I resolve to not make unrealistic promises to myself this year.....
I've always been big into starting over. In fact I've made it into my life's work.
At Goals in Motion we're all about starting over. Men and women walk through the door, unhappy with their body (and sometimes their lives) and want help "fixing" it.
The problem is that we really can't be fixed. We can be helped, but only if we've reached that moment in life where we're open to change. Sometimes that means you've reached a place where the only light is at the end of a really long tunnel of hard work and sacrifice.
Please, don't get me wrong....I'm in favor of setting goals and I'm in favor of making promises to ourselves, but you often have to reach that magic moment when you're really ready.
I haven't been sleeping well for the last few weeks and I've been trying to figure out what I'm doing to aggrevate the situation. I've changed my eating and drinking patterns. I've exercised at night and during the day. I've abandoned the computer at night in favor of time with the guys and even added a little TV time. Nothing helps, except I eventually reach a point of complete sleep deprevation and my mind allows little cat naps in the chair while stupid tv shows keep my family entertained.
Around 2:25 this morning, my internal alarm went off. My brain kicked into gear and my day began, again.... But today I decided to lay there in the darkness and think about my year. People all around my are talking about changes and starting over.
"I'm going to lose weight!"
"I'm going to get a promotion!"
"I'm going to meet the person of my dreams!"
We're even putting a new year long maintenance challenge in place at Goals for those who want to make 2013 THEIR YEAR. People love a fresh start!
So why can't I get excited? What's wrong with me (besides the fact that I'm living on less than 4 hours of sleep a night?).
After about 30 minutes of forced calm/guided thinking, it hit..... I'm not finished with this year. I didn't accomplish what I set out to do in 2012. I had big goals for myself, my family and my business in 2012 and honestly, very few of them came to fruition.
I'm a disorganized person and I need help. (There! I've said it! Those of you who spend any length of time with me already know this but you obviously know by now that YOU knowing it is not going to "fix" ME!!). I have a hundred projects in the works and a million more ideas running through my head and it has always been my intention to accomplish all of them alone. I have never allowed myself to consider that I am not Wonder Woman, but the lack of progress this year has really sort of slapped me in the face. So...... I've made the initial contacts and asked for help. I'm not going to start another project without help or at least an accountability partner!
So..... this year, I resolve to not make unrealistic promises to myself.....
One month at a time...
January is for finishing what I've started..... my house and my office will be put in order- everything in it's place. I've even established a plan with an organizational guru (you know who you are-xoxo) to get me started
February is for purging.... this is going to mean some serious tossing. If any of you are dumpster divers and can brave the cold, there might be some sweet deals to be had!
March is for establishing systems..... if it can't be maintained without me, it's really not going to work in my life. Systems for EVERYTHING.
April is for adding in...some of those things that I've wanted but not had time for. An hour a day to read or meditate or study.... 2 yoga classes each week~ Yoga sculpt at Goals and one hot class away from the studio to focus on myself...also a lazy day one Sunday.
May is for adjustment.... a time to tweak the last 4 months. All systems go before the school year ends.
June is for family..... we haven't escaped Ames as a family for a long time and have never really established a vacation habit. During the early years, Jeff's work consumed him and now mine seems to do the same. Zach's entering a new phase in his life with work and commitment and Sam has just two years left at home. It's time to create a family tradition of reconnecting once a year. This year we're heading to the quiet waters of Minnesota for days of fishing, reading and sun and nights of food and gin rummy.
And so, that's where I'm going to end my goal/resolution setting for today. My hope is that as my organizational life falls into place, all of the other good things I've been waiting for will find a home in my head and my heart. I'll be sharing along the way~ I hope to see you soon.
May you find joy, peace and a smidge of what you've been searching for in 2013.....
Happy New Year
Showing posts with label goal setting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label goal setting. Show all posts
Monday, December 31, 2012
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
dreams......
...change over time don't they? Both the daydreams we create in our minds and also the ones that creep into our subconscious as we drift off to sleep. It seems the outside world has more to do with them than we might think.
When I was younger and an athlete, all I could dream about was being the best. It's all I worked for and all I thought about. I surrounded myself with people who could make it happen and every night competition seemed to seep into my sleep.
