Who Do You Want To Be?

Wowee! Working out at 6:30 p.m. and then again at 5:00 a.m. the next day will push it for sure. 

We accidentally overslept yesterday, but it did mean getting to attend a class with an instructor who I normally don't see, Molly. We did a lower body class and she brought it! At one point we were all quasi-laughing after doing a hard double set of quads, and apparently we were all making an "I'm in horrible pain" face (said Molly). I would call that, "I think my flesh is ripping." BUT it was AWESOME! I am a weirdo and actually like being pushed to the edge like that. 

It's funny because I used to be deterred from working out because I didn't want to be a sweaty, hot mess...and now I fully embrace it! I love getting finished and I'm sweaty and my hair is everywhere and I may even look slightly crazed (thus why I love the quote above), but shoot, I worked hard and kicked butt and I am feeling good!!

Tomorrow morning is the orientation for our newest 10-week recruits! This session my husband and I will be 2 of the 3 coaches for our class. I love encouraging (and pushing) others to be their best so I am eager to meet my team and help them in their journey. 

For my personal transformation, only ONE MONTH until I post my before/after/current after pictures! I've made some modifications to my nutrition and am hopeful at my upcoming results. I have that feeling you get when you know some good things are about to happen.

My challenge today is to get up and do at least 20 minutes of heart raising, blood pumping, get you sweaty cardio. YOU choose what you do, but get that heart rate up!!

I am doing this and SO CAN YOU! Make it a Level 10 Day!

Product Highlight: Zevia

While water is always your best beverage choice, there are times when you just want something else. We recently stumbled upon Zevia, an all-natural soda. 

You can check out their website HERE to read all about it. They have a dozen flavors. We have tried the root beer and the cola. With all the recent studies on the negative effects of soda (including diet!), it's definitely worth a switch, especially if you're just not ready to cut the soda. 

I'll admit that the flavor does take a little getting used to, but a few sips in and you won't miss the other stuff. I like that they do not use artificial sweeteners or colors. Plus, there are no calories, MSG, GMOs, gluten, and are all kosher. If you like caffeine, 3 of the 12 flavors do have caffeine (naturally derived from coffee). 

So, that's that. Enjoy!

I am doing this and SO CAN YOU! Make it a Level 10 Day!

FAILURE

We have no guarantee of a life free from obstacles. In fact, if you aren't facing any, I would question - ARE YOU LIVING?! Are you going after that "Level 10" - giving all you have - each day? Are you moving forward toward your goals?

OR are you coasting? Are you drifting through life? Taking the easy route?

I've recently learned that some people do not like the word failure. I think MOST people do not embrace it enough. 

Yep - I said it. You see, you can spin it all day long and fluff it up, but ultimately there will be winners and losers. There will be goals met and goals missed. There will be times that we fall short. While I want to succeed and win at all I do, I don't think the end result is as nearly as important as what you do leading up to it AND what you do after. 

One of my favorite books is John Maxwell's, Failing Forward. In it, he addresses the perception of failure and its influence on our lives. 

The way I see it is that some people are so afraid of failure that it causes:

a. Paralyzation (inactivity, never trying, quitting, self-doubt, self-sabotage)

b. Stagnation (procrastination, false-activity, creative avoidance, performance plateau, complacency)

One keeps you from even trying and the other keeps you where you are currently. Either way fear of failure breeds inactivity OR false-activity (unnecessary busyness) - not productivity.

To me - this is the real tragedy. A fear filled life that avoids failure at all costs. A real champion will fail. In fact, a real champion will fail many times. Yet, a real champion will grow, strengthen and progress with every failure allowing them to reach even higher than thought possible. 

One thing I learned when I first did some weight lifting was that you are actually creating small tears in your muscles as you work them and push them. You are breaking them down. When you allow them to recover and heal, they build up stronger than before.  Life is similar, right? We face obstacles, we stumble, we may fail, but when we allow the proper recovery (and reflection), we will be stronger than before.

