5 Steps to Kick Off a Life of Healthy Choices

Six months ago my husband survived a massive heart attack.  That was our wake up call that we had to make some life style changes.  There was no waiting for next week or after the holiday or until he finished cardiac rehab.  Change had to happen.  The time for change was now.

picture from Adventures in Medicine

We've been encouraging our family and friends to let our wake up call be their wake up call.  Don't wait for your own crisis because your crisis may not end the same way that our crisis ended.  It's easy for us to say that - you should change.  The hard part is actually making the change. 

To help you start your journey of healthy choices, here are five simple steps that can set you up for success.

1. SET A GOAL
Setting a goal determines the direction you are going.  It gives you something to aim for.  If living a life of healthy choices is new to you, I recommend you set one simple goal.  Your goal should be a SMART one (see image below) with a deadline that is one week to one month away. 

Let me give you some examples:
     I'm going to exercise every day for the rest of the my life.  (Attainable?  Probably not.)
     I'm going to exercise three times a week for the next four weeks.  (SMART goal!)

     I'm never ever going to drink pop again. (If you drink pop every day, this may be tough.)
     I'm going to drink two glasses of water a day for the next week.  (SMART goal!)

     I'm going to eat healthier.  (Specific?  rather a tad vague.)
     I'm going to eat a piece of fresh fruit everyday this week.  (SMART goal!)
     I'm going to try one new healthy recipe a week for the next month.  (SMART goal!)

The thing that I love with starting your journey with a simple SMART goal is that you will be encouraged by a quick success and can set a new goal (or set the same goal again).  A simple SMART goal propels you forward toward your ultimate destination which is a healthy lifestyle.

2. WRITE YOUR GOAL DOWN
The physical act of writing your goal down makes it real and provides you with a layer of accountability.  Post it on your bathroom mirror, in your car, on you computer, on your refrigerator or all of those places.  You want it be somewhere you are going to see it throughout the day.  Another great spot recommended by one of my favorite people - Bobby Bones in his book Fail Until You Don't - is to make your goal the screen saver on your phone.  How many times a day do you look at your phone?!?

This is an excellent book!  It's available on Amazon and
at most other bookstores.  I highly recommend it!

   
3. SHARE YOUR GOAL WITH SOMEONE ELSE
You've set your goal.  You've written your goal down.  Now I recommend that you tell someone your goal.  Not just anyone - someone who will encourage you, celebrate with you when you succeed, hug you and push you back on your path when you mess up (because, let's be honest, you will and that is OK).  Having a support system is SO incredibly important.  I am fortunate to have an amazing support system.  My friend Dana guides, encourages and pushes me.  My friend Michelle sends me the funniest gifs that keep me going.  My friend Justin is the one I'm always trying to keep up with and beat during our workouts.  My mom listens to me.  My husband is faithfully by my side with a high five or a much needed hug.   You know what?  This support system didn't build itself.  I asked them to help me.  I asked them to be a part of MY Team.  This can be hard.  You may not be one to accept help or you may be embarrassed that you need the help or you may think you don't need help.  Trust me - we all need help when it comes to making changes in our lives.  So start with one person. Choose one trusted person and ask them to be your cheerleader.

4. GET STARTED
I think that this is the hardest step.  Now you need to actually take action and do it.

You said that you were going to walk around the block three evenings this week.  But it was a rough day at work and the couch is so comfortable and you're tired.  Come on - get up and do it! 

You said that you were going to pack your lunch this week instead of ordering out.  It's Monday and everyone is ordering from your favorite Chinese restaurant.  You'll just start next week.  No big deal, right?  Come on - You can do this.  It's five days.  That's it.  Five days. 

There are times when I've need to talk to myself out loud. 
"Come on Lisa.  Get up." 
"You can do this Lisa."

Once I get moving, I'm good.  As soon as I step out the door and that fresh air fills my lungs, I'm ready to go.  As soon as I bite into that crisp sweet apple, my craving for fast food grease goes away.  The key is take that first active step to get yourself moving.

picture from Ready Set Go Spirit

     
5. CELEBRATE YOUR SUCCESS
Since your goal was a SMART one, you have a deadline.  Once you reach that deadline - celebrate!!  It could be a high five, a hug, pumping your fist in the air, sending a text message to your cheerleader and getting a great one in return or doing a happy dance.  You went a day without visiting the office candy dish.  ALL RIGHT!!  You went the entire week without hitting up the drive thru for a sweet tea.  YES!!  You and your family went for a walk after dinner three nights this week.  YOU'RE AMAZING!!