I don't recall having many sleeping dreams as a teenager.... I worked too much and played too hard- once my head hit the pillow, my brain must have needed to shut down and take a break from me!!
I did however have daydreams about my future and how certain people would play a part in my life.
Once I became a young mother, all of my dreams, sleeping and otherwise, were focused on the health and well being of the boys. I remember watching them play and wondering who they would become.
I remember waking up in the middle of the night, from vivid dreams of the boys, in panic....why haven't they woken up? why are they awake? why didn't I hear them come home?
Eventually, I reached the dangerous "all about me stage of my life". I'm sure many of you can relate...
it's that time when you decide, I'm tired of being fat and tired and responsible for everyone and everything in my life. My daydreams turned to making myself healthy and beautiful (and sometimes to finding someone to kidnap me and take me to a magic kingdom where I wouldn't have to work or think if I didn't want to!!). My night dreams disappeared again, because I was running at 100 mph and trying to get in all the life I had missed for so many years.
So that brings me to now... I've been worried over the last few months about Goals. Don't misunderstand, everything is fine at the studio, but I always worry about being enough in an saturated industry. I've met with some of my coaches and instructors to brainstorm ways to be even better than we already are.... my daydreams are filled with possibilities and my sleep is filled with "what ifs"
Yesterday, however, was a great day. I woke up early and felt well rested. I taught a kickboxing class the night before, in my dreams (scary huh?) and one of the sets stuck in my head- it worked like a charm. My 4:55am class was awesome. The room was full and they stepped up and worked out hard like they always do! I came home after class to eat and get some work done. When I was on Facebook posting some pictures from our Holiday 5K a friend, who is a Goals member, popped into my chat with a link about a young girl who had lost an incredible amount of weight. The story was amazing and reinforced my belief that we need more programs for kids and families who struggle with exercise and healthy eating. Suddenly my brain darted off in a different direction. My day was filled with ideas and planning. I got to workout with a new member- a fit teenager, who ROCKED the bag!! As I showed her each new punch, I thought about how awesome it would be to have more teens and families with smaller kiddos at Goals. Dinner prep involved dreams of GIM family potlucks and my sleep involved an indoor game of Hoover Ball in the kickboxing studio.
Today will be incredibly busy. I have several meetings to attend. I get to tour the new high school with my fellow school board members and the builders and I get to teach a couple of classes. I'll wrap up the night meeting with State Legislators about educational priorities before they go into session.
If you see me today and I look distracted, don't worry... in the midst of my busy day, it's just the dream wheels turning
When I was younger and an athlete, all I could dream about was being the best. It's all I worked for and all I thought about. I surrounded myself with people who could make it happen and every night competition seemed to seep into my sleep.
I don't recall having many sleeping dreams as a teenager.... I worked too much and played too hard- once my head hit the pillow, my brain must have needed to shut down and take a break from me!!
I did however have daydreams about my future and how certain people would play a part in my life.
Once I became a young mother, all of my dreams, sleeping and otherwise, were focused on the health and well being of the boys. I remember watching them play and wondering who they would become.
I remember waking up in the middle of the night, from vivid dreams of the boys, in panic....why haven't they woken up? why are they awake? why didn't I hear them come home?
Eventually, I reached the dangerous "all about me stage of my life". I'm sure many of you can relate...
it's that time when you decide, I'm tired of being fat and tired and responsible for everyone and everything in my life. My daydreams turned to making myself healthy and beautiful (and sometimes to finding someone to kidnap me and take me to a magic kingdom where I wouldn't have to work or think if I didn't want to!!). My night dreams disappeared again, because I was running at 100 mph and trying to get in all the life I had missed for so many years.
So that brings me to now... I've been worried over the last few months about Goals. Don't misunderstand, everything is fine at the studio, but I always worry about being enough in an saturated industry. I've met with some of my coaches and instructors to brainstorm ways to be even better than we already are.... my daydreams are filled with possibilities and my sleep is filled with "what ifs"
Yesterday, however, was a great day. I woke up early and felt well rested. I taught a kickboxing class the night before, in my dreams (scary huh?) and one of the sets stuck in my head- it worked like a charm. My 4:55am class was awesome. The room was full and they stepped up and worked out hard like they always do! I came home after class to eat and get some work done. When I was on Facebook posting some pictures from our Holiday 5K a friend, who is a Goals member, popped into my chat with a link about a young girl who had lost an incredible amount of weight. The story was amazing and reinforced my belief that we need more programs for kids and families who struggle with exercise and healthy eating. Suddenly my brain darted off in a different direction. My day was filled with ideas and planning. I got to workout with a new member- a fit teenager, who ROCKED the bag!! As I showed her each new punch, I thought about how awesome it would be to have more teens and families with smaller kiddos at Goals. Dinner prep involved dreams of GIM family potlucks and my sleep involved an indoor game of Hoover Ball in the kickboxing studio.
