ARE YOU WHO YOU WANTED TO BE?

We can look in the mirror at our bodies & see a reflection of what we eat, & whether or not we get any exercise.
We can listen to ourselves talk, in our heads, or out loud, & hear a reflection of what we feed our minds, & whether or not we exercise it.
 
All quotes by Eleanor Roosevelt; 
 

"In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility."

"One's philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes... and the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility."

Our mind reflects what it is fed by it's environment, what we allow into it. What kind of entertainment we watch, the music we listen to, The books we read, or audio we listen to, the people we spend the most time with. 

Are you who you wanted to be? Sadly, many of us are not. But it's never too late to begin the process of becoming that person, now. Even if you think your situation is too much a mess.


Many people stopped dreaming years ago. When you give up your dream, you have surrendered. We all have problems, big & small. Don't let them get in the way of who you wanted to be, & where you wanted to be.

"What you don't do can be a destructive force."

We need our dreams & we need to be who we were meant to be! Without that, we start dying off a bit at a time, until we don't even recognize our self. Remember that person you used to be! We all need to be part of something bigger than ourselves. 

"When you cease to make a contribution, you begin to die." 

Never give up your dream. That's what drives us forward. It's what has us smiling, & eager to start each beautiful day, & puts that bounce in our step! 

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

 

  But if we are going to get that person back, if we are to grow, learn, change, we must be honest with our self. We must be brave enough to look at our self with an honest heart & an honest eye.  

"People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built."

 
It's time to stop complaining about our lives & circumstances. It's time to DO something about it! And we can! Everything is learnable. Pick up a book!

"It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness."

Stop wishing. Pick up an excellent book & become who you were meant to be! There's always time. If you examine how you spend your time, I bet you have something you can trade in, for personal growth - reading.

"It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan."

I'm done wishing. I'm re-making my life. I had my dreams & I lost my dreams. But I've re-claimed them! I'm learning what I need to learn. I spend my time very differently now. And I like it! I feel so much better about myself. I'm regaining respect for myself! I'm beginning to like myself again! Join Me!

"Only a man's character is the real criterion of worth."

  You are capable. You're not too dumb, or what ever self-defeating thought you may have about yourself.

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

Afraid? Who isn't?! Action cures fear.

"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.'"

 

Remember this:

"Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product."

We can listen to ourselves talk, in our heads, or out loud, & hear a reflection of what we feed our minds, & whether or not we exercise it.

"Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people."

It takes time. Of course. But that time's gonna pass either way. Right? So use that time to your advantage. Make it work for you, not against you.

 

Here's to your success, and mine!

...

WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID TO TRY? (Take the First Step).

You ever look at a task or venture and feel like it's too big, too overwhelming, too scary, too whatever? Me too. 

I was in a situation a few years back, in April 2008, where I felt I needed to speak out about something I felt was very important. I decided the best way to do that was to start a blog. I'd never done that before and it was a scary venture to embark upon. "What would I say? Would I have enough to say? Could I say it well enough? Would anyone care enough to read it?"

I just took the first step. I found a place to blog. Wrote my first article and posted it. The rest is history. I picked up three guest authors, one became a regular and major contributor, and I made a new friend in the process. 

The blog ran it's course and fulfilled it's purpose, meeting the needs of many people in a difficult place. But it was time to move on to a brighter place, as the blog dealt with some issues that you can be immersed in for only so long. 

It's a wonderful feeling, and very rewarding to know that you started something that helped so many people. I'm now involved in another service to people in need. I decided to get involved in the Heath and Fitness industry and started my own business. And that was a scary first step for me as well because I've never had a business before and didn't have the slightest idea what I was doing. Fortunately, though, the company provides incredible training to help you get started and to keep going.

The thing is that sometimes I doubt myself. "Can I really pull this off?" "Am I capable, smart enough, strong enough, driven enough?" 

I've hidden from life. I've stayed in the 'safe' place. You know, where nothing changes and you're comfortably familiar with the same ol' same 'ol. Well, I'm sick and tired of the same 'ol same 'ol. So here's what I do; I take the first step. That's a small enough commitment. Then I take the next step. Another small enough commitment. Then I take the next step, and the next, and the next. You get the picture.

I'll probably always have days when I doubt myself. But I'll just keep taking the next step. It's working out pretty well for me so far. I started with a lot of really good Personal-Development books, and I'm still reading. I'll be reading Personal-Development books for as long as I draw breath. 

• "When you're through learning, you're through." ~ Vernon Law (I think)

• "Whatever you are be a good one.  ~Abraham Lincoln

What is it you're avoiding, hiding from, or feel you aren't capable of? Try taking the first step. Then the next step, then the next, and so on. Don't look down. Just keep moving. I think you'll be pleased to find that you ARE doing it!

• "Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm." ~ Abraham Lincoln 

• "That some achieve great success, is proof to all that others can achieve it as well." ~Abraham Lincoln

• "In the end it's not the years in you life that count; it's the life in you years." ~Abraham Lincoln

 

So I ask you again; You ever look at a task or venture and feel like it's too big, too overwhelming, too scary, too whatever? 

Me too. 

 

A couple of books that can help you while you're taking that first step, and the second, and third, and...

                  

WHY I'M HAPPY (What Changed?):

I am a very happy person who is interested in helping others, but it was in 2010 that this came about for me.
I spent a LOT of years in a major depression, hated my life, felt like I had no purpose, I was over weight & unhealthy.

What changed? I stumbled upon something that I thought was going to help me lose weight. I had no idea that my life was about to change for the better. WAY better.
I got my workout & definitely started seeing great changes in my body, which made me feel better about myself & that was awesome, but that's only a portion of why my life has changed.

