Friday
Give the Gift of Being Present
Web friends! Grab your cup of java and join me for a quick chat because I have something I want to share with you! I must confess that this little tidbit didn't originate with me but it's just too good to keep to myself... so lean in!
Here's the low-down. If you are like me and find your mind always 2 or 3 steps ahead of what you are doing in the here and now, stop and simply BE PRESENT in what you are doing and with whom you are doing it. This is one very simple, but easily overlooked way that we can begin to live a fuller, more satisfying life, immediately. Don't you love a quick fix? :-)
In our culture, we are expected to have the ability to multi-task, not only as a necessary qualification in order to land and retain a good job, but it is considered a praise-worthy ability. However, in building relationships, the practice of this habit robs us of quality time and produces shallow, unsatisfying experiences.
Remember, as kids, begging Mom or Dad to "Watch me!" or "Play with me!"? and if they weren't really watching or were "multi-tasking" (i.e. talking on the phone, gabbing with the neighbor, etc.)while half-paying attention to the game or whatever we were playing, we would catch on quickly and continue to say, with increased zeal and volume, "Are you WATCHING me? Did you SEE that?!" "It's YOUR turn!!" :-)
I know we're all guilty on this one but we need not despair! As long as there is breath, there is hope! As we become more aware and seek a fuller participation in our moments, and as we begin to really listen, to really watch, and to really be present, we will send a message that says "I value you and you are worth my undivided attention," while making memories that will be recalled with a fonder affection.
Let your voicemail pick up that call while you take time to throw the ball with your son or to color with your graddaughter. Turn off the T.V. and listen as Grandpa tells that story, again. Be interested and even ask a question or two. It will make his day. :-). Take a few moments away from your computer screen to listen to your co-worker's heart as she asks for advice or just lend a listening ear. These, and many more, are the moments that build our lives and write our epitaph, one moment at a time!
One final thought. Making a decision to be present in our moments isn't accomplished in a single determination. It's a daily refreshing that we will find as we frequent our knowing place (see blog titled It's 3:15 AM The Knowing Place) to remember what we truly value in our hearts. May God meet us there and grant us grace that we will have eyes to see and ears to hear the opportunities to make a difference in our moments.
Still Climbing,
Cher
Saturday
But I don't WANT to look like a fitness model!
This is for my girlfriends, who desire a toned, lean, feminine physique, one that favors more of the "celebrity" look, if you will, rather than the ripped, muscular builds on the models that grace the cover of the most popular fitness magazines. I've spent years, literally, with my head buried in fitness articles put out by these popular and trendy fitness experts, utilized a large number of the hot DVD weight lifting programs on the market and done a gazillion squats and lunges using heavy weights as well as pushing out high reps with those same heavy weights to build muscle (but not too much!) and burn fat. I did the same with exercises for my biceps and triceps to avoid having "granny flappers!" :) Have I lost weight and built muscle? Sure! Did I create the body I was really seeking, ultimately? Somewhat but not exactly. While I do have a toned, muscular body and very little fat, I would really prefer a little more of the "Bond girl" look verses the fitness model. Now, I know that is practically cursing in today's fitness industry! I am not promoting anorexia or severely underweight and unattainable bodies. What I have discovered through my own experience, is that even though the industry tells us not to worry, You won't bulk up because "you don't have enough testosterone" in your body as a female, they can't tell that to my biceps or quads! When I practice lifting heavy weights to fatigue with those high reps, my muscles get larger - PERIOD. However, if I cut back the reps to only 5-6 and do them slower with less "pump" and rest in between those sets, my arms are toned but I don't have the Popeye look. If you are looking for the Popeye look, as a woman, keep pounding out those high reps, going as heavy as you can, and reaching failure every time - lift until you cannot lift anymore and you will be pleased with your budding muscles! Disclaimer - of course genetics are involved in this process. There are the slight body types that have a very difficult time building any muscle and may find this principle doesn't seem to apply as readily; always know your body and modify your workouts accordingly! For most of us, if we pump our muscles and do so to failure, consistently, we will gain size in the muscles we are working. If you are not eating a strict, clean diet with a steady calorie deficit, that size will be added to the fat that is already taking up space on your frame and you will see the results. So...my recommnedation is to add HIIT - High Intensity Intervals to your routine 3-4 times per week, such as 15-20 minutes of 1 minute walking at 3.5 and one minute running at 7 (only an example- modify to your fitness level)followed by 10-15 minutes of walking at 3.5-4.2 for example, aiming for a total of 30 minutes. Add some steady state cardio sessions a couple of times into your week(longer power walk or medium paced 5.5 jog as an example) if you actually need to LOSE unwanted muscle, on purpose :) for 45-60 minutes. Otherwise, if you just want to burn fat, use fewer reps (3-5 sets of 5-6 reps) for your upper body and let cardio do your lower body work. Done properly, HIIT (the 15-20 minues 3-4 times per week) followed by steady state cardio (10-15 minutes) can give you the results you want with lean, toned legs and a nice firm bottom! If you feel your backside and legs MUST have added work, add one day per week of leg/butt work. Absolutely no more is necessary unless you want added size in your hips and thighs.