VICTORY!!

What do you do now?  You do it again!  Set that goal again.  And then again.  And then again.  Pretty soon that goal of drinking water or exercising or eating a vegetable with every dinner has become a healthy habit.  You're ready to focus on another area of your life. 

What if you didn't reach that initial goal that you set?  That's ok.  Try again.  If it still doesn't work, evaluate your goal.  Is it too big?  Is it too vague?  Is it an area of your life that is just too hard to change right now?  Set yourself up for success. 

Change is hard - but you can do it.  I know you can.  Just give it a try.

I have this posted on my desk at work to remind myself to
keep pushing myself on this journey of change.

Sometimes Success Surprises You

I've been working out with my friends consistently twice a week for over four years.  There have been a lot of successes that I have worked hard to achieve.  I started out using two pound weights.  Now I'm up to 30 pound dumbbells.  When we started, I couldn't do a single sit-up.  Now I can whip out over 75 in one workout with no problem.  I'm really proud of the progress I've made.

However, there are a couple of moves that I have been unable to conquer and, honestly, I'd given up hope of ever being able to do them.  What are these blasted moves that have evaded my conquest all these years???  The crab walk* and a Russian Twist** done with my feet off the ground!

Having said that, you won't believe what happened this past week!

Dana (our Coach) had the crab walk as part of our warm-up.  As usual, I saved it until last and then hid in the farthest corner behind a row of tables (We work out in the Adult Day Center were we work) where no one would see me struggle to lift my butt off the ground and then give up after a few seconds.  I could not believe it when instead of struggling to lift my butt it popped right up and I was able to begin making my way across the floor.  Since I'm behind the table, Dana is totally missing this moment.  So I start calling for her like a proud three year-old calling for his mom, "Dana!  Dana!  I'm doing it!  I'm doing it!  Come see!"

When we dive into the first part of our workout, I inwardly roll my eyes and sigh - Russian Twists!  We were to do 20 seconds on/10 seconds off alternating between Russian Twists and a Wall Sit.***  Dana always challenges me to try to do the Russian Twist with my feet in the air.  I do, but after a few seconds my feet either crash to the ground or I roll onto my back.  Dana yells "GO!" so I tighten my abs, find my focal spot on the wall across from me, lean back and lift my feet off the ground.  Twist.  Twist.  Twist.  I'm solid.  Those feet aren't going anywhere.  Time is called.  Did that just happen?  Yes it did!  And it happened three more times.  WHAT?!?!  I'm jumping up and down.  Dana and I high five.

SUCCESS!  Two in one night!

The lessons I was reminded of from this eventful workout -
1) Never give up!  When I consistently work hard, success is going to find me - even when I'm not expecting it! 
2) Don't blow off small successes.  The joy and positive feelings from small victories motivates me to push towards my bigger goals. Celebrate!  (In this case, the celebration was lots of high five and me bouncing around giggling throughout the workout.)
3) A support system is vital.  Without Dana and Justin challenging and motivating me week after week, I would not be doing what I'm doing.

Team Muscle celebrating my Surprise Success!

I encourage you to do the same.

Never give up!

Celebrate your victories!

Surround yourself with encouraging people!

* Here is a link to demonstrate a crab walk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-3r4cl4ahA
**  Here is a link to demonstrate a Russian Twist
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvNPZCtt8NQ
*** Here is a link to demonstrated a wall sit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cdph8hv0O0

The Holiday Hype and My Boo Hoo Party are Over. NOW is the Time to set My 2019 Goals!

It's been nine years since I made a "resolution" to live a healthier life and actually saw it through.  I challenged myself to train for and complete a 5k in 2010 and I did it!  After that, I kept on moving and striving to make healthy life choices.  Nine years later, while the journey has been filled with many twists and turns, I'm still on that path to move more and make healthy choices.

