Answer The Call

Your dreams are calling you .. are you brave enough to answer them?? For years I ignored the call. I thought who would listen to me. I'm just a Mom in my 30's (now 40) I lost over 100 lbs. I had some events in my life happen. Sad things, tragic things, beautiful things, life changing things... but what could I do with that? What was this calling I was feeling? My calling was to serve and help others. Silly, huh? That is what I felt. Until one day I decided to believe in myself. I decided to see that all I had been through was for a purpose. That purpose was to help others. My dreams called again and finally I answered. With one little post and a hope for one "like" I grew my Facebook page Girls Gone Healthy into something special almost 30,000 likes. I get messages from woman daily that I help them. That they learn from my life stories. They relate to me. That I inspire them. That since they have seen me lose weight and maintain they feel they can. Since I have beat PTSD or left a negative family behind they feel they can too. Since I have found the light at the end of darkness they are seeing it too. That is such an amazing feeling! That page grew into this blog. The blog grew into me becoming a being a Beachbody Coach. I have helped hundreds of women one on one and in Challenge Groups lose weight and find themselves - find their happiness. That has extended into helping other woman becoming successful Beachbody Coaches as well. I'm not telling you this to tell you what I have done. I am showing you what can happen when YOU answer the call. You follow your dreams. Whatever that may be for you. If this stay at home mom of 13 years can do this - SO CAN YOU!! We all have a story- we all have a voice. You just have to be brave enough to answer the call.

Be Kind

This quote  should be used as a guide to live our lives by. Are we perfect? Will we always remember? No. Should we try our best. Yes. I have been through some pretty heavy stuff in my life, as many have. People have been through more, people have been through less. Some things are like icebergs though and you are only seeing the very top and have no idea what is under the water.

You know what though? There is no scale in life to rate our pain. To say who earns more "stripes". What is significant in one persons life to them may not seem so great in another. That doesn't mean anybody should make someone feel like less or that their problems are insignificant. So many live as if they are on a ladder. They act is if they are either above you feeling like you should look up to them. Like your problems are not big enough and you are not worthy to be worried about. Or perhaps the opposite you are above them. Like you are unreachable. It's odd because the climbing on this ladder moves often since that is the natural progression of life. How much better would life be if the ladder was gone and we just all were on the same level? Living life eye to eye and heart to heart? Honestly, we all are. We came into this world with nothing and we will leave it the same way. What should we try to do? How do we start? Start with kindness. Try to understand. If you make a mistake ask for forgiveness and be kind to yourself in forgiveness in turn. We aren't perfect but with time it gets easier!! If you keep this in mind though life and those silly mistakes and that dang ladder will go away...

Be Kind - You never know what people are truly going through.

That is the way to live.

One Decision Can Change Everything

Sitting here in my car after a run with my buddy and my glasses are too foggy to drive. I am soaked from running in the rain and humidity. We had to deal with bugs and jump over little snakes. Thankfully they were dead and little and not like the big ones in my nightmare the other night!! I'm not even done yet, PiYO is next!You know what though? We did it. NO EXCUSES. 110 lbs ago what would I have done? I would have had my husband drop the kids off at school and I would have gone back to sleep for the day. Woke up with enough time to pull myself together, eat some horrible food and soda and slap on a fake smile.... Now I love life. I bounce out of bed and embrace each day. Why? Because one day I woke up and realized I was wasting my life being mad about a health condition. Instead of embracing the life I had. If you can relate to the old me - realize you don't have to be stuck there. You can change too. You just have to be brave enough to stop what you are doing and make a decision to change daily. Not every day will be perfect but you always have to try. If you need help reach out I have a heart that understands you.