If you have bad knees or ankles and cannot run, find another method such as the elliptical to do HIIT and take some long, brisk walks several times a week. Sometimes we have to get creative!
Check out Rusty Moore's Visual Impact for Women http://visualimpactforwomen.com/ and see if his fitness blog doesn't make sense to you like it has to me! I will continue to report on my summer routine and give updates! I'd love to hear what you are doing, regardless of whether it mirrors mine! Let's be fit4life!
Still Climbing,
Cher
Thursday
Passion - Not Perfection!
Friends!!
I know how busy you are - just grab your cup of coffee and join me for a few brief minutes to unwrap an important message I feel inspired to share with you!
For those who have been reading my blog or have visited my facebook page, ChersFit4Life, you see alot about living with passion! Today, I want to tell you what living with passion is NOT. Living with passion is NOT living with a standard of perfection! Should you find you are continually reaching for perfection, and no doubt being disappointed with the outcome, you will miss out on a truly passionate life! While there are a few commonalities in the definitions of passion and perfection, such as excellence and determination, passion is distinctive in that it energizes with enthusiasm and can produce a happy outcome. It is entirely possible and highly advantageous to live a passionate life...without the burden of the never-attainable, self-imposed, relentless task-master of perfectionism. I know about that of which I am speaking! Try to live a life of perfectionism and see how well you maintain your passion! While passion gives energy, perfectionism invites fatigue! Check your energy level!
My friends, there are many areas where this might show up in your life and mine. I remember one particular Easter. I wanted everything perfect! Don't all good moms feel this way? :) There were the baskets, eggs to color and hunt and all the festivities to make it a perfect day! I made a rabbit cake for the "fun" factor and picked a book to help emphasize the true meaning of Easter. Well....as I was reading the Easter story, the boys became restless and began to agitate each other and then started fussing and laughing over the cake and who was going go get what piece. Before I knew it, my cake was smashed right in the bunny nose BEFORE I got a picture of it! There were 3 pair of eyes looking at me for my reaction and mine began to fill with tears of defeat and disappointment. I can imagine how my boys felt at my distress, due to their mischief. Today, I can see that if I had been living with passion, rather than perfectionism, I could have laughed and preceded on to enjoy the rest of the holiday fun. I'm not saying a scolding of some sort wasn't in order but perspective could have put me in a more gracious state of mind. I could only think about how my special plans had been thwarted! Passion, NOT perfection!
I can offer one more very simple and recent example with a better outcome: CONFESSION! I ate a couple of bites (nice size bites) of chocolate cake AND tiramisu AND cheesecake AND some other 4-layer cake I can't even remember the name of at a lovely dinner hosted by some of our dear friends AND I enjoyed every single bite! :-0 What a glorious night - a "cheat" night - woo-hoo! Make no mistake, after such a night, I am right back on my clean eating plan. I had my egg whites, salad, grilled chicken breast, apple and protein shake mix all prepared for the next day's fare but...it sure was fun! I didn't let one evening of less than a perfect diet de-rail me with disappointment! It's called having a passionate NOT perfectionist approach to being healthy and fit that allows for a deviation from the norm, on occasion (just not too many occasions!) so as to be truly Fit4Life, not just living Life 2 B Fit!
Have a great week and whatever your hand finds to do...I encourage you, choose to do it with passion that energizes rather than suffering the drain of perfectionism!
Still Climbing,
Cher
I know how busy you are - just grab your cup of coffee and join me for a few brief minutes to unwrap an important message I feel inspired to share with you!