A Journey with Many Twists and Turns
photo from www.fscaston.org

Though I can't lie - 2018 was ROUGH!  I actually did not meet any of the goals that I set for myself last January.  What I viewed as my year of the downfall started in February with a trip to the ER via ambulance thinking I was having a heart attack - turns out it was stress.  March brought an unexpected and (at the time) undesired job transfer.  September arrived with the realization that I was going to have to get a second job in order to keep us afloat.  So, I did.  Come November, we celebrated our first holiday season with both of our children working.  Add in my first year working retail during the holidays and I was thrown for a complete loop.  2018 wrapped up with me covered in hives conked out in an allergy medicine fueled haze.  What a year!

Needless to say, I was thinking that I was done.  Ready to throw in the towel on the whole move more and make wise choices  philosophy that I had been celebrating for the past nine years.  It was not working for me anymore.

Then, two things happened:
1) I adjusted my perspective.  
My family spent some time reviewing our highlights from 2018.  My son talked about his high school graduation and his successful first semester in college.  My daughter talked about getting her first job and her drivers license.  My husband talked about achieving his dream of getting to travel to California.  I realized that each member of my family achieved great things in 2018 and that I played a key role in each of their journeys.  I've tried to teach my children to find joy in the journeys of those you love.  Adjusting my perspective, I saw that I had shared in a tremendous year of great accomplishment and adventure!  2018 is a year that I should remember with great pride.   

JJ's Graduation

Ellie's First Solo Drive

Jamison enjoying the Pacific Ocean
during a Church Conference

2) I remembered my commitment to not give up.
One of Facebook's features that I love is how memories pop up of everything that has happened on that date since you joined.  These past few days have brought back memories of setting personal goals, my inaugural day of training for that first 5k, and words of motivation I shared.  One Scripture verse that I had shared was Galatians 6:9 (NIV), "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."  It's been nine years and while there have certainly been times when I have grown weary, I have NOT given up on myself.  So why would I give up now?

So here I sit on January 6, 2019.  The Holiday Hype is over.  I've declared my Boo Hoo Party to be over effective today.  It's time to look forward to 2019 with great hope and anticipation for what is to come. 

In 2019 I will . . .
* Complete six 5K's by the end of the year.  I've strayed from running, but I'm going to get back out on the road this year!
* Donate blood once a quarter.  I have the same universal blood type as my dad.  He donated on a regular basis for most of his life.  Plus, this is a simple way for me to give back.  In his honor, I want to become a regular donor.
* Go the beach this summer.  Sitting on the beach staring out at the horizon fills my tank. We did not get to the beach last year and I've felt it. 
* Take the Pennsylvania Social Work Licensing Exam by the end of May.  One of my regrets has always been allowing my Ohio license to expire and never obtaining my Pennsylvania license.  That all happened when we first moved to PA 13 years ago - my kids were little, my husband was newly battling his health problems and I was barely functioning - so I can't be too hard on myself.  However, one of the things I learned in 2018 is that it is time to get this done.  

I open up my heart and soul to you simply to say that if I can do this, YOU can do this.  Life is hard.  We are each fighting out own battles.  But we shouldn't give up on taking care of ourselves - physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, financially, professionally - all of those "allies!"  I encourage you to take some time over the next couple of days to think about what you want to accomplish in the year ahead.  It might be one goal or four! 

Here are a few tips for you
1. Make sure your goal is a smart goal!

image from www.smartsheet.com

2. Don't set too many goals.  You want to enjoy this journey and not overwhelm yourself.  Plus, if you achieve all of the goals you set, you can always set more!    It's better to set small goals and celebrate success often rather than risk struggling and giving up.

3. Share your goals with someone.  Saying your goals out loud and to another person makes them feel real.  Whoever you tell can help to hold you accountable.  You don't have to be like me and splash your goals all over the internet, but I encourage you to tell at least one person. 

This post turned out to be a lot longer than I anticipated.  Thanks for reading this and for sticking with me these last several years.  I wish you happy goal setting and a very successful and healthy 2019!

Marching Forth: Create a Circle of Support

Five days away from one of my favorite days of the year and I have another idea for you of how you can March Forth into a healthier life - create a circle of support.  What does that mean?  Tell someone that you want to make some healthy changes in your life.  Telling someone will do two things:

1) The physical action of stating a goal out loud is powerful.  It makes it real.  It is no longer an abstract thought floating around your mind.  Your goal is now out there. You're no longer just thinking about maybe trying a spinning class.  You're not simply contemplating quitting smoking.   You're no longer considering running a 5k.  You've stated that you're going to do it.

