What am I doing and why?

I am a mother, a fitness lover, a sister, a friend, a motivator, a business owner, a registered nurse, a cookie lover, a vegetable eater, a daughter, a hiker, I love to laugh, and most importantly I am ME!

After my marriage of 10 years ended, I found myself in the middle of an unwanted, unplanned identity crisis.  My world suddenly was not what I had planned or hoped it would be.

My diet at the time consisted of two main food groups. Diet coke and cookies. My biggest struggle was learning to be OK with myself.  I had to learn a whole new way to carry myself as a single mother.  I didn’t want to accept the fact that this was my life let alone OWN it!

After a quickie rebound second marriage of 4 months failed, I found myself at my lowest of lows. I guess you could call it rock bottom.   It had been a bout a year and a half since my life had drastically changed and I had lived a lot of life during that time.  I decided it was time to take control of my own destiny and start living the life I had always dreamed of.

So much had happened to me that I felt like was out of my control. I even felt at times that the choices I was making were the fault of others as well, because I was put in a position to have to make those difficult choices.  But oh, how wrong I was.

I finally saw the light and started reading personal development.  AHA moment after AHA moment began to flood my mind with positive thoughts and affirmations to myself that I AM worth the beautiful, happy, fulfilling life I had always dreamed of.  I can treat myself,  my mind and body better by taking care of it physically with good nutrition and amazing fitness, and feeding my mind with goodness to help me progress, learn and grow each day.

But I wasn’t going to achieve it like I thought all of those other “lucky” people had it handed to them, or just “fell” into ideal situations.  I was going to  work hard and CREATE my own happiness.

I am now on this amazing and beautiful journey, helping others commit to a healthier, happier lifestyle through accepting themselves, focusing on the positive, celebrating successes and paying it forward.

Thank you for joining me on my journey!

3 Ways to ACTUALLY STICK to your New Years Resolutions

Did you know I used to think New Years Resolutions were  ridiculous?  'That's right, I was totally a hater on people who were constantly talking about  big plans and monstrous unreasonable goals.   But while I sat back being annoyed  by people making big plans, because the pessimist in me thought, "no way that will every happen" I was joining right in as the silent hypocrite judging people's character and abilities.  I would say, I will lose weight, be more consistent with working out, read more books, be more kind and patient with my family and friends and so on.  But as the years passed I saw little improvement in myself.  So what is the difference between people who achieve their goals and those who make the same ones over and over only to never see lasting change?

I am no expert and far from perfect but I have learned a few things that have helped me to have a new perspective on HOW and WHY I make my goals.

I bought into a common misconception that specific goals weren't necessary.  I felt like I worked hard as a nurse, tried to be a good mom, and did my best to be a good person.  Not a BAD way to live your life by any means, but I wasn't growing or actively learning.  Any growth or progress I made was made passively by allowing things to happen to me rather than taking my own personal growth into my own hands.  As I went through my divorce I knew that even though things had happened in my life that were out of my control, I STILL controlled how my life went from that point forward.  Lot's of mistakes were made and I'm still making them but the real AHA moment came for me when I realized that even though I knew I had the ability to create the life I wanted I needed to take ACTION.  And that's where GOALS came into play.  But not just a WISH or a HOPE that things would get better or be different but a PLAN.

By setting SMART goals we have a much greater chance of actually achieving what we set out to accomplish.  Instead of saying "I want to lose weight" or "I need to get healthy", the goal should be specific like "I need to lose 10 lbs, or lower my cholesterol, or blood pressure by X amount.  Putting the specifics to it makes them more real and gives them tangibility and helps us visualize ourselves once we reach our goals.  Realistic, something within our capabilities.  But don't let this hold you back.  Remember to dream big!  Your goals should be a little scary, if not, they are not stretching you out of your comfort zone and we miss out on the opportunity to grow and see what we are truly capable of.  In fact one of my goals for this year is to continually make new goals each month!  Without a goal what are we working towards?  If we are not working towards something we are not growing.

Here are 3 things I am going to implement this year to help me STICK to my goals.  Including my new goals I make each month!

1. HAVE A PLAN - What good is a goal if we don't map out the way in which we are going to make it happen! What things am I going to do EVERY DAY that will help me reach my goal?  What small tasks do I need to make a MUST instead of a SHOULD?  There is POWER in a plan!  A goal without a PLAN OF ACTION has little hope of becoming reality.
2. DONT GIVE UP WHEN YOU HAVE SETBACK - How often do we give up so quickly because we fell short?  I've seen the quote floating around the internet, "Giving up on your goals is like getting a flat tire and slashing the other 3 tires."  Just because we set out to workout 5 days a week and we missed and entire week doesn't mean our goals are suddenly out of reach or not important to us anymore?  Don't let mistakes and imperfections discourage you to the point of giving up.  JUST KEEP GOING!
3. SEEK AFTER MOTIVATION - As a Beachbody coach I run virtual fitness accountability groups. When I am talking to potential challengers about these groups, THE most common reservation people express to me is "I need to find the motivation" or "I'm just not motivated" or "I wish I could be more motivated"  NEWSFLASH!!! MOTIVATION DOES NOT FALL FROM THE SKY LIKE A METEOR!   We have to search out what motivates us!  Our minds our biggest asset and biggest enemy!  We must convince our mind that this is so important to us, nothing will stand in our way!  Figuring out WHY a goal is important and continually reminding ourselves of our WHY daily will help you become unstoppable!!  For example we might set our goal to lose weight in 2015.  But WHY?  Because we want to look better?  Go DEEPER!  Is it because you want to live a healthier life?  Be around longer for your kids?  Be able to be more active with your families in the long run?  Is it for the mental clarity and wellbeing that physical fitness provides??  Whatever ever your goal may be the MORE PASSIONATE you are about it and the more you seek out daily to REMAIN passionate about your goals, the more you will surprise yourself with what you are truly capable of.