worth of Shakeology for the same price as a one workout challenge pack! Guys, this is a crazy deal!! We start our April group on Monday where we will be focusing on self worth and recognizing self-limiting beliefs. This is something I think will serve every woman in our country right now. We simply believe a lot of things about ourselves that aren't true, that hold us back, that make us fear, and cause us to feel shame. So, if you have been thinking about joining us, take advantage of this crazy deal, show up on Monday and let's do this! We can improve the world so much when set about believing the truth! If we want to empower the next generation of women, we have to empower ourselves first! Message me to claim your spot! It's not about the number on the scale, it's about self care. It's about self discovery and healing and growth. These things take time. Don't rush it. Experience it. Learn about yourself. Lay a foundation you can build a healthy fulfilling life upon. Fall in love with caring for yourself mind, body, and spirit and the progress will come!
#morethananumber #bepatient
This is the first thing we need to acknowledge anytime we start anything new! The first draft of a book is not the one that gets published. Championships aren't truly won on game day, they are won during practice where failure has happened again and again. When it comes to our health journey, the major problem is that most of us feel shame. We feel shame about how we look, what we eat, and any perceived failure heightens that feeling. Our society has told us that our worth is tied to our appearance and that, my friends, is a complete lie! Our bodies are the most important thing we have, they allow us to connect with people, to create in the physical realm anything we can dream, they are incredible no matter what shape they are in! It should be a joy and a privilege to care for them! (as we would an expensive car, right?! Our bodies are worth so much more! ) Our health journey is one of self discovery and it's hard at times to face our issues but it is so rewarding! Our mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health are tied to each other. When we start working on our bodies, we hit other issues. We find out that we are eating because we are self soothing, or because we're lonely, or unhappy. We have to face each discovery and tend to the wound before we can move forward, but the result is a LIFE ( not just a body) that we can delight in! Life is too short not to live an amazing life! So stop being discouraged that first draft sucked! Of course it did! Instead of looking at yourself as a failure, delve into self discovery! Why did you binge eat? Why did you stop working out? Why are you feeling shame? Dig, discover, grow! If you need help sorting it out, message me! I'll ask you questions until we get to the root of it! The amazing thing about pursuing your health is that all roads lead to fulfilling your potential as a human being. We have so much untapped potential, each of us is capable of so much more than we think, and when we start believing that we are worth the time and effort, amazing things happen! More than a healthy body, I want you to discover THAT about yourself because it will change your life! So write the first draft and keep writing until your masterpiece comes to life! Stop worrying about what society thinks of you and focus on what is true! |
Author"And Aubrey was her name. A not so very ordinary girl or name."(Or so says David Gates ;) I'm a wife to Phillip, a mother to Scarlett and Juliet. We live in the beautiful city of Thornton, Co. I'm a recovering red bull addict. I love to read. I hate to cook. I seek to be inspired and also to inspire others. I am a Beachbody Coach on a quest to be truly healthy mind, soul, and body and challenge others to do the same. Archives
February 2018
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