2) Whoever you tell will be able to hold you accountable and encourage you on your journey.  Heading to the vending machine at work?  Dana knows you're trying to eat healthier and is going to stop you before you buy a King-sized Snickers.  Thinking about taking a nap instead of going to Zumba?  Amy is meeting you there so you can't skip!  Feeling discouraged because your week hasn't gone as planned?  Meg is there to listen, pick you up off the ground and get you back on track.

Telling one person is fantastic, but I encourage you to tell several.  I picture it in my mind as my friends standing around me in a tight circle holding hands.  If I lean to the left there will be people there to keep me from falling.  If I lean to the right there will be people there to keep me on my feet.  Any direction that I stumble or start to fall, my circle of support will be there to catch me.

Pick the members of your circle of support wisely.  You want friends and family in your circle who will be positive, encouraging and supportive of your journey.  Not someone who will put you down or burst your bubble of enthusiasm.  Your circle should be filled with your best cheerleaders.

On March Fourth, consider setting the goal to create a Circle of Support as you March Forth into a healthier life!

My Incredible Circle of Support

Marching Forth: Taking the Longest Route

I grew up spending several nights a week in a dance studio.  Exercise to me meant leg warmers and an hour or more of dancing around.  Exercise was following along with my Jane Fonda workout tape played on the VCR.  I remember being so excited when the Heart and Sole Aerobics Studio opened up in our local strip mall.  That first summer I went everyday.

The older I got the less time I had to "exercise."  I felt that there wasn't time to take an entire hour out of my day to drive to a gym and take a class.  Welcome to my twenties and my kids were born.  Hitting my thirties, my husband began to battle numerous health problems and I found myself to be a working parent and caregiving spouse.  After awhile, thoughts of exercising or working out never even entered my mind.

Then my weight began to climb.  My stress level was through the roof.  My blood pressure and cholesterol were battling for first place to see who could be my biggest health problem.  My doctor (and my mom) began to bug me about exercising.  I mentally dug out my old speech - "There was no time to take a class.  That would take an hour or more.  I can't do it.  I don't have time.  Plus, I'm way too tired."

One day my friend Jane, a Physical Therapist, told me something that really hit home.  Exercise is simply defined as increased movement. You mean I don't have to join a gym or sign-up for a class?  You mean I don't have to spend an entire hour-and-a-half of my day sweating and then have to take a second shower?  This is incredible!

 Exercise is   

   increased   

  movement. 

So seven years ago I began to see how I could add movement to my day.  Parking at the far end of the grocery store parking lot.  Parking at the opposite end of the mall from the store I need to go to.  Taking the stairs instead of the elevator.  Walking to talk with a co-worker rather than call on the phone.  Taking the longest route possible to get from point A to B.  Walking to the park located a street over instead of driving.  

I quickly began to discover that I physically felt better and had some more pep in my step.  I went from not moving much at all to seeing how much I could move in a day.  I began to take walks during lunch or after dinner.  My amount of movement kept building more and more.  Those small steps taken to increase my movement led to running 5ks, taking a weekly Zumba class and hitting the gym with my kids - all things that I still do today seven years later.  But I started with that small step of simply trying to move a little bit more every day.

Are you stuck in the I-don't-have-time rut?  Are you so tired by the end of the day that you can't move?  At the same time, are you ready to make a change and live a healthier life, but are struggling to do so?

Here is a great way to March Forth toward a healthier life - re-define exercise.  Commit to increasing your movement during the day.  It is a fun and easy way to start. The possibilities are endless of what you can do!

I will park at the far end of the grocery store parking lot.

I will use the restroom at the far end of the hallway.  

I will take the stairs to my fourth floor office in the morning instead of the elevator.

  

Remember - you got this!  Take it one small step at a time.

Happy March Fourth!

Lisa

Marching Forth: Small Steps Take You the Farthest

My favorite day of the year will be in here in a week - March Fourth!  It is the only date on the calendar that is a command.  Move forward.  Get moving.  March Forth.