Today will be incredibly busy. I have several meetings to attend. I get to tour the new high school with my fellow school board members and the builders and I get to teach a couple of classes. I'll wrap up the night meeting with State Legislators about educational priorities before they go into session.
If you see me today and I look distracted, don't worry... in the midst of my busy day, it's just the dream wheels turning
Monday, December 3, 2012
Old habits....
...die hard, don't they?
Over the last 7 weeks I've struggled to establish some habits in my life.
Habits I hoped to make a permanent part of my day (in no particular order of importance)...
~ Sleep in
~ Exercise Daily
~ Drink more water
~ Organize my home and office
~ Journal Daily
~ Read
~ Establish a regular bedtime
Great goals, right? The progress report follows.....
~ I still wake up at 4:09am EVERY day.
~ If you count teaching class, then yes.
~ YES! I've learned that I can avoid my coffee cravings by drinking warm water throughout the day. I'm actually enjoying this (but I still have a daily glass of wine)
~ Fail.... I've rearranged my schedule so I have office hours and still struggle to keep up with paperwork. I find it's created time for cleaning and MORE meetings, but has had little impact on my organization.
~ Blogging was my tool initially and I thought it was going well. But then I allowed myself to worry about being "good enough" to publish it daily. I missed one day, then 2 and then another and it seemed that the late night "mind-writing" disappeared. I tried to keep a journal at home where I could get things down on paper first..... that lasted about 3 minutes until I fell asleep with a pen in my hand
~ Occasionally. I'm a power reader. If I open the book today, I'll finish by tomorrow, which doesn't lend itself to sleep or enjoyment most of the time.
~ Bedtime is better, but as with everything else, if something better comes along, my schedule doesn't matter.
So as I laid in bed, wide awake at 4:09 this morning, contemplating life, I was thinking about the habits I have successfully walked away from.....
I quit smoking in March, 2007. I started smoking when I was young. STUPID! I quit a couple dozen times over the 20 years that I smoked, twice for over 2 years (once for each baby). But, it wasn't until I was faced with a 9 hour plane ride with 20 of my son's classmates, that I decided I was done for good. Commit lozenges, a good case of jet lag and fear of discovery was all it took for me to give it up for good.
I've quit eating processed foods. My shopping cart used to be full of "just add water and a half a stick of butter" products. Creamy, tasty and easy, right? Fortified with essential vitamins and minerals, right? Good for my family, right? Even after I started down my weight loss path, I'd buy an occasional box or bag to make dinner easier. Not any more...if it gets sauced or spiced in my house, it comes from the fridge or corner spice rack. And convenient means reheating something that was cooked the day before.
I have successfully broken habits that are bad for me, so why can't I permanently create habits that are good for me? Obviously it falls into the all or nothing category. I have discovered that when it comes to permanent change I have to do more than just want it and plan it, I have to DO IT (Like the water thing).
So, instead of trying to revamp my entire life and reaching this point of re-evaluation every 9 weeks, I'm going to focus on the most important ones today and tomorrow and the next day until they become who I am again......
~ Exercise. I will move every day, in some way, starting today. 10,000 steps is the minimum but certainly not the ideal and sweat is required for it to be called exercise!!
~ Journal. When I take the time to write down my food and my thoughts, I am infinitely more successful. I will be writing here every day for a while. You'll get my food, my exercise and my thoughts all in the same place. Accountability, right?
As soon as these two fit into my life, I'll go back and get some more.....
Over the last 7 weeks I've struggled to establish some habits in my life.
Habits I hoped to make a permanent part of my day (in no particular order of importance)...