For those who have been reading my blog or have visited my facebook page, ChersFit4Life, you see alot about living with passion! Today, I want to tell you what living with passion is NOT. Living with passion is NOT living with a standard of perfection! Should you find you are continually reaching for perfection, and no doubt being disappointed with the outcome, you will miss out on a truly passionate life! While there are a few commonalities in the definitions of passion and perfection, such as excellence and determination, passion is distinctive in that it energizes with enthusiasm and can produce a happy outcome. It is entirely possible and highly advantageous to live a passionate life...without the burden of the never-attainable, self-imposed, relentless task-master of perfectionism. I know about that of which I am speaking! Try to live a life of perfectionism and see how well you maintain your passion! While passion gives energy, perfectionism invites fatigue! Check your energy level!
My friends, there are many areas where this might show up in your life and mine. I remember one particular Easter. I wanted everything perfect! Don't all good moms feel this way? :) There were the baskets, eggs to color and hunt and all the festivities to make it a perfect day! I made a rabbit cake for the "fun" factor and picked a book to help emphasize the true meaning of Easter. Well....as I was reading the Easter story, the boys became restless and began to agitate each other and then started fussing and laughing over the cake and who was going go get what piece. Before I knew it, my cake was smashed right in the bunny nose BEFORE I got a picture of it! There were 3 pair of eyes looking at me for my reaction and mine began to fill with tears of defeat and disappointment. I can imagine how my boys felt at my distress, due to their mischief. Today, I can see that if I had been living with passion, rather than perfectionism, I could have laughed and preceded on to enjoy the rest of the holiday fun. I'm not saying a scolding of some sort wasn't in order but perspective could have put me in a more gracious state of mind. I could only think about how my special plans had been thwarted! Passion, NOT perfection!
I can offer one more very simple and recent example with a better outcome: CONFESSION! I ate a couple of bites (nice size bites) of chocolate cake AND tiramisu AND cheesecake AND some other 4-layer cake I can't even remember the name of at a lovely dinner hosted by some of our dear friends AND I enjoyed every single bite! :-0 What a glorious night - a "cheat" night - woo-hoo! Make no mistake, after such a night, I am right back on my clean eating plan. I had my egg whites, salad, grilled chicken breast, apple and protein shake mix all prepared for the next day's fare but...it sure was fun! I didn't let one evening of less than a perfect diet de-rail me with disappointment! It's called having a passionate NOT perfectionist approach to being healthy and fit that allows for a deviation from the norm, on occasion (just not too many occasions!) so as to be truly Fit4Life, not just living Life 2 B Fit!
Have a great week and whatever your hand finds to do...I encourage you, choose to do it with passion that energizes rather than suffering the drain of perfectionism!
Still Climbing,
Cher
Sunday
Legitimate Needs or Neediness
We all have needs. Our good God created us with them, intending for us to live in community with each other, sharing our lives, and, within that framework, meeting and having our needs met. When we isolate ourselves, expecting one or two people to meet all our needs, we set ourselves up to become needy, thereby repelling the very outcome we desire to realize.
Let's take a look at having legitimate needs met vs. neediness by comparing the terms.
Need - something required or wanted; a necessity
Neediness - an excesssive amount of need often appearing as a clinginess due to ongoing, unmet needs and a narrow approach to having them met
If having needs is legitimate, how can we get them met in a way that doesn't turn to neediness and repell others from wanting to meet them?
First, realizing that God says in his Word, "My God shall supply ALL your needs according to his riches in glory, by Christ Jesus" is vital. We go to God in prayer and tell him our needs, pouring our hearts out before him, knowing he accepts us just as we are and fully understands what we need, better than we even know how to express it! Secondly, we realize that God uses others to meet our needs...but that no ONE person should be expected to meet them ALL and we are expected to do our part to get them met, as well.
I took an emotional index quiz and I highly recommend it for everyone. You can find a variety of them by googling. I took mine through lifecoach.com and my results show that I have 4 top needs. They are as follows:
1. The need to be loved/cherished.
2. The need to be heard.
3. The need for order.
4. The need for peace.
There was a 24 page series of questions I answered that helped define my top needs and I felt it was right on. Let me use myself as an example to give you a picture of someone with legitimate needs and how I have, at times, displayed both seeking to have my needs met and, on occasion, falling into the trap of neediness.
