Frustration Leads to Change

My husband said something to me today that made me think. He said something along the lines of Not every is as strong as you to go work out and stick to it.  You have entrepreneurial spirit and you do well as an entrepreneur.

This discussion came up because I made a comment how people make excuses for not working out - anything they can justify, my husband is no exception to this rule.  I don't apologize for my comment.  If people were really honest with themselves they would realize the comment is true.  I am a direct communicator.  I never intend to be rude.  Yes, sometimes I am judgemental.  I am not perfect.  I have a lot of things to work on and issues to work out in my life.

Anyways, I digress.  

I have really been sticking to going to Pilates, trying a new workout called Barre and daily doing push ups with the help of an App on my phone.  All before the New Year as well.  I don't like Resolutions.  I make changes when I get fed up with current life and change is required.

This is what I am discovering, in myself and others.  People don't want to change until something devastating happens in their life (unfortunately, it takes desperate measures to kick some people in the ass), or they are so fed up with the way things are, they finally make a change.

I am tired of back pain, lack of flexibility and strength and lack of hormonal balance, that getting fit is necessary.  I don't want to wait until I get sick or someone I love gets sick.

So if you are not happy with your job, your weight, your relationships, GET ANGRY about it.  Get fired up and do SOMETHING about it.   

I am learning nothing comes without dedication, sacrifice and getting out of your comfort zone.  That lesson was learned hard at my first Barre class.  It was so hard.  I actually muttered the words, "I can't do it" and then I felt ashamed for saying that.  

Anytime I get close to the edge of my comfort zone, I quit.  I say I can't do it and I complain.  I become a whiner and I never realized it until I went to Barre. 

I apologize to myself for not realizing this sooner.  I am happy I know this now.  I can set goals around it, push a little harder to achieve goals.  A comfort zone is something to be broken for anything that is worth it!

Peeling the Layers of an Onion

Photo Taken from Amazon.ca

My husband bought me a book for Christmas called "Procrastination Why You Do It, What To Do About It NOW" by Jane Burka and Lenora Yuen.  I joked with him and said I would start reading it next year but I started reading it that night and I'm really glad I did.

But this is like peeling the layers off of an onion. The more you try and help yourself the more things you find need helping.  I used to think I was standing on the ground with a ladder in front of me and I was gonna start walking up it. But now I feel like I'm in a deep hole and the ladder is in front of me and I have to get out of the hole first before I can continue up from the surface.  I know that sounds dismal but it's not meant to be.

If you are a procrastinator, I highly recommend this book. It reaches down into the core of your soul to determine the root causes of procrastination.  But it goes beyond that. It digs deeper. I had no idea I had as many issues as I do until I started reading this book.  I am being completely vulnerable to admit this.   I find myself reading the book and saying to myself, "Oh my, that is so me" or "Yes, I can relate to that" or even more strongly, "Are you sure the authors haven't been in my head??"

I am very happy.  The winds of change are blowing in my life.  Now if only I had countless hours to read it.  I am a slow reader and I don't have patience for that.  

I am building up my library so tell me, 

Do you have a self-help or other book that resonated with you so strongly?  

Personal Development Plan

I am very excited that I have become a member of Robin Sharma's Extreme Achievement Formula 2014.  I  have just started to scratch the surface of the program.

I haven't been active in my own personal development lately.  Although, I have started my binder and added pages, notes and tabs to start it out, there is lots of work to be done.  

Then I got sick, AGAIN!  So one thing I remember is to become master over self.  I have taken some time off from "learning" to take better care of my health to prevent such regular illnesses.  All that means, is I'm loading up on essential vitamins, probiotics and iron to get back to a better physical state.  Also, sleeping as much as I feel comfortable to repair my health.

Now that I am on the mend, I am ready to get back to blogging, learning, the 5 AM club, setting goals.  This process certainly is a rollercoaster.

The cool thing about all this, is the New Year is just around the corner.  I am not about resolutions but a full year to make goals and work towards them kind of feels like a clean start.

Do you ever feel like you just get started on something and then a hiccup comes along to upset things?

Impressionable Children

I took my 3 year old sliding recently and as we were leaving the hill to come home I was watching her slowly walk behind me to the car.  And a thought hit me.

NOW is the right time to make a positive change in life.  Rather than teaching our children to be positive they can watch us be positive, work hard for success and succeed.

I am thankful I am making changes now in this stage of life, as a parent to young children.

We owe it to our children to raise them right instead of telling them how to live.

I have enrolled in a personal development course put on by Sharma Leadership International.  One of the "to-do's" is to create a personal philosophy.  What kind of person do I want to be?  What kind of Mother and Wife do I want to be?   How do I want to live my days?  How do I want to be remembered?  Answering those questions provides clear insight into ourselves and our personal goals.

Just knowing about that personal philosophy and having that in the back of my mind has helped me in difficult parenting situations lately.  When things are getting a little tough, I think about what kind of Mother I want to be and my reactions and responses change.  I immediately become more patient, I find myself counting slower and more controlled to get through a few tough seconds until the world settles down.

