Morning!

I just finished reading Og Mandino's The Greatest Miracle in the World and wanted include a quote from that on today's thread.

What is past is past. . . and now you know the fourth great law of happiness and success. . .Use wisely, your power of choice.
Choose to love. . . rather than hate.
Choose to laugh. . . rather than cry.
Choose to create. . . rather than destroy.
Choose to persevere. . . rather than quit.
Choose to praise. . . rather than gossip.
Choose to heal. . . rather than wound.
Choose to give. . . rather than steal.
Choose to act. . . rather than procrastinate.
Choose to grow. . . rather than rot.
Choose to pray. . . .rather than curse.
Choose to live. . . rather than die.

My plan today is a 50 minute training run (cardio day!) I also have to finish up yesterday's UBWO due to it getting interrupted by some kiddos needs

Meals
1 3 egg whites/whole grain toast
2 protein shake
3 yogurt cc
4 protein shake
5 EFL meatloaf baby red potatoes salad
6 protein shake

Hope everyone makes it a great day. I'll be checking in later to see how everyone is doing.

xo
Kim

Hello! What a great day it is.

EXERCISEI:
i started today with a 1.75 mile run followed by the Bikini Abs workout from Fitness magazine. Today is a cardio day.

FOOD:
M1: Protein shake w/1 slice of banana bread
M2: Special K with banana and 1 hard boiled egg white
M3: Italian turkey sausage w/bun; fresh raw veggies
M4: Protein shake w/yogurt
M5: fresh fish with broccoli
M6: not sure yet!

MIND: I'm planning to scrapbook again but only for a little bit. I have to go grocery shopping tonight so my time is limited.

My boss frustrates me: He has asked me and 4 of my team members to attend a meeting in person-this meeting will be 15 minutes and will require each of us to travel from different locations, 30 minutes one way. So, we'll lose 1 hour of work time each to attend a 15 minute discussion in person. He is so very clueless I can hardly stand it! ARGH!

Vicki

My responses to Mellie's ask:

Acceptance: I accept that I am not perfect. I accept that my life is a result of my choices.

Responsibility: I take responsibility for my happiness. I take responsibility for my successess and failures for they are a result of the effort I put in and the choices I make. I take responsibility for mistakes I've made and I take responsibility for making the changes in my life that are needed. I take responsibility to be a good person who inspires others, leads by example and who gives back to my community.

Forgiveness: I forgive myself for making excuses and rationalizing an unhealthy lifestyle. I forgive myself for poor decisions that resulted in regrets; I've let go of those regrets. I forgive my mother for setting a poor example, for withholding her affection and for not supporting me. I forgive my husband for choosing to live an unhealthy lifestyle and for supporting me when it suits him. I have leg go of the past, forgiven people who have hurt me and I can only wish that one day they will find the happiness that I have found.

Gratitude: I am thankful for life. I am thankinful for my health--physical and mental. I am thankful for family and friends. I am thankful for having the strength to change and for recognizing that which is not in my control to change. I am thankful to have a job to complain about. (he!he!) I am thankful to be a part of t.com and that Mellie included me in her wonderful world. I am thankful for the beautiful relationships that are blossoming and strengthening every day. I am thankful for every breath I take for when I was only 25 years old, I cam very close to losing my life.

I have never taken for granted my life; but I have taken for granted the quality of it. And as of January 19, 2009--I accepted full responsibility for the quality of my life by taking the responsibility to make positive change happen.

I am here. I am strong. I am healthy.

LIFE IS GRAND!

GREAT WORK, LADIES!!!!!!!

I'm a bit foggy...we were up late, Steve had a late flight in from a Pfizer thing in San Diego. I found out yesterday afternoon that my "fun" son snuck out of the house the night before. These guys just turned 13 and that boy has been sneaking out off and on for about 2 years. He is soooooooo clueless, anyway, it was just another hit in the heart and as parents we are saddened and confused. The other 3 are honors students and are never in trouble and it feels like all our life has been about son#4. Most of his issues stem from birth/lung trauma (last one out of multiples usually has more difficult time healthwise) and the autism spectrum issues. Autism (Asperger's) and unhealthy curiosities don't mix well. God is in control, so we get to work our trust muscles out hard once again!