First, these are these very real and legitimate needs that I have. I need to be loved and cherised in a tangible way and, for me, equally as important (I had an = score on the top two), I need to know that I am HEARD. In other words I need communication and to know that what I communicate is valued, recognized and understood. On a slightly lesser level, I also need some order to my life and, in equal proportion, some peace, as they go hand in hand for me.
NOW then, if my circle is very small and I focus my attention on having my husband (name your person of focus....best friend, child, boyfriend) meet all of my needs, of which he is incapable of doing, I am going to be frustrated, disappointed and NEEDY becuase I will repel him and they will NOT be met.
Neediness is inherently repellant, my dear girlfriends. We KNOW this and we would all do well to ponder this for ourselves and see where we are on the subject. Think of a time when you have had someone in your life who was needy, clingy and drained the life from you with their unmet expectations; the vibe they put off with their lack of self-worth and the expectation that you would somehow empart that to them? How did it make you feel towards them? Do the words repel,opposed, rebuff, shy away from, resist come to mind? In other words, the very antithesis of attracting them to you to meet their needs? We've all had those situations, at some time in our lives and have likely been the needy participant, as well.
When this occurs, at first we might feel flattered and even desire to help but, when it becomes a repeated habit and is all about the other person, we begin trying to escape, hide and find ways to avoid these people. With this in mind, let us wake up and realize that if we find ourselves trying to have one person meet all our needs, this is what they are feeling! It is a self defeating act because the more needy we become, the less our needs are met and the more we repel those around us!
How then do we get our legitimate needs met and attract people to us in an attractive way? Let me refer back to my own top 4 needs.
I have a wonderful husband, a dearly loved mother, 3 great children, a host of friends and co-workers and within each of those relationships, I find a give and take in meeting mine and hopefully some of their needs through conversation of varying degrees and interests, gift giving and receiving, hugs and cards. In each encounter a small piece of the whole is met as it should be! I also have this need met through my writing as I express my thoughts.
When it comes to finding order and peace, I have to take responsiblity for creating "order" within my space and asking for help where needed. I need to do this at home, in my car and at work. This is a challenge for me but I'm much more productive and happier when things are in order! I'm pretty messy by nature but I have a NEED for order. That's because I have an attention deficit issue and when everything is misplaced or displaced, it creates a disheveled flavor to my life. I can't find things, run later than usual, and feel generally out of control! If I am feeling frustrated and not sure why, I can often look around me at my physical environment and find my answer! It's me that has to meet my own need! :)
I need some peace and quiet as well. I'm very sociable and don't need a lot but I do need some....every day. My husband is perfectly fine with the TV on in the background or the radio on in the truck at all times and can still focus on whatever he is doing, otherwise. Not so for me! Therfore, I've created "peaceful spaces" for myself out in our gym where I put my writing desk and in our bedroom if I need an escape. Sometimes he senses I am on "overload" and just shuts everything off and says "Let's take a walk." I have had to communicate to him my need for peace or quiet at times but it's up to me to find ways to integrate that into my life and I do.
So...food for thought - we all have needs. Do you find yourself working to have those needs met in a healthy way within your framework of relattionships or do you see yourself in a place of neediness where needs can never be realized? Acknowledging is always the best place to being making a change! I'd love to hear from you and how this is being worked out in your life or how we can pray together for healing in this area!
Still Climbing,
Cher
Let's take a look at having legitimate needs met vs. neediness by comparing the terms.
Need - something required or wanted; a necessity
Neediness - an excesssive amount of need often appearing as a clinginess due to ongoing, unmet needs and a narrow approach to having them met
If having needs is legitimate, how can we get them met in a way that doesn't turn to neediness and repell others from wanting to meet them?
First, realizing that God says in his Word, "My God shall supply ALL your needs according to his riches in glory, by Christ Jesus" is vital. We go to God in prayer and tell him our needs, pouring our hearts out before him, knowing he accepts us just as we are and fully understands what we need, better than we even know how to express it! Secondly, we realize that God uses others to meet our needs...but that no ONE person should be expected to meet them ALL and we are expected to do our part to get them met, as well.
