Am I Old Now?

Tomorrow is my (Kelli) birthday. A few years ago I would start counting down and harassing people about the fact that it was almost MY day. The last few years I have not done that, in fact I've kind of almost forgotten until the big day was almost here. In fact, this year I had to reschedule a few appointments because I realized that I had scheduled clients ON MY BIRTHDAY, yeah that was funny and embarrassing to explain.

A lot of people have told me that this behavior starts when I want to ignore my age. I don't think that that is the case though, I think that I am just so busy that September flew by and October is rushing in faster than September! I spent time in Utah for Young Living's Silver Retreat then I came home to head to Dallas for a funeral, from there I have been working on the launch of my 30 Days To Wellness Program and I have continued homeschooling my kids and tutoring at our co-op. If it wasn't for Lynette this poor blog would have shriveled up and died! 

So, tomorrow is my birthday. It's also the start of a new month AND it's the countdown for what I call Sugar Season...or more commonly known as the Holiday Season. This is the perfect time to start setting up your goals and planning how you are going to go through Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's without gaining unwanted weight. You might want to check out my FREE 30 Days To Health program here. We start on October 4th in my Facebook Group. I hope that you will join us. 

I've decided since writing this that I am not going to get old or forget my birthday anymore. So it's 366 days until my next birthday, just in case you were wondering. 

I'm A Quitter

I've been struggling lately. Perhaps you have noticed in the lack of blogging and Facebook activity, or maybe you were enjoying the silence...

Like I said, I've been struggling. I am supposed to run the Illuminations Half on December 20th in San Antonio. This is supposed to be my first half and as of last week I made the tough call to pull out of the race. I'm somewhat devastated and somewhat relieved.

This wasn't an easy decision, I've lost sleep over it but it's the right decision. 

I have had SEVERE Plantar pain since I had Emma. The kind of pain that causes you to not be able to walk. My chiropractor and I have been working on it, I've bought amazing inserts, I've done exercises for it, and used oils but there were still days that I could not walk comfortably and running was painful. 

I spent all of November sleep deprived because my sweet six month old decided to go on a sleep strike. I also got Strep, threw my back out, and had a two year old with a stomach bug. 

Most importantly though, running became a drag and a chore not something I love. 

After having a nightmare that I was at the race and people were laughing at me for being a DNF so they cut off my legs I decided I was done!

I haven't quit running though! I am leading a C25K group that starts on Saturday and I CAN'T wait!

I have been keeping up with my bootcamp and they have us run a lot but most importantly it's fun, bootcamp really is my first love. 

Will I do a half? I hope so, I've always wanted to complete one but this just isn't the right time. I signed up while I was pregnant so that I wouldn't be a slacker. For some reason I thought that training would be a breeze, HA! I don't really consider this as being a bad thing but just readjusting my goals for what I need right now.
What about you, have you ever had to readjust your goals?

What Workout?

Somewhere in the midst of last minute packing and lugging of furniture I sort of slacked off on my workouts.  I swore up and down that I would be hitting it hard when we got moved in but between unpacking, a one year old that is struggling to sleep in her new room, and a husband that actually has to go in to an office EVERYDAY versus working from home, my workouts have stunk for the last two weeks.  I have gotten in two runs, seriously two!  The only weights I have lifted have been boxes and kids.  

Here we are in January where most people are busting out insane workout schedules and chugging freaky looking detox drinks and then there's me.  Does this make me a failure?  No, not at all.  It makes me real.  

If I wanted to get seriously real with you I would admit that I didn't even make goals for 2014.  I know your world just tipped a little.  It'll be okay.  

Here is my reasoning, yes I want to continue on this healthy whole food living and exercising lifestyle however, I am moving and having child #5 so I am not going to make a list that I struggle with and then beat myself up in February or March when I haven't worked on them AT ALL!  

No, I haven't quit working out I just haven't been consistent.  What am I going to do about it?  I am going to get a schedule and stick to it.  This afternoon I sat down and planned out my workouts for the rest of January and will show them to my husband when he gets home.  I have on my workout clothes so when Rusty gets home I will be leaving for my run.  I might have to change my workouts to night workouts because lately I have needed more sleep but who cares about the time of the workout as long as it happens right?  I will also be posting more about my workouts on the Mom 4ce Facebook page.

I hope that my honesty and posts encourage you to not beat yourself up but to pick up and go from where you are. 

The List

The last couple posts I've walked you through how I set goals for the year.  And now it's time to share my list of goals for 2014.  Each on of these goals supports my priorities in some way and are challenging enough to move me outside of my comfort zone.