So...I was thinking:

Any of us who struggle with food temptations need a MANTRA...our own personal phrase that gets us through in tough moments. I did that last spring when I trained for my one and only bodybuilding figure competition and it works!!! I'd forgotten about it until yesterday. Mine was simple..."_______ suck"...as in "cookies suck", "pi##a sucks", "ice cr$@m sucks". I would say it throughout the week if a HINT a craving crept in...over and over in my head and sometime out loud. It got to where I could say it once and the temptation was killed! "HA! Take that, unhealthy foods!!!!! " I love it!

Let's see some examples of ones we can use (please add to my list)"

I'm allergic (very good for public temptations) and we are allergic to what sugar and fat do to us!
Just walk away (said to self, good for gatherings)
Not today
No, I'm in training (we are, in our one lives...and some for a half marathon!)
That's gross...or _____ is gross/sucks (throwback from jr. high...for ME, anyway!)
I have adverse reactions (yes getting a big booty is an adverse reaction!)
That's not on my plan
I don't want to pretend that is fuel for my body
I respect my body too much to eat that

And so on and so on! Some can be said outloud, some are just to repeat to yourself, but give it a try and make up one that suits YOU that you can use! I love the allergy one, it's soooooooooo much better than telling friends out to dinner that you "can't" have something, they will fight you on it every time unless they are rare humans!

Time for some coffee...yay!

No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is, but the world as it will be.
- Isaac Asimov

Morning all

Just poppin in to say you are loved and have a fantastic day!!!

Keep rockin'

Good morning! If you guys didn't read my post from late last night- I really got a lot out of everyones posts. I stayed up and re-typed out the 4 agreements and I'm planning on putting it in my living room where I'll see it.

Vicki~ I dusted off the Purpose Driven Life and it will be my nightly reading along with a little Billy Grahm on the side

Yesterday I stuck to my meals about 65% and was so exhausted from stress at work and cramping (started my period again- ugh) that I skipped my upper body workout. So I came home and stretched out on the couch and ate frenchfries and it just hit me that to really suceed in this challenge or my body transformation I'm going to have to push through my comfort zone and I'm going to have to get used to being uncomfortable and in some pain. I'm going to have to stick to my meal planning regardless of how emotional I feel or how bad I think I deserve or need the comfort of frenchfries. I'm going to have to give these up to get what i really want and unless I'm going to do this- there may be some progress but not as much as I really want. I have to accept that I have hormone issues and more periods than most people but I can't use that as an excuse or have the luxury of taking a time out to feel bad if I really want to suceed with this. Anyways....that's where my frame of mind is right now. I think there is a time to go easy on yourself but I feel like if I do that I'm not really ever going to change physically.

Here are my meals for today:
M1 Right Light shake
M2 Grapes and almonds
M3 Turkey sloppy joe
M4 Orange & cottage cheese
M5 Healthy chicken salad with hummus
M6 Strawberries

Will work out after work:Upper Body

Need to get back to work...Hope you all have a great day.
~Laura

Yesterday I wanted you all to be able to say this aloud to yourselves:

I am a person who knows where I stand. I’ve taken an honest look at myself, inside and out. I’m not in denial about how I look on the outside, nor how I feel on the inside. I’m aware of a need for improvement and have courageously accepted responsibility for my own condition.

I also have a vision – I know where I’m going. I utilize words and imagination to paint a picture of a future version of me, who is physically healthy, emotionally strong, mentally focused, and spiritually awake.

I remind myself where I started, and where I’m going, each day.


Read it again today and really feel it........embrace it!

Remider for today..........

"The mind is, of course, an incredibly powerful processor of information, but what’s often overlooked is the fact that the mind is also a powerful creator of our experience. How we work with “Mind” makes or breaks us… literally. If we get up in the morning and start looking for things that are wrong with ourselves, and others, we’ll find it. On the other hand, if we look for good things, we’ll find those too. And not only will we find the good, we’ll send out a signal with our mental energy which works like a magnet to bring us more of what we see."~Bill Phillips

Say it with me!!!!!!!

I am a person who knows where I stand. I’ve taken an honest look at myself, inside and out. I’m not in denial about how I look on the outside, nor how I feel on the inside. I’m aware of a need for improvement and have courageously accepted responsibility for my own condition.

I also have a vision – I know where I’m going. I utilize words and imagination to paint a picture of a future version of me, who is physically healthy, emotionally strong, mentally focused, and spiritually awake.

I remind myself where I started, and where I’m going, each day.



Quick stop in here...

protein oatmeal
salad with chicken...then I'm winging it for the moment.

Kind of a nutty day here with unplanned meetings!
I think I'll be utilizing cottage cheese a bunch today, with an apply once, with a baked potato once, then some eggs w.s and br. rice and probably a shake!