I took an emotional index quiz and I highly recommend it for everyone. You can find a variety of them by googling. I took mine through lifecoach.com and my results show that I have 4 top needs. They are as follows:
1. The need to be loved/cherished.
2. The need to be heard.
3. The need for order.
4. The need for peace.
There was a 24 page series of questions I answered that helped define my top needs and I felt it was right on. Let me use myself as an example to give you a picture of someone with legitimate needs and how I have, at times, displayed both seeking to have my needs met and, on occasion, falling into the trap of neediness.
First, these are these very real and legitimate needs that I have. I need to be loved and cherised in a tangible way and, for me, equally as important (I had an = score on the top two), I need to know that I am HEARD. In other words I need communication and to know that what I communicate is valued, recognized and understood. On a slightly lesser level, I also need some order to my life and, in equal proportion, some peace, as they go hand in hand for me.
NOW then, if my circle is very small and I focus my attention on having my husband (name your person of focus....best friend, child, boyfriend) meet all of my needs, of which he is incapable of doing, I am going to be frustrated, disappointed and NEEDY becuase I will repel him and they will NOT be met.
Neediness is inherently repellant, my dear girlfriends. We KNOW this and we would all do well to ponder this for ourselves and see where we are on the subject. Think of a time when you have had someone in your life who was needy, clingy and drained the life from you with their unmet expectations; the vibe they put off with their lack of self-worth and the expectation that you would somehow empart that to them? How did it make you feel towards them? Do the words repel,opposed, rebuff, shy away from, resist come to mind? In other words, the very antithesis of attracting them to you to meet their needs? We've all had those situations, at some time in our lives and have likely been the needy participant, as well.
When this occurs, at first we might feel flattered and even desire to help but, when it becomes a repeated habit and is all about the other person, we begin trying to escape, hide and find ways to avoid these people. With this in mind, let us wake up and realize that if we find ourselves trying to have one person meet all our needs, this is what they are feeling! It is a self defeating act because the more needy we become, the less our needs are met and the more we repel those around us!
How then do we get our legitimate needs met and attract people to us in an attractive way? Let me refer back to my own top 4 needs.
I have a wonderful husband, a dearly loved mother, 3 great children, a host of friends and co-workers and within each of those relationships, I find a give and take in meeting mine and hopefully some of their needs through conversation of varying degrees and interests, gift giving and receiving, hugs and cards. In each encounter a small piece of the whole is met as it should be! I also have this need met through my writing as I express my thoughts.
When it comes to finding order and peace, I have to take responsiblity for creating "order" within my space and asking for help where needed. I need to do this at home, in my car and at work. This is a challenge for me but I'm much more productive and happier when things are in order! I'm pretty messy by nature but I have a NEED for order. That's because I have an attention deficit issue and when everything is misplaced or displaced, it creates a disheveled flavor to my life. I can't find things, run later than usual, and feel generally out of control! If I am feeling frustrated and not sure why, I can often look around me at my physical environment and find my answer! It's me that has to meet my own need! :)
I need some peace and quiet as well. I'm very sociable and don't need a lot but I do need some....every day. My husband is perfectly fine with the TV on in the background or the radio on in the truck at all times and can still focus on whatever he is doing, otherwise. Not so for me! Therfore, I've created "peaceful spaces" for myself out in our gym where I put my writing desk and in our bedroom if I need an escape. Sometimes he senses I am on "overload" and just shuts everything off and says "Let's take a walk." I have had to communicate to him my need for peace or quiet at times but it's up to me to find ways to integrate that into my life and I do.
So...food for thought - we all have needs. Do you find yourself working to have those needs met in a healthy way within your framework of relattionships or do you see yourself in a place of neediness where needs can never be realized? Acknowledging is always the best place to being making a change! I'd love to hear from you and how this is being worked out in your life or how we can pray together for healing in this area!
Still Climbing,
Cher
Thursday
Who You Are When No One's Looking
In re-reading a favorite book. Bill Hybel's Who You are When No One's Looking, I'm reminded of the value of developing the character traits of courage, discipline, vision endurance, tender love and more...these character qualities are presented in sharp contrast to focusing on building a reputation. As the great former coach, John Wooden put it,"Reputation is what people think you are. Character is what you really are." I'm so impressed by this little read that I've bought it for many others, including my young adult sons. Our world is sorely lacking in character and it's rebuilding begins with one and one and one more until a new generation catches the vision.