Since I have goals for different areas (physical, spiritual, lifestyle, financial...) I'm not going to bore you with the entire list.  I'll just give you a couple and then tell you a bit about how I plan to reach those goals.

The List:

Run 1000 miles

-run a marathon in April (which means having a training plan in place!)

-run a 50k in September/ October (ditto the training plan!)

Pay down debt/ Increase savings

- follow our budget

-be very deliberate about what we spend

Be more joyful

- Joy 365 project (what's that?  Stay tuned for details in another blog ;) )

Work on getting the homestead established

- fence in an area for the goats

- establish a flock of chickens

- work on getting our house started and liveable

There you have it.  The short list of what I want to accomplish this year.  The great thing about having your goals in front of you is that you can refer back to them during the year to see if you're still on track, or if you need to get back on track.  

And do you see why goals are better than resolutions?  Do you see how having a plan of action is so much better than just wishing or hoping that you'll be able to accomplish something?

Possibilities

The new year is full of possibilities.  But only if you're willing to step out of your comfort zone.

  

Every year millions of people make resolutions and every year, only about 8% of the people keep those resolutions.  That's why I set goals and map out a plan to achieve them.  I decide what I want to do and then figure out how I'm going to do it.

But, before I even sat down to write out my goals, I wrote down my top three priorities.  This three priorities are so important that everything else has support one of them in some way.  If the goal doesn't fit my priorities, then it's not a goal I want to pursue.

For 2014, my top 3 priorities are:

1) My relationship with God- Making sure that is in line and is reflected in everything else I do.

2) My relationship with my husband and kids- Making sure that they know they are my priority and that I'm never too busy with *stuff* to be present in their lives.

3) My health- Making sure that I take care of myself so that I can take care of others and be able to enjoy my life.

My next step is to start thinking about my goals.  What are some of the key races I want to run?  What things do I want to do with the kids in school- field trips, projects?  What missions do I want to support?  

Once I have those (and many other questions) answered, I can start set my big goals.  Those big goals are then broken into smaller goals- mini goals that added together equal my larger goal.  

If you need help planning out your goals, join our facebook page!  We'll be offering tips and guides over the next few weeks to get you started

The First Step

When we set goals for ourselves, we set goals that will challenge us, make us step outside our comfort zones (at least, I hope you do =)).  But when we do that, the goal seems overwhelming.  We scare ourselves into thinking we can't do it.

The key to completing those goals is to take it one step at a time. 

Losing 50lbs is daunting.  But if you break it down into smaller steps, it becomes easier.  Losing 1lb a week is easier.  It's even easier if you set how you're going to do that.  For example, cutting out 1 soda a day, parking at the back of the lot and walking to the store, taking the stairs at work instead of the elevator, eating more veggies at dinner instead of the main course...

Want to start running?  Start with working up to 30 minutes of walking.  Then start adding in a minute or two of running.  Pretty soon your running time is more than your walking time.

You don't have to focus on the end goal, just the step that's in front of you.

Let others know what your goals are and let them encourage you along the way.  By the end of the year you'll be able to look back on what you've accomplished and see how far you've come.

Goals

I was sorting through some papers the other day and came across my goals for 2013.  

Every year I break my goals down into categories- physical, spiritual, financial, lifestyle, homeschooling and business.  I then try to have at least 2 goals in each category.  

Some of the goals are specific (like running 1000 miles) and some are more general (like watching less TV).  

It's interesting to see what I thought I would accomplish this year and compare it to what I actually did.

I'm not upset that I didn't reach a lot of the goals.  I can't predict the future, so there were things I couldn't plan for.  All I could do was roll with the punches and adjust my goals.  

And by looking at what I didn't accomplish, I can better plan for next year's goals =)

So that's what I'm going to be spending the next couple of weeks planning out.  Stay tuned for tips on how to plan your goals for the new year!

The Halfway Point

 The other day I found my goal list from January. 

I had lost it. 

Funny thing, my first goal was to be more organized!

I had some others on there but they were limited to five so that I would actually achieve my goals.  

It's July 1st today.  There are six more months left to achieve those goals from January 1st. 

Have your goals changed?

Have you achieved your goals?

Are you on your way to making those dreams a reality?

One of my goals was to run a half marathon.  To achieve that big goal I have had smaller monthly goals that I have set for myself.  It has been fun to mark off those steps as they were completed.  13.1 isn't so scary when you break it down into smaller steps, one mile at a time.  

Another goal was to become healthier as a family.  That is a really broad goal.  However a goal such as eating 4 different types of vegetables a day for a month is easily attainable.  Again simple steps, one healthy change at a time. 

