Tag: process

perspective

Fail to Learn

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Learn to fail.

Fail to learn.

Fail early.

Fail often.

Failure is the name of the game.

Life is like a series of mazes. Choices. Opportunities. Deadlines. Direct/indirect paths. So many options. With each choice in life there is an opportunity to fail. When you fail there is also an opportunity to learn. Capitalizing on learning through life’s failures is often a missed opportunity.

Sometimes we fail mentally. Sometimes we fail emotionally. Sometimes we fail physically. We can even fail socially. In today’s digital age social failures can have long standing impacts if not recognized. We all have a journey or a path in life. Each unique to the person. Some paths change in time while others stay constant for one reason or another.

I’m a trailblazer or sorts. A pathfinder. One that learns through discovery. A curious mind that enjoys exploration. The mundane is of no interest to me. The volatility of a day/week with constant change fuels my soul. Failure is a part of my daily game.

I fail as a parent. I fail often. The maze of life ensures my failure, in hopes I will learn along the way. Life isn’t perfect by any means. People are messy each and every day. Hope. Opportunity. Adventure. I seek it all. I encourage others to do the same. Living life to the fullest. The motto of my mom. Engrained in me. I choose to be different most days. I choose the less traveled paths. 

I don’t ask for approval. I ask forgiveness when needed. I stretch more than I’d like some days. I refrain on other days. It’s a delicate balance. I can’t ever change the world we live in or the people we mix with. I can however encourage others, spread joy, support and shine through my life experiences. Some written. Some portraits. Some live. Some even taped.

What are you doing to be a trailblazer in your own life? Do you encourage others? Do you choose to fail? Will you learn when you fail?

I dare you to think about this post and how it fits into your life. I dare you to have the courage to look deep inside for your own answers. For this is a maze of sorts for you. There are no right or wrong answers. It’s more of a self discovery exercise. The more you do it the more growth you will see.

Keep thinking.

Keep dreaming.

Keep changing.

Keep an open mind.

You can grow today and in the future if you think about the process in the form of a constant maze. The challenge of your life. You do the work. You set the parameters.

coaching

Coaching Me

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When I coach others I inadvertently coach myself. I reflect on time points. I reflect on opportunities that have come and gone. I take a look at organizing and prioritizing. I reflect on my physical and emotional wellness and so much more.

As a professional coach I help others. It’s one of the best feelings in the world to see others succeed with a little encouragement or nudging. One side bonus for me is the self-reflection and personal strides I make in each engagement as I look at myself through the coaching process.

Today was a day of coaching. Helping somebody over a hurdle. Minimizing fear while capitalizing on self worth. Sounds easy but it’s not.

I love when others shine. I’m not such a fan of negativity or low self-worth. I think everyone should see their inner and outer beauty but many don’t.

When I can help one person understand themselves and how to grow with their own grit it makes me smile for days, weeks and sometimes longer depending on the case or hurdles conquered.

As we are in November I am celebrating all month being thankful. Today I am thankful for the ability to coach, inspire and mentor others. It’s one of the most rewarding pieces of my life.

fitness and nutrition

5-10-15-20

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Counting by fives is easy. You can count quickly with this method. Could counting by fives ever have a negative effect? Can you reverse a negative effect?

Let’s look at a 5-pound fluctuation on the scale. It is not a big deal to many. A scale can fluctuate and 5 pounds is a good cushion for many splurges or environmental issues. I’m in agreement. Up or down five is considered acceptable.

Now let’s just say you were fluctuating on the high side on the scale. You know that but you add 5 more pounds. Technically that’s 10 pounds in total but since you are counting by fives the justification is it’s just five pounds.  Not a big deal, right? 

It happens again. Now that totals 15 pounds but really it was just five pounds, right? What I’m getting at is counting by fives could diminish the big picture number if you look at things a certain way. Like by just 5 here and there. It’s easy to do if you are not paying attention or are choosing to look the other way for whatever reason. That’s why many long term weight loss programs require tracking. Without that measurement stick it’s easy to get off track.