Have you heard this one? "Some people stumble over the truth, pick themselves up, & go on their merry way as if nothing had happened at all." Well, I recognized what I stumbled over & jumped on! I discovered that there was a business opportunity available and after looking into it thought, "This fits more perfectly than I could have imagined, with what I've been wanting for my life."
I've always wanted some way to help others... serve my community, but something that would fit with me. I had just never found anything until I stumbled upon this opportunity.

What I liked about it was that I'd be doing something that would impact the lives of others in such a meaningful way, that would change the way people see themselves & the way they feel about themselves by helping them with their journey to a healthier, fit life, & that they could then turn around and Pay It Forward!

What an incredible way to start an exponential, chain-reaction of life-changing events in the lives of so many people! And with a ready-made support system of like-minded people with the same concerns & issues and types of goals. Just what I was looking for. Only I didn't know that before this discovery.
But that's not the whole of it either!

I didn't realize that there was going to be another component that was right up my alley. Personal-Development. I've always wanted to be the best 'me' I could be, in all aspects. And I've always known that in order to do so, & that if you expect to grow & go somewhere in life, you must be willing to, first, be honest with yourself. If you can't do that, be prepared to stay put & to keep getting what you've always got!  

Various family members have been commenting on how much I've changed, & how much they love it. Well, me too! I love it too! I am a totally different person! My life has changed for the better & I like the person I am continuing to grow & develop into.

So, yes, I love what I do. I'm a Team Beachbody Coach. That sounds a bit more entailed than it actually is. Basically, it means that I'm a Team Beachbody customer who signed on to motivate & encourage other people in their health & fitness journey, & I also help other Coaches to do the same! So, my work involves different aspects of helping people, but I think one of the first places it all starts is in Personal-Development, (in this case, body AND mind). And that sometimes entails jumping, & developing your wings on the way down. Which, with me, is the case. I jumped & my wings are still developing! I've even caught myself some good updrafts!

Personal-Development is a must! Because for things to change, I must change! For things to get better, I must get better! Go ahead. Say it out loud. "For things to change I must change! For things to get better, I must get better!"
So what are you waiting for? Let's DO this!

The Slight Edge is a great place to start!

Tony Horton is the creator of one the most popular home workouts, P90X.

For more information check out my site: http://TinaRandall.net

Also: http://teambeachbody.com/coach?referringRepId=51126

EXTREME MAKEOVER: "LIFE" EDITION - part 2:
Recommended Reading:

If you think you don't have time for reading, think again. How much time do you spend watching TV or playing computer games or surfing the net?
All you need is the time it takes to read10 pages a day! You can handle that! Here’s your second reading list:

3) Go For No by Richard Fenton & Andrea Waltz (In the form of a short-ish story) Excellent! I've read it twice & will read it many more times!
Description:
In a world inundated with sales books on getting to yes, this book recommends just the opposite, focusing on how increasing your failure rate can greatly accelerate your movement toward ultimate success. Go for No! chronicles four days in the life of fictional character Eric Bratton, a call reluctant copier salesman who wakes up one morning to find himself in a strange house with no idea of how he got there. But this house doesn t belong to just anyone! It belongs to him... a wildly successful, ten years in the future version of the person he could become if he learns to overcome his self-limiting beliefs and overcome his fear of failure. Through the dialogue of the two main characters the authors have fashioned an entertaining story to present the key concepts essential to sales success. Readers learn... ...What it takes to outperform 92% of the world s salespeople ...That failing and failure are two very different things ... Why it s important to celebrate success and failure ... How to get past failures quickly and move on ...That the most empowering word in the world is not yes... it s NO! Written to be intentionally short and to the point, Go for No! is a quick, fun read with valuable lessons that can change the way you think, sell, and live!



4) Why Not You? by Valorie Burton (Christian based)  
Description

Whatever your career goals…
Whatever your financial objectives…
Whatever your personal dreams…

You Can Do It!
This action-oriented, step-by-step guide helps you build the authentic self-confidence that comes from knowing who you are, what you want–and equips you to go get it.

With motivational expert Valorie Burton as your personal coach and a 28-day plan, Why Not You? provides the tools you need to …
·gain the assurance needed to transform your thinking
·focus on who you are, not what you do
·give yourself permission to be imperfect
·stop competing and comparing
·eliminate your confidence stealers
·learn how to achieve success by being authentic

Packed with unforgettable examples, pointers, and sparkplugs for ideas that work uniquely for you, Why Not You? reveals the secrets to building authentic personal confidence from the inside-out. Whatever your goal or your starting point, Valorie Burton equips you with proven experience to take the next steps to advance your career, finances, and relationships.

5) NO EXCUSES! The Power of Self-Discipline by Brian Tracy
 Description

You don’t need to have been born under a lucky star, or with incredible wealth, or with terrific contacts and connections, or even special skills...but what you do need to succeed in any of your life goals is self-discipline. Unfortunately, most people give in to the two worst enemies of success: they take the path of least resistance (in other words, they’re lazy) and/or they want immediate gratification: they don’t consider the long-term consequences of the actions they take today. No Excuses! shows you how you can achieve success in all three major areas of your life:
1. Your personal goals.
2. Your business and money goals.
3. Your overall happiness.
Each of the 21 chapters in this book shows you how to be more disciplined in one aspect of your life, with end-of-chapter exercises to help you apply the “no excuses” approach to your own life. With these guidelines, you can learn how to be more successful in everything you do—instead of wistfully envying others who you think are just “luckier” than you. A little self-discipline goes a long way...so stop making excuses and read this book!