 

 

I am a younger sibling. Sure, it's nice to have someone who has gone before you, yet those older siblings can sometimes try to parent you. If you haven't experienced this, you've probably had someone older than you not fully understand why a trial you are facing is so stressful or difficult. See, when you are in jr. high and facing jr. high problems, those are the biggest trials you've faced. Yet, you make it through, you learn and you grow. You're stronger and more capable. Then, you face high school obstacles, college obstacles, job obstacles, parenting obstacles and so on. Each time you're a little stronger and you grow even more. 

When we fixate on perceived failures, or allow them to hold more weight than necessary, we run the risk of missing the mark. Because as much as we would like to segment our lives or hold on to singular moments, it's really the sum of the moments that build the person.

My challenge today - go fail at something! Make a mistake, be awkward, feel silly! Erase that period at the end of your failure, and try again! The only requirements - give it your all, your Level 10, and DO NOT quit. I imagine that you will discover something GREAT about yourself that you never knew before.

I am doing this and SO CAN YOU! Make it a LEVEL 10 Day!

Have Courage. Keep Going.

It takes courage to push yourself to places that you have never been before...to test your limits...to break through barriers. And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.

- Anais Nin

Wise Words Wednesday....er, Thursday

It's time for Wise Words Wednesday Thursday! I know we are a day late, I do desire to improve upon my timeliness when it comes to this blog...BUT, I desire more to get in shape! Chris and I have been adding in some additional training on top of what we do at our gym because I still have another 20 lbs. to lose and muscles to build! Since SO MANY people were impacted and encouraged by seeing Chris' before/after photos, I am announcing that on April 28th in honor of my 28th birthday (my birthday is the week prior), I will be posting MY before/after photos from my 10 weeks and my current "after." BUT for now, I will continue to share my perspective with you and bring you some WISE WORDS from Chris about his experience and the things he learned.

So, my Farrell’s eXtreme Bodyshaping 10 weeks finished last Saturday. I worked as hard as I could, was diligent in all aspects of the program and now my journey is complete. . .or is it? If there’s one thing that I want to take from this whole experience, it’s that being healthy is so much more than just hitting a destination point; it’s an ongoing commitment to making decisions that benefit the mind, body and soul.

Since being recognized as the Most Transformed Male from the last 10 weeks, I’ve had a number of people ask me how I did it. In short, I changed the way I approached my life and my health. I know that sounds a little vague and abstract, so let me explain a little better.

In order to describe the changes I’ve made, I need to back up a little. Growing up, I was always an athlete and played several sports. I really never struggled with my weight, and I honestly didn’t understand how or why others did. I guess you can just chalk it up to youthful ignorance. As I entered into college and the years that have followed, I approached my life similarly to my youth. I ate and drank what I wanted and I figured if I occasionally got a little exercise, I’d be just fine. After all, if you take in a lot of calories, you can just go for a run and burn them off – right? It’s taken me a while to even realize that I was doing anything wrong, but it started to all come to light shortly before I joined Farrell’s.

I’ve long believed that behind every great man is an even better woman. If I have any “great” attributes, I can attribute them in large part to my wife, Jessica. If you’ve been following her blog, you know that she’s been going through this transformation for longer than I have, and if you've ever been around her, you can’t help but be inspired. I’ve always felt like I’ve been encouraging and supportive of her, but I started to realize that I was at times sabotaging her efforts, and hurting myself at the same time.  We’d stay up late hanging out, going to a movie, doing work around the house or any number of other activities. Then she’d get up really early to work out, and I’d sleep in. She’d prepare herself a healthy breakfast, and I’d eat fast food. I would tell her to keep up the good work, and then we’d eat two different dinners. What’s wrong with this picture?!