Hope you're all having an incredible day!

God's Coffee

http://www.rogerknapp.com/inspire/godcoffee.htm

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups... And then you began eyeing each other's cups.

Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of Life we live.

Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us." God brews the coffee, not the cups.......... Enjoy your coffee!

"The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything." Live simply. Love generously.

Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may appear.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive & everlasting.
I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.
– Author unknown

Hope everyone is having a wonderful day. It was supposed to rain all day today but we are so fortunate to have the sun peeking out right now! Mellie, thanks for the Bill Phillips quote on positive energy. I always try to teach my kids that it is way too easy to find the bad in things. A truly great person pushes those thoughts aside and only looks for the good. Maybe someday in the future, it will click with them and they will remember us talking about it.

After running around like a maniac all morning, I am finally at work. Ha, I just read that sentence and it made me laugh. I have to come to work to rest! I ususally make everyone's meals for the day (including my dinner to take to work), do some housework, do my workouts, and run any errands before 2:00pm. I used to let the workout slide, rationalizing that I would pick it up tomorrow. Now, it is my highest priority. It was intense too!!!! My eats have been pretty good this week. I'm going to crank it up a notch and see what happens! Everyone enjoy the rest of your day and hug someone who needs it!

Kelly

Jami,

I love the coffee story! It reminds me of the James Patterson story "Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas". There was a small story in that book that talked about life being like juggling a bunch of balls. There is a ball for health, one for your job, one for your family, etc.... When you are juggling and it gets too hard to juggle all those balls, you will have to drop one (and it definitely will happen). Don't drop the health, or family ball. They are made of glass and once broken, you will never get it back. The job ball is made of rubber. There are other jobs and it will bounce back to you. Anyway, that was the story in a nutshell!

Also, something I always told myself when I was successful at the losing game before was "I know what that tastes like, I've had it before and I will have it again....just not today". It's when I felt like a was depriving myself that I wanted to give in. This way, I know I'll have it again someday but today was not the day! It worked for me!!!!

Have a blessed day!

Kelly

Just droppin' off some love to all my lovelies!!!

I stumbled on this post on Cincinnati Dave's blog and wanted to share it with everyone here. As we know, reciprication is so very important and Bill share's some insight in a list he posted and Dave re-posted:

11 Keys to becoming a helpful transformation guide.
1. Always be the change; always be changing.
2. Ask more questions; give less answers.
3. Always lead heart first; avoid going in head first.
4. Always utilize the same teachings and methods for everyone.
5. Always empower; never enable.
6. Always be patient; never push.
7. Know yourself, know your story, and share it as often as possible.
8. Know the Transformation stories of others and refer people to ones which will help them see they are not alone in their situation.
9. Learn to discern context over content; know that the higher meaning is very often between the lines--beneath the surface.
10. Seek to rise above conflict, complaints and negativity; see the essence.
11. Always hold the intention of nurturing growth; never get attached to outcomes.

It's almost time for bed and I thought I'd post my planned food and actual food for today--I did goo!

M1: Protein shake w/1 slice of banana bread---actual
M2: Special K with banana and 1 hard boiled egg white--skipped but drank tons of water
M3: Italian turkey sausage w/bun; fresh raw veggies--yummy!
M4: Protein shake w/yogurt--meal replacement bar
M5: fresh fish with broccoli---fish with freshly steamed artichoke with garlic slices
M6: not sure yet! FF/SF pudding with low fat graham cracker crumbs

Gotta run---need some good zzzz's tonight because I have to sit in an all day meeting tomorrow! ARGH! Oh, I already prepared all my food tomorrow. 8-)

Later gators!
Vicki

HI everyone...I just wanted to stop by quickly and say HI!! I'm still here....things at work have been non-stop and we've had baseball games every night this week! I'm really getting pooped out, but I'm still going. I'll sign in later and sit and read some more!! Just wanted to say HI!! Hope everyone has a great evening!