By now, for a majority of people, their New Year's Resolutions have fallen to the wayside (Only 8% of people who make a resolution actually keep it.).  Why is that?  I feel it is because a lot of people set completely unrealistic goals for themselves.   They set goals that are too big.

Over the past year I have become involved in several Quality Improvement projects at work.  In fact, I'm proud to say that my Team has won awards for our projects.  What I have observed about why our projects have done well is that we focus on making small changes.  When those small changes are completed successfully, we end up with big results overtime.  These big results have great impact changing the lives of the people whom we are serving.  Groups that have taken HUGE leaps looking for BIG results often fall short because the jump is too big - the project is too complicated, too difficult or unable to be maintained.

Can I pause to brag?  Here are a few members of my Team
from Community LIFE when we won the 2016
UPMC President's Award for Quality Improvement.

The same idea can apply to our lives.  When we set a small goal and achieve it successfully we are encouraged to set another small goal.  When we accomplish that one successfully we are pumped up even more and are ready to aim at conquering another goal.  This can go on and on until we see a BIG change in our lives.  Someone who aims for a big result right away is going to get frustrated or bored and give-up.  

~Lao Tzu

Marching Forth.  You can't start marching until you take that first step.  You can't make a change in your life until you decide to make that first change - Not drinking pop this week.  Skipping your morning smoke break this morning.  Walking around the block one time today.  When you achieve that, you march on to your next goal.  Or if you don't achieve it you forgive yourself and try again.

If I was able to have two of me and we stood side by side at the starting line of a 5k race and one of me took off sprinting while the other me took off at my normal pace, who do you think is going to finish the race first?  The me who took off at my normal pace.  You know why?  Because the me who took off sprinting is going to tire out quickly and either end of walking or collapsing on the side because I'm too tired to finish.  Small steps.  Moving forward one at a time at a pace that is appropriate for me.  Those small steps will get me a lot farther than the person who leaps from the starting line.

New Year's is long gone.  The re-birth and freshness of Spring is right around the corner.  This is the perfect time to decide to make a healthy change in your life.  I started seven years ago simply by running from one mailbox to the next on my suburban neighborhood street (that tells you how small my goals initially were - 50 feet!).  

Over the next five days, I'm going to share with you five ideas of way that you can March Forth and kick-start a journey of marching right into a healthier life.  You can do it,  You can achieve your health goals - one step at a time.

My Phone will Show You - I Worked my Plan!

One of my dad's favorite pieces of advice for his daughters and grandchildren is

Plan your Work and Work your Plan.

 

Very wise advice that I try to follow.  At the beginning of every season, I take time to think about what I want to accomplish and set goals for myself and my family.  They're not always serious goals like trying a new healthy recipe or exercising three times a week.  Often it's that I want to try a certain restaurant, make 'Smores at least one time or check out a new Putt Putt course.  I make a plan for myself so that time passes with few regrets of things that I wanted to accomplish or experience and don't. 

 

At 2:30AM this morning I was awake and consumed with guilt and worry.  Summer 2016 is pretty much over.  Had this summer been fun enough?  Active Enough?  Memorable enough?  My kids are getting older and I often feel as if they are slipping through my fingers.  Time with them is becoming more and more precious.  Was I honoring that time and making the most of it?  Had I "worked my plan" this summer?

 

While taking my last walk on the beach this morning capturing a beautiful sunrise, I realized that I held the answer to those questions that had been nagging me all night in my hand.  My phone!  All I had to do was look through the hundreds of moments I captured over the summer.

 

My first picture of the summer - Celebrating JJ's birthday with
Fortune Star and Putt Putt

 

Creating fun memories watching both the Pittsburgh Penguins and
the Cleveland Cavs win Championships!

 

Making sure both kids were out and about with friends and not
spending the entire summer in their rooms on their phones.

Professional Goal Met - My Team received Community LIFE's Inaugural
Excellence in Quality Award!
 

 

Going to Hidden Valley (I never made it there last summer!)
 and spending time with my family.

The last picture taken on my phone this morning.
A beautiful sunrise over Ocean Isle Beach, NC
To me this symbolizes my continued efforts to exercise regularly -
I got up every morning of vacation and walked 2 miles!