Now, on to the transformation. For me, it all became clear pretty quickly that I had been deceiving myself. Everyone saw me as “thin,” but being healthy is so much more than being thin. The first thing I did was change the way I ate. Cutting out all the unnecessary sweets and fat made a huge difference. In fact, I could feel a difference within two days. It was like my heart felt lighter. I also realized that I wasn’t doing near enough physically to be in the shape that I wanted to be. I made the decision work as hard as I possibly could at the workouts. I’m not going to lie, it was my secret desire to break one of the punching bags from hitting so hard – still hoping!

But during all these changes, the most significant change was my relationship with Jessica. Like I said, I’ve always encouraged her, but actions really do speak louder than words. We encouraged each other throughout the 10 weeks because we were going through the same process. Working out together helped us relate in a way that we never had before. We even ate the same meals at the dinner table. Imagine that. I can honestly say that our relationship has never been better.

Here are a few specific ways that you can make similarchanges to what I did.


1.     Examine the way you eat
I realized that I was eating a lot of sugar and fat, but was often still hungry. I now eat 6 smaller, balanced meals a day.


2.     Try something new
Before the past 10 weeks I thought I didn’t like eggs, veggies or seafood. I now eat eggs everyday. I snack on raw carrots and broccoli, and I love roasting asparagus and orange/red bell peppers. I also like sushi now. Not only is that seafood, but it’s often raw fish – what!?!



3.     Set specific goals
Unless you set a goal, how do you know if you’re moving in the right direction? Once you reach your goals, make new ones and keep improving. My goals were to do 60 situps/min, 70 pushups/min and a 6 minute mile. At 10 weeks, I did 68 situps, 74 pushups and 5:51 in the mile.


4.     Find someone who you can get healthy with.
A spouse or significant other is a great option!


5.     Give all you can
If you work as hard as you can, you can never be disappointed in yourself. Test your limits and push harder. You’d be surprised how much you can do if you’re willing to be uncomfortable.

So, how did I do it? Like I said, I changed the way I approached life, and this journey is far from over!

The Small Joys in Life

I must confess, the past few days have been.......AMAZING!

Sure, some exciting things have happened, but it's also the small joys in life and some time to reflect and relax that have made it great. SO, I thought it was time for another FAVORITE THINGS post.

Here are a few of my recent joys:

I mentioned this briefly before. We have one of these trees, a flowering Japanese cherry blossom, in our backyard. With the warmer weather, it is now in full bloom. If you need a little happiness find one of these and sit under it for a few minutes. The flowers are beautiful and the scent is intoxicating.

If you didn't know, I love coffee! Normally, I like to support local shops, but this roast from Starbucks, the Blonde Roast, is a little bit of sunshine and we have been enjoying it frequently.

Spice up your life!! Yes - I know dill is an herb, but 'Herb up your life' sounds a little odd. AND why wouldn't I take a chance to pay homage to the Spice Girls for making Jr. High that much more interesting?! But, back to dill. I have been enjoying this with a little lemon juice, stone ground brown mustard and a little olive oil to make a salad dressing or to pour over cucumbers, tomatoes and shrimp for a quick meal.

Two Cent Offering's partnership with Talk About Curing Autism (TACA). This IS a shameless plug for Chris' music AND in honor of my amazing nephew who turned 5 today (seen on the album cover above)!! Our lil buddy (who has the best smile in the WORLD!) was diagnosed with autism a few years ago, and inspired the song, "Speak Without A Sound" featured on the album, Face the Day. Take a listen and support TACA with your downloads available on iTunes and Amazon. **I dare you to do it RIGHT NOW!!

TIGI Catwalk Your Highness Shampoo and Conditioner is my new favorite. I was hooked on Redken for a long time and I couldn't find anything else I liked, until my beautiful coach from the gym introduced me to this goodness. It smells great, makes your hair feel smooth and silky while volumizing. I believe it is sulphate free too! Plus, you have to feel slightly more luxurious with a shampoo called Your Highness.

So what are some of YOUR favorite things?! Leave a message and share with all your Level 10 Day friends. It can be health and fitness related, or simply an item that brings some joy to your life.

