The First Of August

Today is the First Day of August.  It brings with it a clean slate, fresh promises and the beginning of a new challenge.  I will get more into this new challenge in a moment.  But first I would like to say that today also marks my Father In Law's Birthday.  His 65th Birthday to be exact.

So this August 1st marks his 23, 741st day on Earth.  He is 3391 weeks and 4 days old.  Or 780 months old. The reason why it is that I broke that down into such detail is because my FIL is a details guy,  It is one of my favorite things about him.  He carefully weighs and measures everything before making a decision.  When I am seeking advice and I want to talk to someone who is going to give me sound advice...I go to Robert.  Not that I don't think others in my inner circle possess good advice.  They do.  But Robert doesn't make decisions from an emotional standpoint.  He looks at all the sides. He gives advice based on years of life and work experience.  And he certainly is not afraid to disagree with me or play Devil's Advocate.  And I appreciate and value that greatly.

Robert, I am so proud and blessed to call you my Father In Law.  I am wishing you the happiest of birthdays.  My wish for you is that you find that this will be the best year yet.  May it be filled with adventures, much love and laughter and pleasant surprises.

Now back to the new challenge.  I am partaking in the 30 Day Bravery Challenge.  Our first day of the challenge asked us to determine the one thing that we want to be courageous about during this challenge and to journal about it.  I was wanting to see exactly how far it is that I could push the limits.  Something that would cause me to stretch beyond my comfort zone and make me work every day.

What I came up with is...I am going to grow my business more in the next 30 years than I did all year. I am going to gain major momentum and become an unstoppable force.

The voice in my head says - You can't do that.  You are crazy. You will fail.
The voice in my heart says - Worst case scenario you only grow for 20 out of 30 days.  It is still growth. If I think of it from an abundant and positive mindset...anything is possible.  And when you are living out your purpose and staying out of your own way the Universe opens all sorts of doors for you.  So...I am going to bring it on.  Look out world...Coach Catalyst is on her way.  

I have also joined forces with my friend, Angela.  We have been compiling a list of items.  Brave things for us to do every day.  Some we will do together and others we will do on our own.  But at the end of the month we will be...BRAVER!!!!  More Confident!  And Better versions of our already amazing selves.

So I ask you...are you willing to get brave? Are you willing to step outside your comfort zone?  If you answered yes....Get Ready! Get Set! Grow!!!!!

Wishing you a Day as Beautiful as You!

Much Love,

Lisa

TIMEOUT

Do you ever find yourself questioning what is going on in your life?  Do you ever feel like you are the only one in the world who is feeling the way you are feeling right in this moment?  

Sometimes we get overwhelmed by a situation. Sometimes we sink into a state of despair.  Sometimes we find ourselves in the role of a victim. Sometimes life feels unfair. Unbearable. Sometimes we feel we just need a timeout.  

You are not alone. There are others in the world feeling exactly as you do now. How can I be sure of that? Well we are all of the human race. So it is a race issue. And all of us are connected. So right now at this very moment someone is feeling just as you do. Do not be afraid. Know that you have all the answers that you need right within you. You just need to listen closely to what you are saying and act on them. 

Try this for just a minute or thirty.  Breathe deep. In for four counts, hold for two counts, out for six. Again in for five counts, hold for two counts, out for seven. Repeat as often as necessary. Breathe deep into your belly. Feel good about it. Send love and light to yourself. First to all of your body and then to the areas where you feel pressure or pain. Where you can feeling the tightness of anxiety and fear. Just imagine this nice pink color traveling there. The pink brings with it healing and warmth. That's it. Just keep doing that.

 It feels good doesn't it. Tell yourself, you are exactly where you are and where you are right now in this very moment is where you need to be. You have spent your entire life getting here and this is where you are meant to be. Everything you need lies within you. All is perfect. All is well. It all works out the way it should. Benefiting your greatest good. I promise this to be true as it is the same for all of us. It is our divine birthright. You are loved, you are safe. You are beautiful, you are smart, you are kind, caring and compassionate. You are worthy and deserving. You are loved, lovable and loving. The love and energy of the Universe flows through you and within you. Take another deep breath. Inhale while counting to four exhale while counting to six. Inhale while counting to five exhale while counting to seven. You are safe. You are loved. All is perfect. All is well. All is perfect. All is well. Ahhhhhhhhh.

