for those of you that know me, this will come as no surprise, but my response to things that upset or challenge me is usually the same....i wallow - i get angry/upset/whatever - then i start to THINK. and once i really start to grind my gears about whatever the issue is, i HAVE to fix it. or at least try. sometimes it takes alot longer than others, but you can guarantee that something is going to happen.
now as much as i love quotes, i'm not generally a cliche kind of chic. but in this instance i'm making an exception. or 2. because i really honestly truly feel like THIS is MY shining example of the old "when one door closes" thing. and while i'm not going to drone on about my new business opportunity, what i will say it that by being OPEN to the possibility of change - looking for the windows when the door closed - i found myself in a position to move forward in a positive direction. that's kind of a new one for me, and i am super excited about it.
The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes. ~Benjamin Disraeli
over the years, i've started (and stopped) plenty of things. i'm choosing to view them as practice. my dad on the other hand likes to roll his eyes whenever i tell him about my next "new thing". and maybe like all of my other "things", this one will eventually fall by the wayside. but i hope not. and i dont think so. i think all the other things i've done were getting me ready for THIS thing. and if nothing else, it has removed the negative "i hate work" vibe from my life. because in the grand scheme of things, i don't hate work. i'm just not doing what i love. and how many times have we heard oprah say that in order to truly be happy, we have to do something we love. you know what i love??? raising my kids :). when are we gonna figure out how to get paid to do THAT?? i know i know, parenting is its own reward....i got it! i'm just throwing it out there.
There is only one success - to be able to spend your life in your own way. ~Christopher Morley
you know the word i picked for 2013 was challenge right? it has a lot of different layers for me, which is one of the reasons i picked it. but probably my biggest overall challenge is treading on the POSITIVE side of the path. i skew negative. not that i'm a gloom and doom kind of person, but more of a devils advocate. i like to argue. i see both sides of most points. so for me, there is always a negative to my positive - and my challenge is not to get bogged down in that line of thinking. so when i was trying to organize my thoughts about moving forward, putting the positive side out there was important. not only do I want to be more positive focused, i want my message to be more positive as well. which in large part is how my conditioning and agility idea became "S.T.R.O.N.G. is beautiful". and while you know i dont have daughters, i was one. and like ALL young women i struggled with how i looked, etc. SO i believe one of the best things i can do for young girls today is pass along what it took me YEARS to realize. STRONG IS beautiful. i dont want to be stick skinny. i dont want to be judged by what others find attractive. i want to be happy with myself. and then the rest comes. clearly i'm still a work in progress. but i LONG ago came to terms with the fact that my size starts with 2 numbers. i have hips and an ass. and guess what? i'm super strong. and while i will never wear a size 2, or 4 or 8, i have great legs. you know why they are great? because they carry me while i run, and work out, and play softball, and soccer and kickball. and THAT is way more important than what size i wear.
Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
THAT is what i want to pass along. STRONG stands for Smart Tough Responsible Original Nice & Gutsy.....all the traits i think we should foster in our kids. jake gave me a hard time about the "nice"....he jokingly said that using a generic 4 letter word was grinding my english major soul. and he's a little bit right. but more importantly than that, its a good word. we need to teach our kids to be NICE. i'm not sure when nice got such a bad rap, but it did. and i think we need to bring it back. its okay to be a nice girl. especially if you are smart and tough too.
Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves. ~James Matthew Barrie
see how its all coming together? trying to bring some sunshine, spread the joy. it's going to rain sometimes. sometimes it seems like it will never stop. and then all of the sudden - bang - there it is....a ray of sunshine. its up to us whether we close the curtains and shut it out .... or throw them wide open and welcome it in. for me, this little rain cloud is lingering....but i'm doing my best to welcome the sun. and i'm bringing as many people with me as i can :)
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