I am not striving for perfection, I just want to improve a little bit each day.  1% each day means a 30% improvement in 1 month.  

I'm Not Going to Get All "Preachy"

I just had an epiphany.  I am usually a soapbox, preachy person.  When I get passionate about something, everyone must know about it.

That is the WRONG approach!

This blog is for people who want to join me in my journey to something greater.  If you want to read, thank you!  Your interest is what inspires me.

If this is no interest to you, then thank you for reading thus far.  I am not offended if you choose to not follow.  This journal is for me and people who are looking for realistic inspiration.

Sometimes we need support to know there are others going through what we are going through.  People we can celebrate with.  Real people who in a similar stage in life.  People to whom we are accountable.

It is sometimes hard to relate to the people who have already "succeeded" or the "teachers".  

So join me, "plain Jane", if you wish, on my way to being Iconic Stephanie!

Value versus Cost

First of all, I want to express sincere appreciation and gratitude that there are others out there that have travelled down this road I am on before me.

I am referring to Robin Sharma as just one example.  I just finished watching the second video of the Extreme Achievement Formula.  (In case you cannot tell, I am a little obsessed with his messages right now because they represents everything I am pursuing.)

One thing that resonates with me, because it applies to me, is the value of self-development.  I am one of those people, an ordinary or average person as Sharma puts it, who worries about the cost.  I want to switch my thinking.  I am worth investing in my personal and professional development.  And I have more to lose.

Yesterday, I was up at 5AM and had planned my day and I am proud to say I accomplished my 5 goals.  Each morning I am working through the whole 5 step process for having a great year.  I don't want to rush it because I want to make sure I am attracting into my life constructive, meaningful to me, experiences and circumstances.  

Now it is time to start changing my thinking more.  Incrementally, each day.  This whole process is causing me to find the things I need to progress FORWARD.

So the thought crossed my mind to search for motivational, positive books to read.  Here is the list that I have come up with.  As I read each one, I will blog a mini book review and how it pertains to changing my life.

1.  Stephen Covey - 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
2.  Napolean Hill - Think and Grow Rich
3.  Anthony Robbins - Awaken the Giant Within
4.  Norman Vincent Peale - The Power of Positive Thinking
5.  Robin Sharma - The Leader Who Had No Title

The last one, as you may know from previous posts, I have already started.  I have not finished.  I borrowed it from my local library and because I am a slow reader (I really like to re-read to absorb and understand what I am reading), my time came too short and I had to return it.  I am now waiting to receive these books from Amazon.  I don't usually buy books but now is not the time to be cheap.  Buying these books are an investment into self-development and I know that if I put the time and money into self-improvement now, it will come back to me many times over.

I have heard so much about some of these books that I am excited to get started and the big question will be, WHAT BOOK DO I READ FIRST?!?!

Missing Steps - Goal Setting

After my Humble Realizations post a few days back, I felt kind of empty and like I was really missing something about this whole process.

This morning I was up at 5AM.  Coincidentally, so was my 1 year old so after she was back to sleep, I vigourously walked the stairs to my basement until my legs burned and my heart raced.  That only took about 5 minutes, if that.  Getting fit is a goal but it is also a process.

Then I started searching for a goal setting process - something I can really sink my teeth into.  I found Robin Sharma's Weekly Design System, printed it and went about a few household chores to satisfy a need for accomplishment so early in the morning.

Then I went back to researching some tangible things I can do to get my wheels turning.  I found Robin Sharma on How To Make This New Year Your Best Year Yet video.  I paused it and ran downstairs to get a notebook.  I really wanted to put ink to paper.  I had read an article that has surfaced from a Google search called Goal Setting - The Why and the How and very clearly that states that "3% of Harvard MBAs Make Ten Times as Much as the Other 97% Combined" because "3% had clear, written goals and plans to accomplish them".

And I am not so concerned about them being Harvard students or Masters students.  What is important to me is the statistic that carries over to anybody and everybody.

So I have my notebook in front of me and my YouTube video playing, with a finger close to the space bar to pause the video when I need to catch up with the note taking.

So I started taking notes on everything Robin Sharma says, even though it's in the article about goal setting that I read, I wanted to write it down for myself.  That is how I absorb it better.  Writing is more effective for me than reading.

1.  Celebrate - I started making note of all the questions I am to ask myself.  Then I started thinking about the answers to those questions.  I paused the video and flipped a page in my notebook and within 2 minutes had written 12 things that came so fast.  Robin Sharma says ACT when you have a thought, so I did that because it came so naturally.

Back to the video and making more notes.  Once the video was finished, I hoped over to this blog post and started writing.  I am inspired.  I feel like now I can plan.

As I am nearing the time my children get up in the morning, I have on my Weekly Design System to get back to this goal setting process tomorrow morning as part of my planning and learning for the day.

I am excited!  I hope this boost of energy will help you get traction!