Sometimes we need to take a time out.  A moment of kindness to ourselves. Share this reminder with others.  Be kind. Be loving. Extend that to your treatment of yourself.

Have a day as beautiful as you are.

Much Love,

Lisa

The Camping Trip

This weekend we went camping.  And I can tell you that I thoroughly enjoyed the entire weekend.  Even the 12 hours of rain.  Our boxer Maggie got more than enough exercise to keep her happy.  She made a huge game of knocking her ball down the steep banks, into the lake and racing back up.  Her tongue was hanging out of her mouth so far I thought that she would step on it.  The pug....well camping is not her thing.  In fact the only reason she comes is for the hot dogs.

Delaney loved camping.  She was super excited that she was able to sleep in her princess tent.  It was a big event for her to set it up.  It started out just right outside our tent door and she was determined to sleep in it. By bedtime, she still wanted to sleep in her tent but we had to move the tent inside our tent.  In reality she lasted five minutes in her tent but she loved every minute of them.  She spent the rest of the weekend hogging my sleep mat and sleeping bag.  She loved not having to wash her hair. Building sand cakes.  And playing in the playground.  She also loved the option of having hot dogs for every meal.

My husband liked the fact that there was no set agenda.  He was surprised at how well he slept.

I, on the other hand did not sleep well at all.  A single sleeping mat and bag is not designed for a three year old, two dogs and a tired mama.  Each time I noticed Chris sleeping peacefully I wanted to poke him in the eye.  The first night was so cold that our boxer woke me up with her chattering teeth.  When you can see your breath in the tent in the morning...It is chilly.  I was so thankful that I could sit in the CRV with the heater on high and the heated seats on.  Maggie enjoyed it also.  By the time Chris and Delaney woke up the sun was shining and it was much warmer.

As we walked around the campsite I really questioned whyy people camp with RVs.  The number of satellite dishes astounded me.  Few people we out enjoying the sunshine.  They were in their trailers with the tv on and the air conditioning running.  I couldn't understand the point of packing up things to go and sit in the trailer.  Why not just save money on fuel and watch tv at home?  I questioned this reasoning behind this until approximately 8:30pm...when it started to pour.  And it continued to pour until 8:30am.  LOL.  There was a part of me that was wishing that we had a cozy trailer to crawl into.  I was happy that I got to crawl into bed extra early.  I was grateful for the tarp we had put up above our tent.  Only one corner of our tent filled with water.  And the area that flooded did not contain my pillow.  LOL.

I am very grateful that we were able to spend this weekend together.  Quiet, early mornings, sunrises, campfires and sunsets....all of these things make me smile.  Watching my loved ones laugh and play made the weekend worthwhile.  Being able to take Delaney on her first ever camping trip created a memory for a lifetime.  Maybe not for her but for Chris and I.

 What did you create this weekend?  What did you try for the first time?  How will you stretch and grow yourself this week?

Lead Life Joyfully

Much Love,

Lisa

Please Have Your Permission Slips Signed And Ready

Today I was writing a blog post.  It is called do you fall into this trap?  But really i may change the title to read...do you have your permission slip signed.  Lately it seems that I am seeking external acceptance.  For example...today I am getting my hair colored.  To a color that I have never tried before.  And I am a little nervous but we will call it curious and excited.  So I am curited.  And I asked a small group of people whether or not I should do it and one of which was very vocally against it.  And that took me aback.  So much so that I second guessed what I was wanting to do.  How crazy is that?  And I am finding that happening in other areas of my life.  This is not typically how I live my life.  So I started to do some digging.  And lately I have been going to celebrations of life, and putting my affairs in order.  And trying to determine what it is that I would like to see for my own celebration of life even though I will not be physically present...that would be quite scary to some if I was....lol.  And I have been looking at areas in my life where I have opportunities to grow.

Side note: For years now I haven't used the term weakness.  I felt that term alone took power away from a person.  Much like the the term invalid...I feel another blog post coming on.  I will talk more on that another day.  But weakness...does nothing to build a person up.  So I switched to growth opportunities.  And what a difference that made.  I even tried it out on different people.  When I was a production manager and I would be having a discussion with a team member I would ask where they thought their strengths and weaknesses were.  And their body language would shift dramatically when they started to talk about their weakness.  They would begin to shrink.  Almost as if they wanted to become invisible.  Even the big guys!  After they had described their "weakness" I would commend them on their strengths and then switch the focus to their growth opportunities.  Their body posture would still remain open and they were more engaged in the conversation and the options available to them.  Feel free to make a shift in your vocabulary and see what results you yield.