Tomorrow, I will have some recipes for you that we've been enjoying recently AND Chris will share his perspective on his first 10-weeks with FXB on Wednesday.

I am doing this and SO CAN YOU! Make it a Level 10 Day!


So what are some of your little joys?!

A Life at Level 10

10 weeks - DONE! It's amazing how quickly that time has gone by, yet I see the true WEIGHT of each and every decision that is made during that time. We can often lose sight of the great significance that small decisions and choices can hold when you put them all together.

As a reminder, or for you first time readers, me and my husband have been participating in a bodyshaping program called Farrell's eXtreme Bodyshaping. I started last October, and upon completing my first 10-week session, my husband joined. 

As part of the program you have an initial fitness test when you enter to get a baseline fitness level. Then, you test again at 5 and 10 weeks to get your progress. Then, the top male and female participants with the greatest overall transformation are chosen as the winners for that session.

Yesterday was final testing and the awards for this session and......

CHRIS WON!! I'll be honest, I was more nervous for his awards decision than my own! The reason is that I saw just how hard he worked and the true dedication that he had to being diligent and honest in his meal plans and intake. He was RELENTLESS in the gym, and pushed himself beyond his perceived Level 10. 

He was willing to be comfortable with getting uncomfortable! He was willing to fail. In most cultures, failure is seen as a BAD thing, but in working out, it is a good thing. When you reach muscle failure it breaks down the muscle so that it can heal, build up and get stronger!

I will have Chris share more about his success this Wednesday in my guest, "Wise Words Wednesday" segment. So, keep checking back. But for now, here are his results!!!! 

10-Week Results:

- dropped from 153 to 146

- dropped from 13.8% to 4.2% bodyfat  (a 9.6% loss!! - Typically it takes 5 lbs. lost to lose 1% BF)

- decreased his mile to 5:51

- more than doubled the amount of pushups in 1 min. doing 74 pushups (from toes)!

- nearly double the amount of sit-ups in 1 min. doing 68

I have to say that I am SO PROUD!! It was emotional when he was announced because I KNOW the extreme effort that he put in and he is SO deserving. Not always in life are you rewarded for every time you give your best, but this time, that happened. I am also so proud that he set his goals and met/exceeded them all!

I cannot wait for you to hear from him again as I know you will be encouraged and inspired that you can make ANY change in your life that you desire if you make the commitment to see it through and align your decisions with your goal!!

Chris is doing this and SO CAN YOU! Make it a Level 10 day!

Activity does not equal Accomplisment

"Your body doesn't run on exercise, it runs on the food you put in your mouth." - Tony Horton


I love, love, love this quote. There is a definite mentality out there that it doesn't matter what you eat as long as you burn enough calories to offset your foods. I can't speak to the high schoolers of today, but that was for sure the mentality in my high school - even among the athletes. Sure, a 16-year-old has a much different metabolism that that of someone who is 36 or say 66. BUT the principles are the same. If we want to build healthy, NOURISHED bodies we must watch what we put in our mouths. Some may argue and say it's soley calories in/calories out - just like the article that I linked yesterday, but I don't think that anyone can argue with the impact that 100 calories of ice cream vs. 100 calories of broccoli would have on your body, right?

One thing that I love about the facility where I workout is that the focus is on body reshaping. Merely losing, maintaining or even gaining weight focuses on calories in/calories out. But bodyshaping focuses on reshaping and repurposing the way your body moves and functions through a combination of nutrition and exercise. Bodyshaping puts more emphasis on complete wellness than the number on the scale. A weight shift is merely the cherry (tomato, of course) on top.

In a recent conversation with my husband, I mentioned that "activity doesn't necessarily mean accomplishment." What I mean is this - you can work, work, work all day long but until you do the right work, in the right way, at the right time, you won't see results. Now we weren't specifically talking about health at the time, but it can apply here too. You can buy fancy equipment, you can have gym memberships, you can log your foods and you can subscribe to fitness magazines - but all this "activity" won't guarantee that you will get any closer to your goals. Just the same way that searching job listings and updating your resume a dozen times won't guarantee you a job or that attending every time the church doors are open won't guarantee that your faith will grow. You can practice tennis to be the best player out there, but unless you actually compete and go for your goals, no one will ever know about it.

