Not all of anyone’s journey are bad times and lessons to
learn. The epiphany that came as I
traveled unknowingly down the road to being a personal trainer is one such
example. As I began to coach people on
their weight loss journeys it was clear to me more and more that each one of us
are truly created equal with equal struggles and equal insecurities and that a
weight loss journey is not just about weight, but so much more internal
struggle. Here are some excerpts of
coaching e-mails that might speak to a struggle in your life however big or
small (these apply to more than just weight loss...but across the spectrum of life)
I know
with school back in this week and this also being the first week of our
September Challenge, this has been a “challenging” week for everyone. I
am glad you all managed to hold on to your focus in spite of the
obstacles. Was it a perfect week….NO, but is life perfect….NO.
Neither this challenge, nor your fat loss journey, nor anything in life is
about reaching perfection but about doing your perfect best every opportunity
you have to do it and understanding what that means. Your perfect best
changes from moment to moment as your circumstances change….but mostly as your
understanding of your journey changes. I was reading an article this
morning that said “before you can know something, you first have to learn it;
that understanding is necessarily a process of steps; and that this process
takes time….everyone has to progress through certain stages of
understanding.” It went on to draw the analogy of learning to play the
piano or knit…..one starts out very crudely but with practice and ongoing
understanding improves and evolves. In other words, with each stage of
understanding of any craft, profession, or journey the start is always crude
and then the destination is always further the closer we get to it because not
only does our ability improve and evolve and become less and less crude but
also we understand that one’s learning, development….journey is never at an end
(as the saying goes, the more you know, the more you realize you need to learn).
So, know that however clumsily any week/effort/workout goes you can learn
something from it and move on to the next, better equipped to succeed
further. As this is not about the destination but the journey itself….The
destination helps us set goals, but the journey is what makes us who we are and
appreciate what we have. Have a great weekend!
- - -
Happy
Monday!!!
Instead
of dreading Monday and another week full of “to-do’s” and “have to’s” use it as
your fresh start to correct the missteps of the previous week. Set your
intentions for the week ahead of you, and make a plan for how to accomplish
them. By intentions I don’t mean “intend to do but don’t” or “this is
what I’d like to do but don’t see how it will ever happen”…. I mean, contemplate
what needs to be done and what you would like to do and set your focus, your
heart and mind to doing it. Your intentions are your direction.
Your plan is your road map on how to get there and accomplish your goals.
Our limits are ever moving as we evolve on our journey. Let’s set about
moving some “limits” this week!!!!
- - -
Do we
ever really reach our limits? Or as I stated earlier in the week, “our
limits are ever moving as we evolve on our journey”? This is a good
question and one I have been pondering the last couple of weeks as I am forever
thinking I have reached the limit for which I can tolerate (fill in the blank
here), only to realize I clearly haven’t since I always go on beyond what was
my then limit. By limits, I mean anything and everything. We all
have them and sometimes we use them as excuses not to push forward past where
we are comfortable or “blocked”. Being comfortable is important for many
obvious reasons, but it is not a healthy place to hide from progress. Being
blocked is not always as simple to recognize. Sometimes we hold ourselves
back from success (whether that be in relationships, business, weight loss,
what have you) because we have a mental block holding us back. If you
find yourself stopping yourself, making excuses, sabotaging your own efforts,
then you need to step back and really exam what is going on…What is holding you
back from moving forward in your journey? As I said last week, this is
about your journey not about your destination. Use this as an opportunity
to breakthrough patterns of self sabotage and move forward truer to
yourself. Our perceived limits and fears are only as tangible as we allow
them to be and only as hidden as we bury them. Face your fears, face your
limits, and discover how strong you truly are! “Only those who will risk
going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” –T.S. Eliot.
- - -
What is
happiness? The comedian Dennis Leary has said in his stand up that
happiness comes in small bursts like a really good cookie….I don’t disagree,
but think true happiness is more than just short bursts of pleasure. I am
my happiest for longest periods of time when I am true to myself and honor
those around me as well as myself and my intentions. I think that when we
live in balance we are happy. To me it’s the roller coaster of life
unbalanced is what causes the most strife and unhappiness. To me
happiness is not a pair of jeans (albeit that would be that short burst of
pleasure previously mentioned) but about living as we believe. Which
brings me to a quote by Paul Bourget that I try to live by: “We must live
as we think, otherwise we shall end up by thinking as we have lived.”
So….Plan your happiness, Practice your happiness, Live your happiness.
Everything in balance and moderation is empowering!!! Have an empowering
Week 3!!!
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