~ Sleep in
~ Exercise Daily
~ Drink more water
~ Organize my home and office
~ Journal Daily
~ Read
~ Establish a regular bedtime
Great goals, right? The progress report follows.....
~ I still wake up at 4:09am EVERY day.
~ If you count teaching class, then yes.
~ YES! I've learned that I can avoid my coffee cravings by drinking warm water throughout the day. I'm actually enjoying this (but I still have a daily glass of wine)
~ Fail.... I've rearranged my schedule so I have office hours and still struggle to keep up with paperwork. I find it's created time for cleaning and MORE meetings, but has had little impact on my organization.
~ Blogging was my tool initially and I thought it was going well. But then I allowed myself to worry about being "good enough" to publish it daily. I missed one day, then 2 and then another and it seemed that the late night "mind-writing" disappeared. I tried to keep a journal at home where I could get things down on paper first..... that lasted about 3 minutes until I fell asleep with a pen in my hand
~ Occasionally. I'm a power reader. If I open the book today, I'll finish by tomorrow, which doesn't lend itself to sleep or enjoyment most of the time.
~ Bedtime is better, but as with everything else, if something better comes along, my schedule doesn't matter.
So as I laid in bed, wide awake at 4:09 this morning, contemplating life, I was thinking about the habits I have successfully walked away from.....
I quit smoking in March, 2007. I started smoking when I was young. STUPID! I quit a couple dozen times over the 20 years that I smoked, twice for over 2 years (once for each baby). But, it wasn't until I was faced with a 9 hour plane ride with 20 of my son's classmates, that I decided I was done for good. Commit lozenges, a good case of jet lag and fear of discovery was all it took for me to give it up for good.
I've quit eating processed foods. My shopping cart used to be full of "just add water and a half a stick of butter" products. Creamy, tasty and easy, right? Fortified with essential vitamins and minerals, right? Good for my family, right? Even after I started down my weight loss path, I'd buy an occasional box or bag to make dinner easier. Not any more...if it gets sauced or spiced in my house, it comes from the fridge or corner spice rack. And convenient means reheating something that was cooked the day before.
I have successfully broken habits that are bad for me, so why can't I permanently create habits that are good for me? Obviously it falls into the all or nothing category. I have discovered that when it comes to permanent change I have to do more than just want it and plan it, I have to DO IT (Like the water thing).
So, instead of trying to revamp my entire life and reaching this point of re-evaluation every 9 weeks, I'm going to focus on the most important ones today and tomorrow and the next day until they become who I am again......
~ Exercise. I will move every day, in some way, starting today. 10,000 steps is the minimum but certainly not the ideal and sweat is required for it to be called exercise!!
~ Journal. When I take the time to write down my food and my thoughts, I am infinitely more successful. I will be writing here every day for a while. You'll get my food, my exercise and my thoughts all in the same place. Accountability, right?
As soon as these two fit into my life, I'll go back and get some more.....
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Today.....
I'm a facebook fan.
I love "watching" the activity in my friends lives and I love the opportunity to
connect with like minded people through different business and blog pages.
There is a page I like a lot because the people writing and researching the posts think
like I do.... They are matter-of-fact, scientifically based, no BS kinds of people. The page is Metabolic Effect and a recent post caught my eye and I "clicked to read more".....
"If you don't get results following a "program" whose fault do you think that is? Is it the fault of the program or is it your issue? The answer to this question tells you almost everything you need to know about yourself and the chances of success at body change....." ~ME
Initially, it irritated me. Why would someone say that to a client? Why would you encourage them to move on???
I spend hours every week helping people change not only their bodies but also the way they live. I know that anyone can lose weight, become more physically fit and improve their overall health if they are willing to exercise and eat healthy. I also spend hours wondering how many people will stay committed to the Goals program and how many will sign up for the next 9 week Challenge. I meet with Mardi and Sandy and some of my coaches to talk about ways we can be "more".
But as I re-read the ME post a few things became clearer to me...
I know...
~ It's simply not possible to begin an exercise/eat clean program and not lose weight
~ It is possible for ANYONE to participate in the programs we offer at GIM
~ It has to "fit" in your life
~ You have to be ready to change
I also know....
that includes me.