I’m not a big scale person. I mean I don’t like to look at it daily as it becomes a consuming and daunting task. However for those who watch their weight to an extent it’s a needed measurement tool. One of many tools.

For me, I have been off my macro counting for a good bit (over a year).  Wanting to see how I fared eyeballing things. I did well. I could handle it. What I learned when I meticulously watched my macros was instilled in me. A routine. A habit. I was strong and consistent.

However, when I’m not tracking it’s easy to add in an ice cream, a candy, a drink, and other small items that add up in time. The 5, 5, 5 scenario…

Before you know it, five becomes ten, ten become fifteen and so on. For me counting by fives can have a negative connotation. During Corona I counted by five. I counted more than once by five. It added up.

The good news is I didn’t let fives multiply to the point of no return. I shook myself and said let’s get back on track and count macros to reverse by fives. I will use the scale as a tool. I’ll use my measuring tape to monitor inches and I will use myfitnesspal to track my intake daily until I’ve reversed the effects of just 5 pounds. I know how to do it. I just need to buckle down. Take the task on. Own it. 

We all have our own challenges of maintaining the physical / mental balance that’s right for each of us at each stage of life. Pandemic included! For me, I know my happy place on a scale, in inches and in macros. I just need to be diligent in staying the course even when a pandemic hits. Basically eliminate excuses and although a treat is okay here and there. I need to choose what’s worth the indulgence vs. slipping into a 5, 5, 5 scenario.

Another tale of how to saddle up and put in work. Success is something you work for and sometimes you have to work for it multiple times. Trust the process. Learn each time. Counting by fives in reverse. That’s how I got here. That’s how I will get back to my starting point. No big deal. Just need to practice some patience while being consistent.

For some reason I think counting backwards by five is much more difficult than adding by five. What an irony. With all that being said it’s not hard to get started. Just takes a little self motivation.

working women

Patience

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Can one master patience?

Generally speaking I am an immediate gratification girl but I am always working to master my patience skills.

This requires conditioning the patience muscles. Right now I’m in a conditioning phase. Many loose pieces in multiple big projects means I have to wait patiently for some to collaborate or make decisions.

This patience phase can be a grueling process for me as I like the finish line in projects. I like cross over the line and say I did it. Boom! Sometimes however it’s not about the finish line rather it’s about the process.

The cultivation. The experience. The relationships. The people. The success. The failure. The memories. The time. The overall patience built into the crossing of the finish line. Watching the vision turn into reality.

Let’s talk about writing a book. Our 1095 Days project. It’s in the works. Well into the planning and execution phase but no finish line. The process has been nothing less than amazing. Much of our concept couldn’t be imagined on the onset to the naked eye. Only the eye that was interested in investing in the farming time. The planting of the seeds. The patience required while you wait for the seed to blossom. The time. That’s the beauty of the process.

In my yard during corona I planted some trees. Now months later those trees are starting to flower. Such a beautiful sight. One blossom born out of such a devastating time. New growth is around in the land but also in people. If we all Look deep into our souls we all learned something during corona. We grew.

In business there is always what’s next. The next sales month. The next big deal. The next job experience. This means if you think there is a finish line then you halted your growth. You have to look beyond the finish line to see what’s next. Or for some like me it’s what is here in the now. I see the finish line but I’m working on what’s in the middle. Because I’m working on what’s in the middle my finish line may be extended. Maybe a longer project yielding more value or maybe even a deeper relationship with a client because of the time spent in the middle.

My patience growth is in the middle. Where is your growth? As I grow I mentor others. This blog is just a glimpse of what I do for many although each experience is different which enables me to compound my growth through experiences.

I encourage each of you reading this to challenge yourself in some aspect of life. Maybe it’s getting organized financially. Maybe it’s taking a risk on a dream. Maybe it’s even swimming across a stretch of water because you fear you can’t.

Take the next move before it’s too late. You can exercise your patience muscles after you take the first step!

Vulnerability, courage and patience all tie together in my mind for many reasons. In order to grow exponentially you usually need to be aware of these three words. More to come on that is a future post.