Motivational Monday

It is Shamrock Marathon {Half Marathon for me} week! Shamrock Virginia Beach is one of my favorite races. They do such a fantastic job and give out some sweet swag. How can you not love a race that's:

• Flat
• Fast
• Gives a medal for every race
• Gives a shirt for every race
• Does a challenge and gives a medal for completing it
• Gives a hat for finishing the half and full marathon
• Gives a finisher's gift for the half and full marathon
• Awesome tent party post-race on the beach
• Free beer
• Great expo

In 2012 I PRed this race and the 8k. Maybe that has something to do with why I love this race so much. LOL! I had high hopes about PRing this race in 2015. This race is practically designed for PR's because of how flat it is.

But for some reason in January I stopped training for three weeks. I ran twice in three weeks skipping my long runs. I lost focus. I lost motivation. Sure, I could blame it on the cold and snow. It would be easier than admitting I didn't do what I needed to do to meet my goals.

Sadly, I know it all comes down to me. But, I found this quote by Arthur Ashe and thought how appropriate for this week. While I can't go back and change what I didn't do, I can go forward this week and do all I can to prepare myself. I can do a last training run, I can eat lots of protein and make sure I'm hydrated, I can get in enough sleep each night.

That is where we all are. Maybe we have been great about our goals and following through on what we planned. But, I'll bet there's something you said you would do and haven't. Well, today...now is the time to get back to it. It's not too late. It may not be perfect or how we thought it would be, but if you do something today it will do better than if you hadn't.

That's where I am. I can concentrate on all the things I can control this week and hope for the best. What can you do this week?
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Motivational Monday

Good morning! Happy Monday to ya! How was your weekend? Mine was better than expected, thanks for asking. :)

Today's quote {to me} fits January perfectly. It is all about the now, something many of us totally miss in our beating ourselves up over the past and hoping for a better future.

Last year may not have gone as planned. I know mine didn't! But, it's over. The year is past and we can safely leave it there. We are no longer tied to it. I'm not writing 2014 on things anymore, so I don't have to think about what went wrong every time I see the year.

2016 is a whole year away. Sure, I'm making plans for things in 2016 - my 15th wedding anniversary is in 2016. I'm deciding now how I'm going to pay for our trip back to Jamaica to celebrate, but I'm planning what I'm going to do now for next year. Something I have to do in the here and now.

So, here's to 2015! Here's to deciding what we want, figuring out how we're going to get it, going after it, and enjoying the hell out of it once accomplished! It's a whole new year. A whole new attitude. A whole new realm of possibilities all waiting for us to find them. Let's focus on today and forget about our failures of yesterday and daydreaming about our tomorrows.

What goals are you striving for in 2015? Have you started planning them out?


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Motivational Monday

There are all sorts of quotes that say the same thing. This one struck me because when I sign a wedding card I write, "May today pale in comparison of all your tomorrows." It struck a chord with me.

It's funny. I'm always trying to find the key to losing weight, being happy, having a good job. There's gotta be something, right?

I overwhelm myself by trying to  change all sorts of things and in reality, it might just be some small thing daily or just making one better choice today than I would have made. Life is full of choices, some big some small. I'm starting to think those small daily choices have more power than we imagine.

So, here's to making better smaller choices each day that add up to all the things we want from life.

What small, smart choice will you make today?


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Motivational Monday

This is so true. There are approximately 7 billion people on planet Earth and 319+ million in the United States. What are the chances that you or I will be the best? I'm not putting me or you down, but statistically the numbers are stacked against us.

But, can we be better than we were yesterday? Last week? Last month? Last year? Hell ya! That's doable. We can learn more, give more, be healthier, run faster, lift more, be happier than ever before. Those are within our control.

So today, figure out what you did today that was better than yesterday - did you start a new book? Volunteer some time? Pay it forward in line at Starbucks? Run half a mile longer than you ever have? Picked carrots over potato chips? Made your bed before being told to? That's being a better you than yesterday and that's what makes us our best.