 

I'd say that is proof to me that I worked my plan.  Our summer was fun, active and memorable.  No regrets here! 

One more day on the beach and then it will be time to begin planning the next season and putting that plan to work.  My Dad always gives good advice.



Why You Should Make a New Year's Resolution

What is your New Year's Resolution?

That's the question of the hour this time of year. 

I hear a lot of people reply that they don't make resolutions.  "Why bother, I don't keep them anyway," they say. 

Is that you?  If it is, I ask you to pause to read this and reconsider that response.

Take a moment to consider why you don't keep them.  I imagine that it is because 1) your previous resolutions have either been too vague or too big and 2) you have an all or nothing mindset.

This year I'm going to eat healthy.

This year I'm going to lose 100 pounds.

This year I'm going to exercise everyday.



There are some people that can make broad or big statements like that and stick to them.  I'm not one of them and I imagine that I am not alone.

I'd say - "This year I'm going to eat healthy."  I do just that for the first few weeks of the year.  Then there is a big football game and I'm making all kinds of scrumptious tailgating food.  There goes that resolution out the window!  Back to my old way of eating!

I'd say - "I'm going to lose 100 pounds this year."  Over the first few weeks I would lose five pounds.  Then I'd have a stressful week where I would eat a little more, exercise a little less and . . . BAM!  Gain two pounds.  There goes that resolution out the window!  Back to my old ways.

I'd say - "I'm going to exercise everyday."  I'd work out on the Wii or go to the Y or go for a walk everyday for a few days.  Then one night I have to work late.  The next night JJ has a basketball game and Ellie needs help with her homework.  The next night I take Ellie to her music lessons and there is a meeting at church.  Yikes - three days in a row with no exercise.  There goes that resolution out the window!  Back to skipping the gym.

If I can't be perfect ALL the time then I want NOTHING to do with this resolution. 

Five year's ago I made a New Year's Resolution and I kept it.  I kept it because 1) my resolution was specific and 2) I didn't give up. 

My health was heading down a dangerous path.  I needed to make wiser choices and get healthy.  But what exactly does that look like?  I needed to lose at least 50 pounds, but to me that was a huge number.  I needed to eat better, but I really like chips and brownies. 

I set my focus on something smaller - a 5k run.  I knew what that looked like.  I could picture 3.1 miles.  16 laps around the track.  1 trip around the big block plus 1 trip around the little block.  I could picture myself going that distance. 

My New Year's Resolution for 2010 was very specific - I will complete a 5k.

I mapped out my plan to achieve that goal and got to work.  But it wasn't always easy.  There were days that I didn't exercise.  Sometimes several days in a row that I didn't exercise.  There were days that I stress ate so much pizza on a Friday night that the idea of putting on my running shoes Saturday morning was not even on my radar.  Those were the times I wanted to give up.  "I screwed up - no running for three days.  Might as well quit."  "Too much pizza - epic fail!  Scrap the idea of getting healthy . . . again!" 

But I DIDN'T give up.  Instead I said to myself, "Ooooops!" and purposefully made the choice to get back on track.  Guess what happened - that feeling of complete failure was quickly replaced by the feeling of complete joy in the victory of clearing that hurdle. 

It is in that moment where most people get stuck.  Do I throw my hands up in defeat or do I purposefully pick myself up and forge ahead?   No matter what I do, I'm not going to be perfect all the time.  Instead of raising a white flag in surrender to my imperfections, I choose to raise my arms in victory to all that I accomplish no matter how small.

Took a walk after dinner instead of watching TV.  YES!  Ate one cookie instead of four.  YES!  Put my tennis shoes on and went for a run even though I didn't feel like it.  YES!

In 2010, I did it.  I kept my New Year's Resolution.  I completed my first 5k.  Five years later I have run over 40 5ks.  I lost 50 pounds and have kept it off.  I went from a size 22 pants to a size 14.  I feel GREAT! 

Change is possible.  You CAN do it.  You may have tried a thousand times before and not made it, but that is OK.  Try again.  Try again in 2015.  Make this your year. 

Be purposeful about it.  Pause for five minutes.  Think.  What do you want?  How do you feel right now?  How do you want to feel?  Set a goal.  A specific goal.  Then go for it . . . and make the choice to not give up.