I jumped on the Challenge bandwagon with the rest of the group 4 weeks ago. While I was away on a mini vacation this weekend, my fellow challengers went through mid-point testing. They "checked in" with the scale and body comp machine and they timed their push-ups and sit-ups. Several had some great results! Some had decent results and some are kind of where they started.
Where am I?? In the middle group. I'm down 10 pounds from my start, but I know it could be more.
I know better than to blame the program, but like so many others I continue to fall into an "all-or-nothing" rut. Week one, I worked out 7 times and walked- and hurt my back. So, week 2, I took it easy and week 3 easier and week 4 went on vacation........
I've eaten as I always do (clean) but, without the discipline of workouts and a "wine free social calendar", I haven't had the results I'd like.
So.... do I change my goals? Do I make a stupid and drastic move & cut nutrient groups out of my diet? Do I go crazy on a treadmill?
NO!!!
Back to the basics for me. Today is my Monday. All day long.... and so is tomorrow and the day after that....
"Not getting results? Then change. Confused? Then figure it out. Don't blame the program, blame yourself. If you are blindly following a program without adjusting to your needs along the way, then it's not the program's fault, it's your own. Go ahead and follow another program if you wish, but chances are until you learn this lesson it too will fail you." ~ME
I've written my grocery list, planned meals in my head and my workouts on my calendar.
So, how is this different than it was before? How do I know it will work this time??
I put a backup plan in place in case I decide to sleep in or a meeting runs longer than it should.....
I have two workouts scheduled- EVERY DAY
I want this, I need this.....
Today is my Monday, how about you?
I love "watching" the activity in my friends lives and I love the opportunity to
connect with like minded people through different business and blog pages.
There is a page I like a lot because the people writing and researching the posts think
like I do.... They are matter-of-fact, scientifically based, no BS kinds of people. The page is Metabolic Effect and a recent post caught my eye and I "clicked to read more".....
"If you don't get results following a "program" whose fault do you think that is? Is it the fault of the program or is it your issue? The answer to this question tells you almost everything you need to know about yourself and the chances of success at body change....." ~ME
Initially, it irritated me. Why would someone say that to a client? Why would you encourage them to move on???
I spend hours every week helping people change not only their bodies but also the way they live. I know that anyone can lose weight, become more physically fit and improve their overall health if they are willing to exercise and eat healthy. I also spend hours wondering how many people will stay committed to the Goals program and how many will sign up for the next 9 week Challenge. I meet with Mardi and Sandy and some of my coaches to talk about ways we can be "more".
But as I re-read the ME post a few things became clearer to me...
I know...
~ It's simply not possible to begin an exercise/eat clean program and not lose weight
~ It is possible for ANYONE to participate in the programs we offer at GIM
~ It has to "fit" in your life
~ You have to be ready to change
I also know....
that includes me.
I jumped on the Challenge bandwagon with the rest of the group 4 weeks ago. While I was away on a mini vacation this weekend, my fellow challengers went through mid-point testing. They "checked in" with the scale and body comp machine and they timed their push-ups and sit-ups. Several had some great results! Some had decent results and some are kind of where they started.
Where am I?? In the middle group. I'm down 10 pounds from my start, but I know it could be more.
I know better than to blame the program, but like so many others I continue to fall into an "all-or-nothing" rut. Week one, I worked out 7 times and walked- and hurt my back. So, week 2, I took it easy and week 3 easier and week 4 went on vacation........
I've eaten as I always do (clean) but, without the discipline of workouts and a "wine free social calendar", I haven't had the results I'd like.
So.... do I change my goals? Do I make a stupid and drastic move & cut nutrient groups out of my diet? Do I go crazy on a treadmill?
NO!!!
Back to the basics for me. Today is my Monday. All day long.... and so is tomorrow and the day after that....
"Not getting results? Then change. Confused? Then figure it out. Don't blame the program, blame yourself. If you are blindly following a program without adjusting to your needs along the way, then it's not the program's fault, it's your own. Go ahead and follow another program if you wish, but chances are until you learn this lesson it too will fail you." ~ME
I've written my grocery list, planned meals in my head and my workouts on my calendar.
So, how is this different than it was before? How do I know it will work this time??
I put a backup plan in place in case I decide to sleep in or a meeting runs longer than it should.....
I have two workouts scheduled- EVERY DAY
I want this, I need this.....
Today is my Monday, how about you?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)