What can you do today to make you better tomorrow?


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Motivational Monday

For this precise moment in time, this is exactly where I am. I am not happy where I am and I do not want to stay here.

I have decided that the whole eat crap/don't workout/gain weight/wear clothes I'm not happy with-don't fit right is not where I want to be anymore. I will say, it never was where I wanted to be, but...

So, I am deciding to move on. Get back to doing my workouts, changing my meals for the healthy, lose weight, and start fitting back into the clothes I look good in. It won't be easy, but not everything worth doing is.

What are you going?


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Motivational Monday

This past weekend, hubby and I went to Philly to see the Philadelphia Phillies play the last two games of their season. I have all sorts of Phillies gear to chose from to wear. I tried on multiple items and was upset when nothing looked good because I have gained too much weight.

I decided then and there that this would be the last time this would happen. I'm tired of doing this...finding a way to make clothes look ok on me. I need to change. I need to make myself a priority. I need to say what I've been doing hasn't worked. I need to make changes if I want to be happy with myself...which I am not currently.

Oh sure, I'm happy with the way I've gotten back to my workouts - due in no small part to the running coach I hired. But, while I thought my eating habits would fall into line because I was working out, they haven't. So, I am making a concentrated effort to focus on my food intake and what it should be rather than what it is.

This is my Motivational Monday. I felt so bad about how I looked over the weekend that it has motivated me to get my shit together. I have done it before, so I know it's possible.

What are you needing to focus on? Is it time to start making and implementing plans to make changes in your life?


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How to stay motivated

I'm always struggling with this. Thought it might help you too.

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Motivational Monday

It's amazing how many things we dream of doing, want to do, imagine doing but somehow never do. If you're like me, it's because you don't think you can. You lack the faith in your abilities to accomplish the things you want. Why? I don't know. I'm sure a psychologist could answer that question better than I.

But, I decided in August that I have goals and things I want to accomplish with my running. I'm no Usain Bolt or Meb, but I know I can be better than I am. So, I made some decisions:

1. I investigated a running coach and on Tuesday, September 2, 2014 I signed up with one. I started my training with my new coach yesterday.

2. I'm going back to personal training at the Y.M.C.A. I had fantastic results {hello 5k, 8k, and half marathon PRs}.

3. I am going to do boot camp once a week.

4. According to my running coach I will be back at TRX. I am actually happy about this because I've wanted to do it, but I always found an excuse. Since I have to report on my workouts, I need to get my butt there!

5. Since I'm working hard on my training, I'm thinking this will lead me to eat healthier. I was told earlier in the year that when you concentrate on your training, your eating habits will start to shape up so you don't lose the effects of your training.

So, I am trying. My goals right now are simple...I've been trying to reach these goals for a couple of years now.

Sub-35 minute 5k

Sub-60 minute 8k/5 mile

Sub-2:50:00 Half Marathon

My coach believes it's doable. I believe it's doable. I just need the accountability and the support to reach these goals. 

What goals do you have? What are you doing to reach them?

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Motivational Monday

How simple is this? One thing that makes you happy. That's all. Not a whole day. Not a whole week. Not a whole month. One thing a day. That's doable, right?

Things I commit to doing this week that make me happy:

1. Read
2. Run
3. Take pictures
4. Plan race training
5. Make protein pancakes
6. Go to the gym
7. Enjoy a fun weekend away with hubby

What one thing will you commit to this week that makes you happy? 


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Motivational Monday

Have I used this before? Maybe. But, it's true. I am thinking more and more that I need to focus on things that make me happy and less on what I think I should be doing.

Case in point - I love riding my bike. Two years ago hubby and I would ride almost every Sunday afternoon for miles. We had a blast, saw some pretty sites, participated in some trail rides with the city, and burned lots of calories. Then winter came and it was too cold. No biggie.

The following year I bought a new hybrid bike. It's pretty spiffy and I was excited to ride it since my other bike was 20+ years old and heavy. Then...we didn't ride. The bike sat in the basement all summer. I wanted to ride it, but we never did.