I've been allowing that thought to permeate my inmost being in recent weeks and I keep asking God, along with the Psalmist, to "Search me O God and know my heart. Test me and know my anxious thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me into life everlasting." I also think of the verse that says, "The heart of man is desperately wicked. Who can know it?" Do I know my heart tends to wickedness? And is wickedness only the worst kinds of thoughts such as sexual immorality, murder and hatred? Or... is it that my heart tends to stray from God left to its own devices without the Holy Spirit to "lead me in the way everlasting." It seems to me that the most wicked thing about my heart is that it so easily forgets God and my utter dependence on him for even my very breath. I turn quickly to the "weak and beggarly elements of this world" to satisfy what they never can and lean on my own faulty and limited understanding in my decision making and focus on building a "good reputation." The question I'm asking myself is "What does God think of me?" He knows my every thought and movitve. He knows what I do and who I am when no one else is looking. He sees right through the lies and longs to fill me with his very own Spirit and lead me into all truth where I can be free and at peace! Why do I resist it?
I'm reminded of the choice to exercise and eat a clean diet. If I prefer to be lazy and eat heavy, fattening, processed foods over expending a little energy for an hour or less per day exercising and eating natural foods that are good for my body, skin and overall health, why? What do I gain in the end? Disease, sickness, fatigue, a lesser quality of life? It's the same spiritually. If I choose to skip my time with God each day and to do whatever I feel like doing instead of practicing the godly character traits mentioned above, what do I gain? Foolish woman that I am so often! I think I'm in control, the master of my fate...well, I may be, in part, but at what price? As my husband often says, "How's that working for you?" :)
My dear girlfriends, I write this as one who is weak alongside you and asking for your prayers. Let's get on our knees and ask our good Father, "What is it you would have me do? I know you do all things well! Make me that woman of character, fill me with your Spirit and help me keep in step with your Spirit today and every day! I ask it in faith in the name of Jesus my Savior and Lord. Amen.
Still Climbing,
Cher
I've been allowing that thought to permeate my inmost being in recent weeks and I keep asking God, along with the Psalmist, to "Search me O God and know my heart. Test me and know my anxious thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me into life everlasting." I also think of the verse that says, "The heart of man is desperately wicked. Who can know it?" Do I know my heart tends to wickedness? And is wickedness only the worst kinds of thoughts such as sexual immorality, murder and hatred? Or... is it that my heart tends to stray from God left to its own devices without the Holy Spirit to "lead me in the way everlasting." It seems to me that the most wicked thing about my heart is that it so easily forgets God and my utter dependence on him for even my very breath. I turn quickly to the "weak and beggarly elements of this world" to satisfy what they never can and lean on my own faulty and limited understanding in my decision making and focus on building a "good reputation." The question I'm asking myself is "What does God think of me?" He knows my every thought and movitve. He knows what I do and who I am when no one else is looking. He sees right through the lies and longs to fill me with his very own Spirit and lead me into all truth where I can be free and at peace! Why do I resist it?
I'm reminded of the choice to exercise and eat a clean diet. If I prefer to be lazy and eat heavy, fattening, processed foods over expending a little energy for an hour or less per day exercising and eating natural foods that are good for my body, skin and overall health, why? What do I gain in the end? Disease, sickness, fatigue, a lesser quality of life? It's the same spiritually. If I choose to skip my time with God each day and to do whatever I feel like doing instead of practicing the godly character traits mentioned above, what do I gain? Foolish woman that I am so often! I think I'm in control, the master of my fate...well, I may be, in part, but at what price? As my husband often says, "How's that working for you?" :)
My dear girlfriends, I write this as one who is weak alongside you and asking for your prayers. Let's get on our knees and ask our good Father, "What is it you would have me do? I know you do all things well! Make me that woman of character, fill me with your Spirit and help me keep in step with your Spirit today and every day! I ask it in faith in the name of Jesus my Savior and Lord. Amen.
Still Climbing,
Cher
Wednesday
Passionate Living With Purpose - it's URGENT!
Girlfriends!! Sometimes I marvel that I am 47.....47! Almost 1/2 a century - whoa!
Girlfriends this is urgent! I realize more each day how little attention I paid to time and purpose when I was younger. It seems urgent to me now to daily recognize that each 24 hour period can never be recovered to be lived over again! What is there to do but live this day, this time, my "right now" with passion and purpose!? It's essential! I am an admitted dreamer and think BIG when it comes to squeezing all I can out of a day and striving to make a difference somewhere along the way and while I struggle with being tired by early evening, due to my 4:30 a.m. start with a fat-blasting work-out and a 70 mile round-trip commute to work, as well as the various stresses of concern for my kids, friends, job responsibilities, etc. that we all carry to one degree or another, I can never apologize for striving to seize the day! It is my passion and privelege to squeeze all I can out of this life I've so graciously been given to return back to my Creator!