For those of you who take things literally, I am NOT saying that you should sit and do nothing or that all of these efforts are inherently bad. What I am saying is that activity ALONE does not equal accomplishment or change.

No matter the location, I often here the B word - busy. It's the excuse that many have for not exercising and for not eating well. Perhaps it's time to look at HOW we are spending our time. A few small changes in our activity may allow for a more efficient use of time.

My challenge is to TRUTHFULLY log your time and your foods for one week...and I mean EVERYTHING. The 5 minutes you use checking your facebook after you read your emails in the morning or reading sports articles, the 20 minutes spent pinning things on pinterest or the "bite" of cake you taste at lunch or the handful of nuts you sneak between meals or the few bites here and there from your kids plate as your prepare and clean up from dinner. Let's be mindful of how we use our lives. I don't mean to sound melodramatic or seem like you can never have any fun or downtime, but it gets down to how much you want change in your life. What are you willing to do? What price are you willing to pay to get there?

I am doing this too, and SO CAN YOU! Make it a Level 10 Day!

Think Before You Eat!

If you're on twitter, I would encourage you to follow @unhealthytruth. A former food industry analyst, Robyn O'Brien, shares amazing, thought provoking articles about food and the food industry. A recent article caught my attention and I wanted to share it with you! It can be found HERE

Take a read and let me know what you think!

In light of the article, my challenge today is to THINK BEFORE YOU EAT. Eat clean. Read ingredients. Cook more. Buy fresh, unprocessed foods. Challenge your thinking. Don't buy into the lie that convenience foods are always easier and cheaper. 

I am doing this and SO CAN YOU! So, make it a Level 10 Day!!

Pay Now, Play Later

With the busyness of life, even my extroverted personality enjoys a little alone time now and then. Yes, it's great that cell phones allow for convenient and accessible communication, and the internet can connect friends around the globe - but I find my best thinking takes place in the shower and in a quiet car.

So, today's solo errands gave me some time to reflect on the transformation that has taken place over the past few months - not just a change in my actions, but also my thinking. Sure, I have had stints before where I was 'committed' to working out and sticking to a healthy meal plan, but this time it's different. 

I am willing to pay the price.

Whether we admit it or not, we all have a price tag on our health - not just a monetary price, but also of time, effort...and, let's be real, in sweat too! But are we willing to pay?

Of course we are willing, right!? Yet I often hear things like, "Eating healthy is too expensive," or "I do not have enough time to workout." Statistics show though that, like the old adage, "Pay Now, Play Later or Play Now, Pay Later." - eventually we all will pay. 

Tomorrow, I will share more specifics about just how steep the price is of inactivity and poor eating. But now, I must get to bed! Workout at 5am tomorrow and then we are hitting the road to head to good ol' Wisconsin for the NCAA Division III National Wrestling Tournament. If you read my guest blog a few weeks ago, you'll remember my brother-in-law, Andrew. He is wrestling for the national title tomorrow and Saturday.

Travel means you can expect a future blog on surviving the road!!

Thanks for reading! And remember, I am doing this and SO CAN YOU! Make it a Level 10 Day!

Surviving a Plateau!! (revised)

FINALLY!!! I never knew that I could be so happy, so early in the morning. When I weighed today, I finally broke through my recent (and frustrating) plateau! I have been hovering within the same 2 lbs. weight for the past few weeks, but after some evaluation and changing things up, the scale budged!

Now, the focus of Farrell's eXtreme Bodyshaping (where I workout) is less on weight loss and more on bodyshaping. Obviously for many people, weight loss is a by-product of their transformation because the bodyfat has to whittle away to reveal those beautiful muscles. When I began, my ultimate goal was to lose 45 lbs. To date, I have lost 19 lbs. If I am honest, I am not where I feel I should be at this point - IF I look at the scale alone. You see, I have been hovering the past two weeks between the same two lb. span. Call it a plateau or a rut or just plain annoying - it has been a great source of frustration because I am impatient and want RESULTS!