This year we got the bikes out and have started riding again. We had a fantastic ride yesterday going south on the local Rail Trail to areas we'd never been before. They were gorgeous areas with streams and flowers.

Riding this path is so peaceful.

Why did I not ride my bike at all last summer? I love it. I think it's fun. It makes me happy. Sadly, I didn't get the bike out once. This summer the bikes have been out twice and I'm happier. I'm looking forward to my next ride. I want to find ways to sneak in bike rides in between the weekend ones we plan.

I need to take this one example of happiness and bike riding and write it large. I need to continue doing the things that make me happy, not just what I think I need to do. I need to change my mindset that doing the things that make me happy is permissible and desirable. It's not just something you get to do because you earned it, but you get to do because you are you.

Losing weight makes me happy. Which means I need to eat better and workout.

Learning makes me happy. Which means I need to dedicate time to research.

Writing makes me happy. Which means I need to spend time writing and finding an outlet for it.

Photographing makes me happy. Which means I need to take photos, share them, engage others in them, print them.

Traveling makes me happy. Which means we need to go out into the world, even if it's just day trips exploring the areas around us.

Supporting local businesses makes make happy. Which means I need to buy local more and concentrate on local restaurants and stores.

These are just some things that make me happy and are easy to do. They are not things that I need special skills or lots of money to do. I can do these things everyday or at least every week. They make me happy and that is the goal - to find what makes me happy and concentrate on that. 

What do you do that makes you happy? How often do you do it? Are you actively trying to find ways to incorporate into your life?

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Motivational Monday

This is so me. I have such a hard time with food. It is my Achilles heel. Sure, I go through issues with working out, but I always go back to it. The issue I have is food. I have the worst time staying with healthy eating. I enjoy it. I like fruit. I like veggies. I'm eh on meats, but I eat the ones I like.

I have a hard time picking healthy over unhealthy - fruit over dessert, vegetables over chips, salad over burgers. I like all the healthy stuff, but I just can't seem to pass on the unhealthy stuff. It's like I don't want to miss out on yummy...even though healthy stuff is yummy too.

I don't want to be fast, cheap, easy, or fake. I know I am not fast {in more meanings than one}, I can be cheap {it doesn't take much to make me happy usually}, easy {right up there with fast}, or fake {I pride myself on never being fake}. The issue is I am this way in the way I eat. I'm not consistent in eating the way I should.

So today, let's focus on our food. Let's focus on not allowing what we put in our mouths to be fast, cheap, easy, or fake. Let it be healthy. Let it be yummy. Let it nourish not only our bodies, but our souls.




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Motivational Monday

I picked today's image and quote for one reason - because it has a camera and taking photographs makes me happy. I have had a camera for as long as I can remember. I have photographs I've taken from when I was a child. When I went to England I took 8 rolls of film {because it was all I could afford!} so I could get photos of England and my cousin's wedding.

Since the digital age, I have had multiple cameras and currently am working with a Canon 7d {which I am in love with!}. It is an amazing camera. I love the images it takes and all the possibilities contained within it. I have drooled over this camera for years {since it came out!}, but with a price tag of $1,799 it was well out of reach. In order to afford it, I took a chance on a used one through Amazon. By doing that, I acquired my camera for half price and so far so good!

Why am I talking about this on Motivational Monday? Because two weeks ago I photographed my friend's wedding reception and this past week we went to San Antonio for a college friend's wedding and at both I took my Canon 7d. It makes me happy taking photos and sharing them with others. I've already edited the wedding photos for my friend's reception and she loved them. This makes me happy. I was able to make her happy with the images I took. {Full disclosure, she paid me to take her photographs that day.} I have also edited the images I took at the San Antonio wedding and just need to do some more from the other adventures we had for our college friend.

I need to remember to do the things that make me happy more. It doesn't take much to go out and take photographs. To learn how to use the camera better or how to use my editing software. These things all make me a happy person. I absolutely enjoy these things and if I want to be happy, I should start focusing my time on things that make me that way.