However, there are also those goals that have not even really been worked on.  For me it is my organization goal.  My desk is still a pile of scariness!    In fact I found this list in my pile on the desk as I was cleaning it off.  I have found many different articles, books, lists, and more on organization; I have even tried some of the tips!  However, I keep on struggling.  

Therefore, I have revisited my goals and am focusing July as my organization month.  I will become organized!  My first step this week is to clean off my desk and have a place for everything.  Then, I am going to make sure that everything is put up before I go to bed at night.  Once these two things are done everyday for two weeks I will go from there.  

The key is to consistently work on your goals and to set them as small achievable steps.  

So tell me, how are you doing on your goals? 

Mom 4ce Challenge

A lot of you have seen us posting about our weekly workout groups.  And you're bummed because you live on the other side of the country and can't join us, right?  Well, now you can!

Kelli and I are pleased to announce the launch of the Mom 4ce Challenge group!

Join us for support and motivation to reach your goals to get healthy and to get your family on the right track! 

Here's how it'll work.  

Starting July 1st, we will be creating a private group.  Members of this group will receive meal plans (with a grocery list!) and workouts for the duration of the challenge.  They will also get lots of support and motivation from us and from the other members of the group.

Random prizes will be given out during the challenge as well =)

The challenge will run 4 months (July- October) and costs $100 ($25/ month).

So how do you get in on this?  Easy.  Email us at mom4ce@gmail.com!

Priorities

What are your priorities?  You know, the things that define who you are.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately.  It finally dawned on me that no matter how crazy cool my goals are, I was never going to accomplish them if they weren't in line with my priorities.  No matter how hard I try, if a goal makes me compromise one of my priorities, it's not going to happen.

So, how do you figure out your priorities so that your goals line up with them?  Priorities are those things in your life that you would be devastated if they disappeared.  They are what fulfill you, give you purpose in life, makes you proud...

Can you name at least five things that are that important in your life?  How about your top three?  Of those three, what is the most important?

Write a priority statement for that one and keep it with you where ever you go.  Look at it every day.  The more you keep that front and center, the easier it will be to choose what goals you're going to accomplish, what tasks are important and (most importantly) who is the most important.  And then you will know where to focus your time and energy.

I sat down and did this for myself at the beginning of the year.  I wasn't surprised with my top three, but I was surprised at some of the results from looking at my goals through my *priority lens.*

My top priority, the one thing I never want to forget is to honor God in everything I do.  This changes how I look at my relationship with my husband (does that comment build him up or tear him down?) how I deal with my kids (even though I don't want to play another game of Go fish, is it important to them?) and how I deal with people in my business.

By filtering my goals through this lens, I know which ones to focus my time on.  And I know that if I honor my priority, the goals that I have set will soon be checked off and I'll be planning new ones.

I challenge you to take an honest look at your priorities and write them out.  You will be surprised at how it changes how you look at your goals!

What are your top 3 priorities?

Get Down!

Tired of hitting December 31st and realizing that your resolutions have fallen by the wayside?  Want to know the secret for sticking to those resolutions?

First, don't call them resolutions!  We can all resolve to do something, but unless we actually put those resolutions into an action plan, they won't get done.

How do you change a resolution into a goal?  Write it as if you've already accomplished it!  Instead of:

 I want to lose 25 lbs this year.

Write:

 I lost 25 lbs by walking 10,000 steps a day and cutting out one soda a day.

Wait, you mean I have to write them down?  YES!!  That is the key for turning resolutions into goals and then accomplishing those goals!  And don't just write them down once and forget about them.  Write them down weekly.  Modify them as you need to, but never forget that you wrote them down.  They are your road map to looking back on the year with a sense of pride!

You want to know another secret?  Dream BIG!  Think about what goal would be so crazy cool to accomplish and write it down.  Don't limit yourself only to what you know you can accomplish.  Challenge yourself to go bigger!

Create a vision board.  Look through magazines or websites and find pictures that inspire you.  Pictures that represent your goals.  Print them out, cut them out and put them on a board that you look at daily.  Keep your goals (or pictures of that goal) visible everyday.  The more you look at them, the sooner those goals will be turned into reality.

Tell someone what your goals are.  The more people who know what you're working towards, the more support and encouragement you'll get along the way!

Create to- do lists.  Each day write down one or two steps you can take to reach your goal.  Pretty soon those little steps add up to a big goal being accomplished.

Too many times, when we think about goals, we look at the big picture.  We forget that it's little steps that get us there.  You had to learn to crawl before you could walk and you had to walk before you could run.

What little step can you take today that will get you closer to where you want to be tomorrow?