So, likely, I am not the only one who has or is facing this same dilemma. Over my morning coffee, I jotted down a few thoughts on plateaus and here is my guide on how to Survive and Break Through a Plateau! (I love that yesterday's post was about breaking free from limitations and today I did just that!). **Scroll to the bottom for the short list! Or read on for further encouragement!


How to SURVIVE:

S - Say no to quitting and negativity! - On any journey toward a goal there will be obstacles and rough patches. These are the times that you must channel your mental toughness and REFUSE to give in to negative self-talk. We are all capable. I DO believe that. It's whether or not you can stay strong in your MIND that sets apart winners and losers. So, stick with it and stay tough!

U - Utilize your resources - Sometimes when we are frustrated, it can be easy to shut-down and feel overwhelmed, perhaps lost. You are NOT alone! If you're not sure what to do next, you must be PROACTIVE to get answers. We live in the information age and while I understand that sometimes it's info overload, there's really no excuse of not knowing what to do. Use the internet to find a blog like mine and ask for tips, ask your gym's personal trainers or coaches, find out of your grocery store has a dietitian on staff or visit a local college and inquire about free fitness/nutrition seminars. Educate yourself and you'll have the answers to break through.

R - Revamp! Revisit! Reset! - When you hit a plateau, it is time to change things up! Revamp your workouts, revisit your plan and reset your nutrition. Have you heard of muscle memory? Our bodies will adapt over time and get used to our regular workouts. Do something - anything - that will revamp what you're doing. If you usually run long distance, try do intervals of jogging and sprinting. If you lift, ask your trainer or instructor for new ways to work the same muscles. Check out things like spin or yoga or pilates - most gyms offer special one time rates on classes. Challenge yourself to do something new. Revisit your meal plan and proper portions. As you lose weight, you do not need the same portions as before. Weigh and measure your foods. Many people suffer from 'proportion distortion,' so make sure your portion sizes haven't been creeping up. Reset your mindset. Most people have a special fire inside when something is new and exciting. Plateaus can quickly dowse the flames, so look as today as 'Day One' and reset your mind and actions!

V - Visualize your goal - Despite seeming a little new-agey, visualization can be a powerful thing and I stand by its power. Have you ever dreamt that something happened and woken up convinced that it did? That's the power of seeing something in your mind. Besides, how can you reach your goal if you cannot even picture yourself succeeding? I know this can be hard, especially if you have a significant change at hand, but work toward being able to picture yourself at the end. If you have to, break down your goal into 'bite-sized' pieces and visualize as far as you can. One of my goals is being able to look great on my anniversary - which will also happen to be my brother-in-law's wedding this year. Is this superficial? - Maybe. But does it work. Most definitely! You can be certain that when I am working out and find myself easing up, I take myself right to that moment and that dress that I want to wear. Try it yourself!

I - Ignite another passion - Most everything is more fun in the beginning. Right? Before the monotony of repetition gets to it. If you're feeling 'blah' in your workouts or your meal planning, look for another area in your life that you can try something new - like a new hobby or perhaps the one that you haven't done in awhile. I heard a news story (can't remember where or when, otherwise I would credit it) that starting a new hobby can have significant effects on your level of happiness. Plus, I have found that when I succeed in one area of my life or overcome a fear or conquer something new, it increases my self-esteem in other areas as well. Perhaps taking up photography or painting or coin collecting (do people really do that?!), may give you the extra edge needed to tackle that higher weight or challenging circuit or the race that you've always wanted to enter. Courage is infectious!