What do you do that makes you happy? Working out? Reading? Bird watching? Sitting on the beach? Go do it! It will increase your happiness 100 fold and will carry on even after you stop.
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Motivational Monday (a day late)

Sorry this is a day late...I was doing something that makes me happy within the confines of the legal system. This past Saturday my lovely friend Stephanie invited friends and family to her wedding reception. She had already eloped back in March and now was ready to celebrate with everyone at her parent's house.

I was lucky enough to be chosen to be her photographer that day and I had a fantastic time! We started out with family portraits and couples portraits. Then it was party time. I was busy the whole time trying to get photos of everything. I looked at it as "if this were my wedding reception, what would I want a photo of?" Needless to say, I took tons of images!

Starting Sunday night, I began editing the images. And I have been going non-stop since! I went through and have 453 images so far. I will go back and grab a few more scene shots that I may have skipped over in my haste to edit family and friends images. I want to make sure she has a good selection of images for her album.

Here is probably my absolute favorite image from the night. I'll be honest, I haven't done a single thing to edit it. It is straight out of the camera. I am extremely proud of it.

What did you do to make yourself happy lately within the confines of the legal system?



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Motivational Monday

This happened to me this weekend. A friend who convinced me to run a race I didn't want to, so we could run a race together, bailed on me. I saw him a few weeks ago and he was all excited we would be running this race together. I got a text yesterday asking if I was excited about running this race. I answered and asked if he was, then nothing. I never heard from him again.

So, I ran the race alone. Hurt, confused, and sad that someone I trusted to follow through on his promise didn't. When I was visiting in May, he kept saying how I was so important to him as a friend.

What does this mean? It means after today, I think no more about it. I make no more effort to put myself out there for this person. I do not do things I don't want to do just because someone else wants it. I know that sounds awful, but this isn't the first time I've gone out of my way to do something I didn't want to do, then got stood up. It's time for me to stand up for what I want and who I am.

If I want to be happy, I have to be true to myself.

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Motivational Monday

When I read this it really resonated with me. I'll be honest, I pretty much have been eating fast, cheap, easy and fake for months now. It's not that I am happy about eating this way,  but I know it's an emotional response to a few things in my life not going the way I had hoped.

This weekend I said enough. I am not that person - both personality wise and I don't want to be that way diet wise. Why should I be that way in my diet when I am so far from that in my personality? I want to be the same person all the way around and proud of me. And right now, I'm not.

So, here's to making all aspects of our lives equal to each other. Maybe in the end, it will make us happier with ourselves.
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Motivational Monday

I so hope this is true! Doesn't it sounds wonderful that while we may (or may not) be seeking happiness, it is out there just waiting for us to find it? Or better yet, it working it's way to us? LOVE this idea!

So today, let's find ways to bring us closer to our happy whatever that may be. For me, I'm going to get my butt back to writing. I have been slack on doing my research and it's kinda hard to write a book on an historical event without research!

What are you going to do to bring you closer to your happy?
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Motivational Monday

You know, this is so true. Unhappiness sucks. But, so much of it comes down to how we see a situation rather than the situation itself. How many times have we been sad about something, told a friend, and they didn't understand the problem? To us, it seems awful and cause for much teeth gnashing, but to others it's nothing.

We are all different - what I would be upset over might not upset you and vice versa. Of course there are those things that make us sad that we universally acknowledge as such and we (and others) allow for sadness and give sympathy. But, how many times does something make us sad that in reality, it's how we process it that is causing our feelings?

This week let's resolve to acknowledge our feelings about our situation, but determine if it truly warrants our sadness. Is it as bad as we think or will it be something that a week, a month, a year from now will not even be part of our memory? If we can recognize it's something that's fleeting, then maybe, just maybe, we can let it go without it ruining our today.