Now back to my growth opportunities.  I have been looking at where I am currently in life and focusing on where I want to grow.  And I know that I want to leave a legacy for my daughter. And whomever else I leave behind.  So I need to get building on my businesses.  I have spent time listening to new speakers, reading more books and writing every day.  Thank you Lesa Townsend for this #31DBC because it has caused me to stretch and to grow in all sorts of ways.

What I am finding is that when you are outside your comfort zone - you know that place where growth happens - the footing isn't all that stable.  Not like it is when you are all happy and comfortable.  So I believe that is the reason why I am seeking answers outside myself.  Because I am focusing so much of my energy inside on much larger challenges.  Or this is just another phase in my life that I have grown into and I will grow out of.

How about you out there in blog reader land?  Do you find that you grow through stages where you are standing firm in your own power and other times where you look for answers from others?  Do you seek to get your permission slip signed by someone standing close to you?

Gone are the days where you need to have a permission slip signed to go on a field trip.  (Assuming that those of you reading this are adults.  If not...still get your permission slip signed.  No forgeries!)  You can sign your own.  You can bounce ideas off of others but make your decisions based on what you truly want and not what someone else does.  Because their goals for you may (will) be different than your own.  This is YOUR life.  You can only live one at a time.  Don't spend it running someone else's agenda.

I am going to stand guard over myself. I will ask for help when I need it because there is never anything wrong with that.  But I am also going to be aware of what my opinion is before I ask the opinion of others.  No sitting on the fence preparing to jump to the side that everyone else's opinions are on.

I wish you a day as beautiful as you are.

Much Love,
Lisa

Growth is Intentional

A couple of months ago I read the book "The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth' by John C. Maxwell. In the book it speaks that growth doesn't just happen - it is intentional.  I am not certain why this seemed like such a profound statement.  Ever since then I have been constantly checking in with myself and seeing if I am setting myself up for growth.

Now when I am talking about growth I mean all kinds.

Physical growth - am I doing the work to become fitter, faster, stronger and more flexible?  Well the answer to that is not a pretty one these days.  I am growing...but it is my waistline.  I am not putting the work in to see the results that I want.  I play football but outside of that I am not doing much else.  My food choices are incongruent with my growth goals.  Now that may be painful to announce to the world but once you are aware of an issue you are able to change it.

Mental growth - Am I learning new things?  Am I reading about things that will bring me closer to my goals and challenge me?  Or am I reading things so that I can disengage my brain?  Same goes for what I am watching on television.  Am I trying to grow or trying to escape?  Am I doing things each day to move me closer to dreams.  Am I thinking the type of thoughts that will set me up for success?  For me I try to guard my thoughts.  I rarely watch the news, scary movies, or read anything that doesn't come from the non-fiction section of the library.  I am enrolled in a course or several.  It is the area of my life where I give it the most focus.

Spiritual growth - This area is always different for everyone.  We all have our own very personal beliefs surrounding spirituality and faith.  When it comes to my spiritual growth I always try to check in and see, am I in touch with something larger than myself?  Do I serve others? Do I spend time in silence?  Do I listen for the wisdom that comes from being in touch with this energy?  Do I carve out time to be consistent with this each day?  The answer to this is that I am not perfect at this.  It ebbs and flows.  Sometimes I am seriously dedicated.  And other times my spiritual focus is taken for granted.  Have you ever had this happen? Or do you remain diligent?

Growth requires our attention and planning.  John C. Maxwell speaks of a growth plan.  Where you  apply the Law of Intentionality to your life.  Where you stop experiencing accidental growth and start intentionally growing yourself.  Which do you think will move you closer to achieving your goals/dreams and living your life's purpose?  Bruce Springsteen said "A time comes when you need to stop waiting for the man you want to become and start being the man you want to be."

Do you have a growth plan?  Do you grow intentionally? Or accidentally?  If you are needing some assistance with developing a growth plan please feel free to visit my webpage and contact me there.  www.DreamItAchieveIt.ca
For those of you who are already intentionally growing - Keep up the great work.  Intentional growth vs accidental growth is the difference between Ordinary and Extraordinary.

I wish you a day just as beautiful as you are.

Much Love,
Lisa

Lead Life Joyfully