Quote:

Originally Posted by sauchagirl Morning! I just finished reading Og Mandino's The Greatest Miracle in the World and wanted include a quote from that on today's thread. What is past is past. . . and now you know the fourth great law of happiness and success. . .Use wisely, your power of choice. Choose to love. . . rather than hate. Choose to laugh. . . rather than cry. Choose to create. . . rather than destroy. Choose to persevere. . . rather than quit. Choose to praise. . . rather than gossip. Choose to heal. . . rather than wound. Choose to give. . . rather than steal. Choose to act. . . rather than procrastinate. Choose to grow. . . rather than rot. Choose to pray. . . .rather than curse. Choose to live. . . rather than die. My plan today is a 50 minute training run (cardio day!) I also have to finish up yesterday's UBWO due to it getting interrupted by some kiddos needs Meals 1 3 egg whites/whole grain toast 2 protein shake 3 yogurt cc 4 protein shake 5 EFL meatloaf baby red potatoes salad 6 protein shake Hope everyone makes it a great day. I'll be checking in later to see how everyone is doing. xo Kim

Wasn't that an amazing, life changing book Kim?? I just loved it!

Quote:

Originally Posted by VickiB My responses to Mellie's ask: Acceptance: I accept that I am not perfect. I accept that my life is a result of my choices. Responsibility: I take responsibility for my happiness. I take responsibility for my successess and failures for they are a result of the effort I put in and the choices I make. I take responsibility for mistakes I've made and I take responsibility for making the changes in my life that are needed. I take responsibility to be a good person who inspires others, leads by example and who gives back to my community. Forgiveness: I forgive myself for making excuses and rationalizing an unhealthy lifestyle. I forgive myself for poor decisions that resulted in regrets; I've let go of those regrets. I forgive my mother for setting a poor example, for withholding her affection and for not supporting me. I forgive my husband for choosing to live an unhealthy lifestyle and for supporting me when it suits him. I have leg go of the past, forgiven people who have hurt me and I can only wish that one day they will find the happiness that I have found. Gratitude: I am thankful for life. I am thankinful for my health--physical and mental. I am thankful for family and friends. I am thankful for having the strength to change and for recognizing that which is not in my control to change. I am thankful to have a job to complain about. (he!he!) I am thankful to be a part of t.com and that Mellie included me in her wonderful world. I am thankful for the beautiful relationships that are blossoming and strengthening every day. I am thankful for every breath I take for when I was only 25 years old, I cam very close to losing my life. I have never taken for granted my life; but I have taken for granted the quality of it. And as of January 19, 2009--I accepted full responsibility for the quality of my life by taking the responsibility to make positive change happen. I am here. I am strong. I am healthy. LIFE IS GRAND!

Awesome Vicki!!! Great insight and honesty

Quote:

Originally Posted by txldy81 I'm going to have to push through my comfort zone and I'm going to have to get used to being uncomfortable and in some pain. I'm going to have to stick to my meal planning regardless of how emotional I feel or how bad I think I deserve or need the comfort of frenchfries. I'm going to have to give these up to get what i really want and unless I'm going to do this-

This is called focused and being dialed in! You know what you have to do girl! I do believe you ARE going to do it!!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by kelly19 Also, something I always told myself when I was successful at the losing game before was "I know what that tastes like, I've had it before and I will have it again....just not today". It's when I felt like a was depriving myself that I wanted to give in. This way, I know I'll have it again someday but today was not the day! It worked for me!!!!

Thats such a great way to look at it!! I tell myself something similar but bottom line is I KNOW I can have it again....just NOT today!

Quote:

Originally Posted by VickiB I stumbled on this post on Cincinnati Dave's blog and wanted to share it with everyone here. As we know, reciprication is so very important and Bill share's some insight in a list he posted and Dave re-posted: 11 Keys to becoming a helpful transformation guide. 1. Always be the change; always be changing. 2. Ask more questions; give less answers. 3. Always lead heart first; avoid going in head first. 4. Always utilize the same teachings and methods for everyone. 5. Always empower; never enable. 6. Always be patient; never push. 7. Know yourself, know your story, and share it as often as possible. 8. Know the Transformation stories of others and refer people to ones which will help them see they are not alone in their situation. 9. Learn to discern context over content; know that the higher meaning is very often between the lines--beneath the surface. 10. Seek to rise above conflict, complaints and negativity; see the essence. 11. Always hold the intention of nurturing growth; never get attached to outcomes.

These are powerful tools shared with us in Kona! They are not only powerful tools to becoming a masterful guide...I believe that they are powerful tools for LIFE! Thank you for sharing them here today!!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roxy HI everyone...I just wanted to stop by quickly and say HI!! I'm still here....things at work have been non-stop and we've had baseball games every night this week! I'm really getting pooped out, but I'm still going. I'll sign in later and sit and read some more!! Just wanted to say HI!! Hope everyone has a great evening!

Hey girl still waiting for that head shot with your necklace!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!