What is your passion coming into 2012? More importantly, how are you going to embark upon fulfilling it? Unlike many, I LOVE the opportunity to make New Year's Resolutions! It's simply a lifestyle continuum for me to set goals and measurements to reach them. I don't always manage to do so - I was going to have my book written last year and now it has been moved ahead to this year but I try not to be TOO hard on myself as I got married, worked through a few set-backs, family needs and some big and wonderful changes in my career that took a lot of focus...so onward I go to reach that goal with a little delay on completion time. BUT my point here is that I do set goals and I hope you do, as well. One thing is for sure. If we don't set a goal, we won't reach it!
In living with passion and purpose and thinking of goal setting, ask yourself a few questions. What do I care about? What are my priorities? What relationships need my attention or need to be modified? How is my spiritual life? What kind of physical condition am I in and does it need improvement? As you walk through these questions, you will find your goals coming into view and can begin to work on measurements or ways to reach them. Be sure they are a stretch from where you are now but not out of reach! Be bold and take risks but remember to be reasonable with yourself!
Let me know how it's going. By week's end I will have had 3 lunches this week where I was asked for some encouragement and help with motivation for the new year. This is what I love and am passionate about. It's wonderful to set our goals and even better to bring some others along on the journey! After all, I have had some wonderful mentors go out of their way to help me reach my goals so it's only right to give back!
Have a great week and if you are struggling to find your passion and set your goals, get in a place of prayer and ask God to reveal his start-up plan for you. Believe he has direction - I promise He DOES! He is more than interested in accomplishing his purpose in a willing vessel!
Blessings!
Still Climbing,
Cher
Girlfriends this is urgent! I realize more each day how little attention I paid to time and purpose when I was younger. It seems urgent to me now to daily recognize that each 24 hour period can never be recovered to be lived over again! What is there to do but live this day, this time, my "right now" with passion and purpose!? It's essential! I am an admitted dreamer and think BIG when it comes to squeezing all I can out of a day and striving to make a difference somewhere along the way and while I struggle with being tired by early evening, due to my 4:30 a.m. start with a fat-blasting work-out and a 70 mile round-trip commute to work, as well as the various stresses of concern for my kids, friends, job responsibilities, etc. that we all carry to one degree or another, I can never apologize for striving to seize the day! It is my passion and privelege to squeeze all I can out of this life I've so graciously been given to return back to my Creator!
What is your passion coming into 2012? More importantly, how are you going to embark upon fulfilling it? Unlike many, I LOVE the opportunity to make New Year's Resolutions! It's simply a lifestyle continuum for me to set goals and measurements to reach them. I don't always manage to do so - I was going to have my book written last year and now it has been moved ahead to this year but I try not to be TOO hard on myself as I got married, worked through a few set-backs, family needs and some big and wonderful changes in my career that took a lot of focus...so onward I go to reach that goal with a little delay on completion time. BUT my point here is that I do set goals and I hope you do, as well. One thing is for sure. If we don't set a goal, we won't reach it!
In living with passion and purpose and thinking of goal setting, ask yourself a few questions. What do I care about? What are my priorities? What relationships need my attention or need to be modified? How is my spiritual life? What kind of physical condition am I in and does it need improvement? As you walk through these questions, you will find your goals coming into view and can begin to work on measurements or ways to reach them. Be sure they are a stretch from where you are now but not out of reach! Be bold and take risks but remember to be reasonable with yourself!
Let me know how it's going. By week's end I will have had 3 lunches this week where I was asked for some encouragement and help with motivation for the new year. This is what I love and am passionate about. It's wonderful to set our goals and even better to bring some others along on the journey! After all, I have had some wonderful mentors go out of their way to help me reach my goals so it's only right to give back!
Have a great week and if you are struggling to find your passion and set your goals, get in a place of prayer and ask God to reveal his start-up plan for you. Believe he has direction - I promise He DOES! He is more than interested in accomplishing his purpose in a willing vessel!
Blessings!
Still Climbing,
Cher
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