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Motivational Monday

Does anyone else do this? I know I do. I constantly look at the things that didn't work out, the things that I failed at and focus on those to the exclusion of other things...things that a normal person would think overshadows the disappointments.

But, I know I have been blessed with abundance. I have a good family, good friends, a roof over my head, food in my kitchen, a job that pays my bills, intelligence to make good decisions, a body that overall is healthy, and opportunities I don't even know about yet. These are the things I need to focus on rather than those things that didn't happen the way I wanted.

So today, let us start counting our blessings. Not cheesy like the song (though I do like White Christmas), but honest to goodness looking at what is good in our lives. Focus on what we are fortunate to have and let that overshadow the things that didn't work out the way we hoped. Here are just a few things I am blessed to have:

A fabulous husband

A loving family

Fantastic friends

Adorable kitties

An inquisitive mind

A warm home

Abundant food

A working car

A paying job

A healthy body

What blessings do you have in your life?

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Motivational Monday

LOL! How can Cookie Monster not make you smile? I read this and it just made me laugh and with that, it got saved because that's what this is all about. What makes me laugh? What makes me smile? What makes me happy? Sure, Cookie Monster is a Sesame Street character, but I can't help but smile when I see those furry creatures.

With today's motivational quote, I'm not advocating eating as a way of dealing with unpleasant situations/people/things, but I am advocating letting them go. This is something I need to work on for sure, but I think Cookie Monster is on the right track here. Live in the moment, enjoy what life is offering us, but when things aren't going well, when we are unhappy with how life is going we need to step back, look at it for what it truly is and make changes. Life does not get better if we keep going in the same direction that makes us unhappy. We need to determine what is making us unhappy, determine what we need to do to make us happy with the situation, then take action - whether that's changing jobs, changing friends, changing habits - but do what will in turn make us happy.

So what is unpleasant in your life? What are some steps you can take right now, today that will make it better? They don't have to be huge steps. They can be cookie size steps, but make one today! Let's take a step towards happiness!


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Motivational Monday

Oh so true. It's hard to be happy when you don't feel good about yourself. I'm starting to see that believing in myself is one of the most important aspects of being happy.

I can pinpoint a time in my life that I was completely happy with where I was - spring/summer of 2012. I was on a streak of racing personal bests, I had been hired part-time permanent at my job (which I believed put me on the fast track to being able to move up), my weight was at the lowest it had been in my adult life, hubby and I had all sorts of fun plans for the summer, and we went to Las Vegas with friends that summer.

I've thought about that summer and why I was happy. It seemed as if everything was going my way and yes, in a way it was, but it was because I believed I could do anything. Race PR after race PR made me think I would PR on my next race. Going from volunteer to full-time contract, to part-time permanent in a job that I was excited about made me believe that my career was on the right track. I was completely on track with my eating and working out and was 12 pounds from my goal weight. My summer was chock full of fun stuff and we went on a great vacation with friends!

Then it slipped away. I don't know why. I came back from vacation and couldn't get out of my "I'm on vacation and can eat anything I want" mode. I got injured in September (shin splints) and had a bad training for the Atlantic City Half Marathon in October. As I worked in my position it was becoming clear that what I thought was the perfect move in terms of job might not have been (and it is now been confirmed).

Now? I don't have that same confidence in myself. I've gained 35 pounds since then. My races have been awful honestly. I'm unhappy with my job (though I still really like my co-workers! They are the reason I'm not worse off in my work thoughts.).

We've gotta work on what we believe about ourselves if we are going to be happy. We have to know we deserve being happy and worth doing the things that make us happy. It's not an easy thing to wrap the brain around or allow ourselves to do. We are taught to think of others first and their needs (at least women are). It's not wrong to think of yourself. In order to be true to others, you have to be true to yourself - meaning believe you are worth the effort to be happy.

This week I am going to work on defining all the things that make me happy and find a way to incorporate them into my life more often. When you believe you are worth the the investment, then happiness will follow.

What do you believe you are worth? Do you believe you are worth the investment? Do you believe you deserve to be happy?

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