push ups make you stronger...

I am pretty obsessed with creating my own analogies and today I'm feeling inspired to compare life to a push up. Here is a short and sweet reminder for your day! Enjoy. -Samantha

Life is a push up... you go down... you go up... you go down again... and you get back up.

When have you ever heard of someone who went down in a push up but wasn't able to get back up? Maybe it's not perfect, maybe you have to go to your knees, or maybe you have to roll over onto you back to stand up. Either way, you are not stuck on the ground. There is always a way to get back up.

This is what we do. We get back up.

Life will throw you for a loop a time or two (or seven,) but we must pick ourselves up and move on. When we're feeling stuck it's important to remember that we won't be there forever.

We choose when to pick ourselves back up and we get stronger every time.

sweating once a day...

Those around me constantly inspire me. My co-worker and friend, Amy Shenk, has set out on a year -long personal challenge to “Sweat Once a Day.” I asked her to share a sneak peek into how it’s been going and what her experiences have been in this post below. Keep after it, Amy!

love,

s

Before I started my year of sweating once a day, I was aware that we are our own worst enemies when it comes to accomplishing powerful goals and achievements, but I don't think I quite got it. 

I never realized how much I would sabotage myself in workouts and in the preparation for my workouts until I had to do something every day. This greater understanding of myself got me thinking and I found that I was creating excuses for myself; bringing myself down because I thought that I was the exception. Like most people, I constantly struggle with fielding negative self talk and excuses before, during, and after my workouts –

"You’re too slow, too tall, too tight, too tired, too dehydrated"

This is just not acceptable. If I want to live a powerful life, I must commit daily. 

I get it - sometimes we really do need to rest and give our bodies a break, but I would say 97.3% of the time your laziness is just trying to get the better of you. Dear Amy: Yes you are tired today but so is pretty much EVERYONE else at CrossFit, yoga, or run group. Everyone has had a long day. Everyone gets headaches. Push-ups are hard for everyone. I am not the exception.  And I hate to break it to you, but unless you have a serious injury or illness that needs attending to, you are not the exception either. 

Why do we allow ourselves to ruin our own chances at a fantastic life? Stop sabotaging your shot and get into action. Stand for greatness for yourself and others. You will marvel at the results you achieve. 

trying...everything...

I had a conversation with a yogi friend of mine recently about what it means to "try."  He has a student that he has been doing private lessons with who kept falling out of tree pose in class. Each time, my friend would ask what are you going to do to stay in the pose?  The student responded, "I'll try again." 

This poses a great question. How many times do you keep trying the same thing only for the same results? While there are several interpretations of "insanity," here is one that could apply in situations like these:

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

What else could the student have done differently? For starters, he could have asked the teacher for pointers. How many times have you simply just not sought guidance when you felt stuck in a situation? He could have adjusted where he placed his lifted leg to provide more stability in the pose. How many times have you thought you had to abide by the rules to play? He could have gone to a nearby wall for support. How many times have you let your ego get in the way of achieving your goals?

If something is not working in your life what do you do about it? People will tell you to keep trying, right? But there comes a point where we need to step back and take a look at how we've been trying. If we keep falling out of tree pose we need to make adjustments to get into it.

You want a promotion at work? Ask for feedback. You want to learn to play the guitar? Take lessons. Less talking about what you want and more action towards finding the path to your goals. Stop waiting for things to happen. Next time you say "I've tried," list out all the ways you did. Solutions are out there waiting... you just have to discover them. You can literally have anything you want. You just have to be curious and creative in how you get it.

What adjustments can you make in your life, today, to start living into the life you deserve to have?

always never perfect...

I woke up today with this mantra on repeat floating around in my brain...

"always never perfect"

I'm not 100% sure what it means but I have decided to try and think it out loud on my blog today. i've also chosen not to proofread or change anything that i write today. so forgive my gramatical errors and incomplete sentences and wildly incorrect spellings. today, i just want to be me and i dont care how that comes across to other people.

I spend so much of my time feeling responsible for the way i come across to other people. I know that  the things I say and the actions i take will be viewed from the eyes of the recipient  Does knowing this and living this way actually hold me back from being who I really am? Am I always warping my thoughts, feelings, and emotions into perfect little packages for others?

We live in a world where perception is everything. How do we really get to know someone if the only way we can know them is through our perception of them? Who says our perception is the truth? That thought actually kind of scares me...

What is perfect? I'm full of shortcomings and flaws so I know that I'm not. I never will be. I like this. If I don't have to live a perfect life then I can live a life where I live for fun. I live a life where I act on impulse. I live a life where I don't worry about the consequences of my actions.

We all have those people in our lives that we sometimes hate because their lives are "soooooo perrrrrrfffeeecttt." Maybe there are folks out there who think I live a perfect life. Although, I doubt this because I'm certainly not afraid to wear my emotions on my sleeve and spill my guts to random strangers on the street. Most of the people around me are aware of my life's details. It's not perfect... and that's ok. But the reality is none of us are truly perfect because "perfect" is an interpretation and that interpretation is different for everyone.