My Focus

Life is about what you focus on. What are you focusing on? Do you focus on disappointment, pain, those who have failed you in life? Or do you you focus on all the good in your life? I am human ( and a Leo (ROAR) - LOL! ) , sometimes I will get caught up in those I feel who have failed me, who try to bring pain to my life, those who try to bring pain to those I love. It hurts my heart to know that I put more into relationships than others do. It is all part of being a sensitive person. I use to be a little tougher before I learned the hard way how truly fragile life was. How the last interaction you have have with someone may just be ... IT. I always keep that in mind. I always try to send my love, be careful with my words and never leave anything open ended. When it comes to people who just want to bring negativity to my life or those I love - I try to remember some are just doing so because they see me changing, evolving and moving on without them. They see me becoming better without their influence in my life. The negativity they try to bring is just them trying to have a piece of it or trying to pull me back. Trying to remain relevant when all they are is left behind, a memory or a lesson. They lack one thing I have decided to have in my life. The will power to ignore them. What has brought me to this? My weekend.  I have had the most amazing long weekend. Friday through Sunday was filled with family and love.  My daughter's Dance Recital was this weekend. For most a Recital is just typical, a rite of passage that happens every year. This year has been a year that according to a Orthopedic Surgeon and MRI's was most likely not going to happen. After 10 years of dancing they told her it was likely she may never dance again. She had to take a year off to heal. A year of Physical Therapy, crutches, elevator passes, braces, tears, prayers. She did overcome though. At 13 she danced her 10th year. She competed again. She won her top trophies and accolades ever. This is all because she didn't give up. She believed. She had focus. Also this weekend my husband danced with her in the Father Daughter Dance on stage at Recital. Ballet, Ballroom, Disco.. yes I have video!! Such love my Husband has for her.. for both our children and for me. My son who has a busy schedule gave up his time to be at her Recital to cheer her on. Even though most 19 year olds would rather be somewhere else. He even had one of his best friends in town he didn't even try to get out of it. He was just there for her and that is LOVE.  On Sunday my son sang his first solo at a main service flawlessly at our Church while playing guitar with the choir. I have to tell you as a parent there is no greater joy than watching your children both follow their passion. I am also blessed myself to follow my passion and help others to find health. My groups not only help one another to lose weight and be healthy but they really support one another in life. We are a tribe. It is such a joy for me to find my passion and to be able to help others. What you focus on life is what expands. It is why my life has changed so much over the past few years. When I woke up that morning and realized my life was a gift I was wasting and I needed to stop wasting it- my focus shifted. My life changed. Sometimes the static of negativity will try to get in the way I just need to take moment. Remember I am not going to waste my life. I promised to make the best of it every single day and that I will. How?  I will always choose to focus on LOVE, JOY, PASSION, MY FAMILY, FRIENDSHIP. You can tell from all I share I am not perfect but I choose to see good. I choose to set boundaries. I choose to walk away. Even though I live very openly I do live somewhat in a bubble of happiness. I choose to see the blessings. I will always let my let shine. That is a light that no doom gloom can put out. It will just shine. 

Important Info

With only having 1 Gran Mal Seizure I have a Seizure Disorder. I have been diagnosed with irregular brainwaves and am on meds twice daily for life. By the grace of God and the help of my Neurologist hopefully I will never have a second and be considered Epileptic. With that said... 1, is enough . Meds twice daily is scary enough. Living with the fear of it is enough. People with Seizure Disorders and Epilepsy are not broken. It is a highly misunderstood thing. Did you know 1 in 26 people will develop Epilepsy in their lives? Also that 1 in 10 people will have a Seizure in their life? What can you do if a Seizure happens? Stay with the person. Time the Seizure. Protect from injury. Loosen anything around their neck. Do not restrain the person. Do not put anything in their mouth. Roll the person on their side. Call for help if needed. Talk to the person calmly after it is over. Even though I don't remember anything and was unconscious for an hour and half, I know there were people who did this for me and my children who were present and I am thankful.

Feel free to share this, if it helps even one I will be grateful.

Find Your Passion

Have you found your passion in life? For some they have it from the second they are born. For others it takes years to find. For me it took forever. I always knew I wanted to help people. I wanted to get into the field of Nursing or Social Work.  I ended up though having a child at 20 and that took over my life. Being a Mom came first. Raising a family was my first. I did it with all my heart, I still do . When my oldest went to College I had a little time to rediscover someone - me. By then I was already a few years into being seizure free. I had lost over 100 lbs. I had already had a successful page on Facebook to pay forward that weight loss but in my heart I needed more. I had some time to figure out what I wanted to with a nest that was a little emptier. Having time on my hands and a passion in my heart to help was overwhelming. This is when I found my passion - my calling. Being a Beachbody Coach. For 20 months now I have ran groups to help other women find the healthiest and happiest version of themselves. I wake up with a purpose and I fall asleep with a smile. Am I changing the world? No. Am I am I helping change someone to find her confidence, find her happiness and to feel supported and successful? Yes. I am. I am not a millionaire. I'm not changing the face of the world but I do make a difference. My advice to everyone - find what you love to do. Find your passion. Work it with all your heart. You have the power to make a difference.

Forget The Joneses

Since I started running 3 years ago I have never stopped but I have gone through cycles. I have done more, I have done less. It has to do with seasons, summer vacation and last Fall my health. Last Fall I had a med adjustment and had to take a little time off. Right after I focused more on indoor workouts completely instead of a balance of the two which is what I prefer since I love both so much. Now for the last few weeks my buddy and I have been working hard at getting our pace back. Sometimes though I think... Remember when I could just run and run! Or look at that man he is a machine! We are faster than some. Slower than others but you know what? This is not a race! I have nobody to be better than then me yesterday. With that in mind at the end of every run we are excited about how much better we are daily. How our breathing has improved, our distance and pace is better. We feel great for the day ahead and look forward to the next run. Comparison is the thief of joy. So stop! Enjoy your challenge. Run your race and don't worry about anybody else.