A2Z: Getting There Without Turning Around Along the Way

This is the message that is drilled into our heads in today's instant gratification focused world, but I have a problem with it.  There are words missing.  Important words that as a result of being omitted cause many people to lose hope, stop believing and eventually give up on their dream.  This quote should read:

Think big, dream big, believe big and the results

(after a lot of hard work, many failures and
countless small victories)

will be big.

 

Don't get me wrong, there are many people who have the extreme drive or simply the luck to leap from point A to point Z in a single bound.  That is not me.  How many ideas have I had that I have taken the time to sit down and write out that have never made it off the paper?  How many times was a new diet "the one" that would melt away my extra pounds?    How many times have I cleaned off my kitchen counter proclaiming that it will never be piled with junk again?  (OK - that one may not seem too "big" to you, but it is a big dream in my house.)

 

Why is it that I have the dream or the idea, but as soon as it doesn't happen right away or the way I thought it would, I give up?

 

1) I FEEL like a failure.  I have the image in my mind of victory and happiness - a big celebration!  When something doesn't turn out the way I've imagined it in my head, my excitement is deflated.  Instead of the bubbly happy feeling, I feel like I have a rock in the pit of my stomach.  I don't like that feeling, so I'm not going to try again.

 

2) I'm too IMPATIENT.  I'm starting at Point A and am aiming for Point Z.  I don't want to travel through Point G or Point N or stop at Point T.  I want to get to Point Z and I want to get there now. That's why when I'm craving French fries I'm not going to go to the grocery store, buy a 10lb bag of potatoes, come home, wash them, slice them, season them and then wait while they bake in the oven.  No - I'm heading to the drive-thru! 

  

I find it so sad that many people are missing out on their BIG dreams because they give up. It IS possible to dream BIG and achieve BIG results.  We simply need to recognize that the path to accomplishing them is not one HUGE leap, but rather one filled with many SMALL steps.  For me, making two changes helped me find joy and achievement in taking many SMALL steps to find BIG results:

 

1) Celebrate every victory regardless of how small.  When I'm running and I get to the point that I don't think I can go any further, I'll set a small specific goal.  I will say to myself - "Lisa, run to that red mailbox" or "Lisa, finish this lap."  When I reach that mailbox or complete that lap, I'll raise my arms in victory or shout out "YES!"  (Yes, I do literally shout out loud.  Yes, I do get some strange looks.  No, I don't care.)  That small physical action of celebration pushes me to run to the next red mailbox or complete another lap.  I FEEL victorious!  That is a good feeling.  I celebrate every partial pound lost on the scale, every item crossed off my To Do List, every goal accomplished whether it is with a mental hi-five, a victory dance in my kitchen or a trip out for Fro-Yo with my family.  Celebrating helps me maintain a positive outlook.  It keeps me motivated to take the next small step needed to reach my ultimate goal.

 

2) Enjoy the journey.  I'm starting at Point A.  I want to get to Point Z.  I'm ready to hit the road and get this journey started.  Hey - wait a minute, I've never been to Point G.  This is a nice place!  Let's pause here and see what it's all about before we continue on.  If we are solely focused on the end result, we miss out on everything along the way.  One of my lifelong dreams has been to be a published author.  Last year I was presented with the opportunity to achieve that dream.  I honestly thought that I would hand in my manuscript and the next week be handed a shiny sweet-smelling hot-off-the-press book.  It doesn't work that way.  Publishing a book is a journey.  A couple of weeks ago as I sat around a table with my fellow authors laughing, sharing life experiences and building friendships, my breath was taken away.  What an AMAZING afternoon.  I was at Point G and I was soaking up every minute of it!  Had I given up when I realized that I wasn't jumping from Point A directly to Point Z, I would have missed out on this wonderful experience.   

 

My point is not that we should stop dreaming big.  I do believe that there is no limit to what I can accomplish.  It simply took me some time to figure out the best way for me to get there. 

 

We each have our own journey.  My path from Point A to Point Z is probably different from your path.  Though our paths have obviously crossed here.  If you are feeling a bit lost on your journey I invite you to join with me for a bit.  Try what worked for me to keep myself focused and moving forward - those two SMALL steps may be just what you need to find your BIG results!