V - Value your progress - Plateaus = loss of momentum = potential loss of perspective. When progress slows, we sometimes allow ourselves to take our eyes off the end goal and can begin to fixate on all our flaws and shortcomings. When you hit this stage, it is vital to remember your progress. For me, getting over this last hump made me realize that I have lost nearly 20 lbs! That is significant and motivates me even more to keep going. Yet I had been feeling as if I hadn't made enough progress. If I had focused more on my progress and capabilities, and less on my shortcomings, then perhaps that extra motivation and sense of accomplishment would have pushed me further than I am?

 E - Evaluate- I cannot stress enough the importance of evaluation. This is the key reason that accurate tracking/logging is vital to any transformation. You need to be able to evaluate so that you can assess what changes are necessary. For some they will find that all their "one bites" or "little bits" of unhealthy foods have been adding up, others will see a need for an increase or change in workouts, and still others will discover the need to actually increase their food intake by 100-200 calories a day.

A few things to ask when evaluating:
- Am I accurately tracking EVERY bite/sip that goes in my mouth?
- Am I drinking enough water?
- Am I giving my Level 10 (my all) in EVERY workout?
- Am I getting enough sleep?
- Am I still measuring my foods?

These aren't all the things you will look at, but a starting point. By evaluating, you can pinpoint what change is needed and get to it right away!


** SURVIVE a Plateau!**
S - Say No to  Quitting and Negativity
U - Utilize Your Resources
R - Revamp! Revisit! Reset!
V - Visualize Your Goal
I - Ignite Another Passion
V - Value your progress
E - Evaluate


You can SURVIVE a plateau! I did it and SO CAN YOU! Make it a Level 10 Day!

Spring Moments: Breaking Free

Favorite Spring Moment: When our tree like this blooms!

It's hard to believe that it is already March. With unseasonably warm weather and Spring just a few weeks away, I almost felt offended when recent rain showers turned to large, wet snow. (As if I have a right to not have to deal with snow since I have already mentally moved to the next season) Overall, I am just eager for what Spring will bring - sun, warmth, flowers, fresh life and even rain. All that, and more, means the chance to run outside without freezing my lungs, leaving the windows open and colorful Spring clothing. It means a time for the discarded layers to fade away and new growth to break through.

2011 was an interesting year for me. Between mending relationships, ending relationships, walking away from my business of three years, and tackling some longtime goals - I was pretty much out of my comfort zone the entire year. Though uncomfortable, it's often those 'winter' times in life that allow for the greatest growth and strengthening - the greatest 'Spring' moments.

The past few days, I have been taken aback, at just how thankful I am for my life and for where I am - right now. True contentedness. Peace.

That is not to say that my life is perfect or without stress. It is by no means perfect, and I am definitely not perfect. You see it really has nothing to do with me, but with God's unconditional love and mercy toward me.

His love is unwavering, and even in my 'winter' moments last year when faced with opposition and doubters, my God was stable. Those moments helped me grow. Those moments taught me that I can stand by what I believe is right and true - even if not the popular choice. Those moments taught me that I can do more than I can imagine - because "all things are possible through Christ who strengthens me." Those moments taught me to hold tight to the family and friends that support me and to block out the rest.

People don't always deal well with change, especially when YOU are changing and they are NOT. I've grown to expect that in any time of self-improvement someone just won't get it OR they won't like how uncomfortable you are making them for shining light on their own short-comings.

I picture it this way. We all have ways we have been labeled. We all have ways we are viewed - both from others and our own view of ourselves. These are like cloths wrapped around, binding us, and placing limitations. Sometimes these bindings turn into a source of security like a swaddling to a baby. Eventually though, we have to BREAK FREE from these ties that bind! Because the risk is far too great. We will not just stunt our growth, but will actually regress and atrophy.

You were created for great things! Challenge the bindings that have been placed on you by those around you and even yourself. It's cliche, but I think of a butterfly in a cocoon. It's the actual act of breaking free that allows it the strength to fly. Growth IS painful, but growth is necessary. How sad would Spring be if the flowers and plants were afraid to bloom?

I am doing this and SO CAN YOU! Make it a Level 10 Day!