I'm not easily angered. I'm pretty accepting of different ideas and beliefs, and I do my best to ask questions and see things from other peoples perspectives, so I was pretty surprised one day to find myself positively fuming over a blog post that was floating around facebook somewhere. It wasn't anything that should have set me off really. It was an article about cleaning. Yes, you read that right! ha! This women was writing about how irate she gets when people say they don't know how to clean. Pick one thing up at a time, she says in a snide way, and keep doing that until its done. End of story. Grrr. It's not though. My mom taught us ALL every chore. Gender did not make us exempt from a task. Boys learned to cook and clean, girls learned how to take out trash and mow lawns. We rotated chores and we all know how to clean and to clean well. I wasn't angry because she offended me personally. I was angry because even with all the tools my mom provided me, sometimes I walk into a room my kids have destroyed and I'm overwhelmed for a moment. It takes me a minute or two to decide where to start, or what to make THEM do. I know that if I dive in and just keep going I'll get there but staring at the mess makes me want to run into the other room and hide. Therefore, I am not surprised when that is what someone else chooses to do out of fear or shame or ignorance. I feel compassion for that person and the woman that wrote the article did not feel an ounce of compassion which made this emotional liberator infuriated! ;) Friends, today I was reminded of that feeling. I signed up to be part of a test group for a new program that starts on Monday. I'm excited to be part of it but life has been crazy with the holidays and I have yet to even crack the book on the nutrition plan. I started looking at it today and realizing how in depth it was and I got that feeling again. I had to remind myself that the first time I started the 21 Day Fix that the portion control containers and meal plans were confusing. I don't even think about them anymore! it's just the way I eat! I had to remind myself that I made TONS of mistakes and still got great results. I had to remind myself that this challenge isn't to impress anyone else, it's a personal challenge that I have with myself. If I completely fail it, it's not about anyone but me. I don't owe anyone anything. I can decide it's not for me or I can start again. And suddenly, all the fear and shame and overwhelmed feelings went away because I consciously chose to drop perfectionism. I'm not here to be perfect, I'm here to LIVE! I want to live life with the open abandon of a child wanting to learn what she is capable of and pursuing everything she loves with fervor! That means I give myself permission to try new things and permission to change my mind. I honestly don't know right this minute if I want to do the test group even though I've been dying to be part of one for awhile. I'm determined to make decisions that bring joy and not stress to my life and sometimes that means saying no to things, even good things. So what is the first thing I am " picking up" today? I am looking at the meal plan. I'm going to spend the time deciding if I can commit to it with everything else I've got going on. I may decide to do it and trim something else out instead. Who knows? All I know is that my worth doesn't depend on whether or not I decide to do this or whether or not I "fail" at it. My overall health is great. I eat well. I exercise. it does not matter if I have a six pack. It doesn't matter if other people think I look like an impressive coach. I have to get my personal reasons prioritized before I commit to doing something and, at times, I may have to back out of things if I find that I've taken on too much. The secret to living a life full of peace and purpose is knowing what you truly want and making moves in that direction everyday. Even though I don't agree with the attitude that she wrote her blog post, that author was correct. You just start with one thing and keep going. Just like the mom that walks into a disaster of a living room, get the toys in the toy box, get the dishes in the sink, fold the blankets and put them away, put the throw pillows back on the couch, and then tackle the kitchen right? Same thing with your health journey. Choose one thing to change. Replace soda with water when you eat out, or add a veggie to every meal, or trim back on how many desserts you have each week. It doesn't have to all change overnight. Start to recognize that feeling overwhelmed and stressed is an alert. You are taking on too much or you are doing things for the wrong reasons. Make it manageable for YOU. As soon as you realize you want change, expect failure! Recognize that failed attempts mean you are attempting! Life change doesn't happen over night. Be at peace with what you are creating at your own pace. You are creating a masterpiece with your life, not running a race! And don't let your inner dialogue be that infuriating author telling you its easy and you are inferior if you can't get it. It's not easy and it can be tempting to look at the mess and let it define you. Don't. What defines you is that you see the mess and you want to change. You want to reach your highest potential. You want your life to represent you well and you WILL get there! One little wise decision at a time! The most incredible thing about this process is that it propels your entire life forward. If you can change the way you think about failure and success, you will start to live life with abandon, chasing things that interest you without pause and without concern for how you look doing them. You pave a path for finding the things in life that energize you and make your life fulfilling! You have talents you don't even know you have an living a life of self discovery uncovers them in the most fantastic way! Fail! Early, often, and then fail forward! Don't just stand there feeling like a mess, take one step at a time and unleash the desire to discover YOU! <3 You won't believe what you can accomplish!
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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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