If you're used to being perfect try letting that go, even for a day. See what changes. See how you live your life.

Be... always never perfect.

you've got to go for it...

If you want something you need to be willing to do whatever it takes... even if it scares the pants off of you.

I'm still on the "new year, new you" kick, and due to the nature of my job and fresh perspective on life, I will almost always be in the goal setting mindset.

Over the past three years I've seen what I'm capable of and know how much more is out there for me to achieve. I run marathons,  I've learned yoga poses I didn't know I could do, I've started a blog, I've traveled, I got married, I've swam with sharks, I've reached my goal of running a business... I've done cool sh*t!

and there is so much more out there waiting for me...

Recently, I've been challenged with a decision that I never wanted to make. I had two options... RUN and get the hell out, or see it through and do whatever it takes.

I'm not sure that I would have been able to make the right choice without the past three years of life's experiences. I have learned that I can make anything work if I want, that I am in control, and that only I have the power of choice when it comes to my life. I don't give up on anything, so why would I start now?

It's really powerful, and exciting, when you realize you are in the driver's seat (or in my case... "re-realize). While it can be scary and the road ahead may have unexpected twists, turns, ups and downs, have comfort in knowing that YOU chose that road and it will lead you to where you want to go in life.

If you want it... you've got to go for it...

What are you going for?

you are what you are...

“You don't need anybody to tell you who you are or what you are. You are what you are!”

John Lennon

Its funny how we package ourseleves up into tiny boxes and stow them away on the top shelves of that closet in our house full of other boxes we don't feel like unpacking... Ever.

The other day, my husband made a comment that reminded me of just how often we affix labels to ourselves and believe that is who we are. How limiting is that behavior?

We were talking about music and I was putting together my marathon playlist when Brett said that he likes a lot of music that "doesn't really fit who he is."  I asked, "who are you that you can't like that type of music?"

::Insert little light bulb moment here::

When we find ourselves thinking "People may be surprised to know ____ (fill in the blank) about me," we really ought to be asking why don't they already know it?

Don't be afraid to show your true colors. Be proud. Music for example, is a form of expression not only of the artist but of those who listen and appreciate it as well.

Be whoever. Say whatever. And never hide who you are.

discovery...guest blogger cristina houston

discover: find (something or someone) unexpectedly or in the course of a search

                                                .         .         .

One of my favorite concepts and teachings of yoga is that your practice (insert life itself) is just that: a practice. Every moment is an opportunity to grow, reflect, turn inward, be still...the list goes on. Every time I unroll my mat, I am reminded, sometimes more easily than others, that life is just one big practice. We don't have to have it all figured out, and likely we won't. And more often than not, the answer comes to us with time, reflection, and through a process of discovering it, rather than knowing it.

I hate to admit it, but at the ripe age of 28, I genuinely thought that I had (kind of) figured my life out. I was fortunate enough to have found what I was truly passionate about, experienced 3 loving and enlightening years of marriage, lived abroad, obtained a great education, embarked on an eye-opening, self-reflecting journey of service to Kenya, and shared the most intimate and fun moments with the best family and friends anyone could wish for. My friends turn to me for advice, I'm good at what I do, and I know how my life "works". I had it all figured out, or so I thought.

Last month, I attended Advanced Landmark. In short, if you've never heard of Landmark, it's an educational series that empowers individuals to let go of their past, their stories, and live life to their fullest potential, every day. I went into the weekend armed and ready. I had already learned about and given up my internal drama, and was ready to learn and find out how I could now conquer the world. Unfortunately for me, as it turns out, I didn't know squat. Talk about an overwhelming feeling of "Well shit, now what?".

On the second day of the seminar, our leader said something that will stick with me forever. Although he said this much more gracefully and boldly than I can communicate, he asked us, "What if you approached life as if you didn't know anything, and you had to discover it instead?" 

Whoa. What?

In an instant, the game of life completely changed its rules for me. A whole new realm of possibilities opened up, and the word discovery took on a whole new meaning for me. It was so painfully clear that I had been the only one responsible for having set limitations on my life. I was approaching life half-assed. Needing to know the answer (at least a version of it) before asking the question. I was setting myself up to succeed only at the level at which I had succeeded (or failed) in my past.

I walked into that weekend prepared to get what I needed to know. I walked away with an entirely new perspective and a new found love and infatuation with discovery. I want to discover what each day has to offer. I want to discover my amazing husband, not get to know him better. I want to discover what's possible when I don't set limitations beforehand. I want to discover what my breath and body can do every time I unroll my mat. I want to discover what my yoga practice opens up when I don't resist it. And mostly, I want to discover ME!

It's amazing what opens up when you let go of what you think you know. What are you ready to discover?

--

Guest Blogger: 

Cristina Houston

Houston, TX

http://002mag.com/category/07-community/non-profit/