Life Motivation

Re-calibration Needed?

Priorities. Have you set them, or are you coasting? Coasting is kind of dangerous. As you read this, know that at any point in our lives, we can tap the brake and take control. The choice is ours.
 
Think about coasting. Cruise control. While coasting, our foot is off the pedals, maybe our shoe is off too (who else does this?), just watching the scenery go by, fingers tapping a tune on the steering wheel, mind wandering…
 
Boom! Obstacle on the road. We swerve, gripping the wheel. The car beside us honks and swerves with us. Obstacle hits the back wheel because we couldn’t swerve any further into the other lane. Where’s my shoe?!
 
Whew. Heart is pounding in our ears. Both hands back on the wheel now at 10:00 and 2:00. Music turned down a bit. Foot back on the pedal (I’ll get my shoe later) and eyes straight ahead. Taillights of the other guy fading into the horizon.
 
Dang it. That was your exit! Missed it while trying to regain control. A few miles down the road there’s a turn around. Back track. Regretting the time lost. Could have been there already…
 
The analogy falls short in a few places, but the end is the same. If we don’t have a goal, we’ll just coast through life, at the mercy of whatever comes our way. If we have goals but no real focus or priorities, we may get to our destination eventually, perhaps one shoe missing!
And, so much will have been wasted, or sadly we may continue to coast on the road of complacency, afraid or too tired to push the pedal ourselves… and miss the exits of growth and opportunity while the taillights of others keep disappearing in the haze.
 
Sometimes we just have to re-calibrate. Readjust where our hands are on the wheel of life, check the rear-view mirror, and leave the last part of the journey behind, determined to make that next exit.
 
Tap on the break this week.
What area in your life right now needs re-calibrating? Have you missed a couple of exits (opportunities)?
No condemnation. Find the next turn-around or maybe let it go and find a new exit.

Don’t Squat in the Rise!

We watched as the mountain of chocolate slowly began to rise. This was going to be the Best. Cake. Ever! Then what to our wondering eyes did happen? Our cake started sinking and was suddenly mishapen!

There are several reasons why cakes squat in the rise. But, why, here on the pages of this health & fitness, overcoming in life blog are we talking about cake?!

Because, I have discovered, there’s an interesting analogy between life and cake. They both are made up of many ingredients and can be quite sweet, but they can also fall flat and be a quite a disappointment.

A quick Google search provides 7 reasons why cakes squat in the rise:

  1. Baking too slowly
  2. Over-mixing or under-mixing the batter
  3. Under-baking
  4. Batter is too moist or too dry
  5. Cake is moved during the baking process
  6. The oven door is opened during the baking process
  7. Too much baking powder or baking soda

We’ll start our analogy with the baking too slowly  proposition.  According to the website Cilantro: The Cook’s Shop if the oven temperature is too low or there has not been the proper pre-heating time, a cake will fall.

Likewise, in life, if we jump into everything that is going without any forethought (pre-heating), our life will begin to fall apart. God never intended for us to try and run in 50 directions at a time.

We stick that thing in the oven and take off! Someone gets something new; we want one too. Someone starts a new diet; we’ll try that one too! (never mind that we didn’t finish the first program we started). Their kid just got a new….; gotta get mine one too!  SQUIRREL!!!

There’s no preheating, thus our life does not cook evenly; it’ll be hard around the edges, sunken in the middle, and full of cracks. When the oven is not pre-heated correctly, the process starts at the wrong temperature and things don’t gel as they should. Our decisions need a pre-heating time, or in the words of the scriptures, we should consider the cost; think about it.

Before you buy that new thing, start that new fad diet, or join this or that, W.A.I.T.  Here’s three helpful things to do to pre-heat your next great idea:

  1. Sleep on it! If it’s a purchase, leave the store or change the channel. Seriously tell yourself that, tomorrow, if the need/desire is still there as strongly as it was, then you’ll reconsider. Most likely, it won’t be.
  2. Ask questions.  If it’s a new “diet” ask yourself some real questions. Why have the other diets failed? More than likely it’s because they are not realistic or sustainable, or worse, totally not good for you. Ask yourself: Is this something I can do forever? A real lifestyle change?  If not, it’s a fad. If, however, it is healthy, not unrealistically restrictive, promise drastic results in a few days, you see others maintaining long term, and you’re ready to commit, go for it.
  3. Talk it through with a trusted friend.  Have them go with you to the store; tell them about your idea. Proverbs 15:22 says plans fail for lack of counsel. If they are for you, they’ll tell you the truth. Naturally, weigh their opinion with prayer.

Ordinarily Speaking…

“When’s it going to happen for me?!”

It’s easy to get discouraged when things don’t happen the way we wanted them to or as fast as we wanted. Social media shows us everyone’s success, their vacations, their friendships, the new…whatever, and often it seems that our ordinary, little life just doesn’t stack up.

I posit that, if you are doing what you do, no matter how ordinary it seemingly is or unnoticed though it may be, if you are doing it with your whole heart as unto the Lord and not unto man, being faithful in the small things, then it IS “happening for you.” See Matthew 25

Check this out from a devotional on YouVersion:  “God isn’t asking you to be famous; God’s asking you to be faithful…BEFORE any great acts, AFTER any great acts, or WITHOUT any great acts… Faithfulness is a marathon not a sprint” (The Blessing of the Ordinary Devotional).

What may seem ordinary to us can become extra-ordinary when we recognize Who it is we are “working” for.  There’s a destination better than Cabo San Lucas, better than Puerto Vallarta, better than _____ fill in the blank.  Be faithful in the little (ordinary) things, and you WILL be ruler over much.

How can you be more faithful today, right where you are in that thing you do called life?

Feel free to comment. Sometimes just putting it out there helps. I will respond.

Living Life to the Fullest: Part Three

Review: A full life is a grateful life. Start each day by being grateful on purpose, and also make sure you take care of you. If we go full steam without refueling, we will fizzle out, and we won’t be able to do the next step…

Step 3: Do something for someone else

(Your Kingdom come; your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven)

Again, you may wonder where that is in the Lord’s Prayer. After I pray God’s will to be done in my life, I then begin praying for his will to be done in others’ lives – for him to fix my people, help with needs, turn things around for them. This is the place where I pray for everyone in my life; I pray for the country and leaders etc…

Hence, the step – doing something for others.

  • People often think it’s “how can I make my life better.” While we do, indeed, strive to better ourselves, one of the greatest ways to live life to the fullest is to give of yourself to others. People need to know they are appreciated, that they matter, and you can be the one that does that for someone. By doing this, you also begin to feel better. It can be as simple as calling someone that you haven’t talked to in a while. People do still call, I believe, right? If they have a smart phone, text or video message them. Don’t forget, our elderly friends and family may still need a phone call. Simply ask how they are doing, then let them talk, and truly listen.

 

  • Stop and help a person get their stuff into their trunk at the grocery if they are struggling. Smile and look the person in the eye that you meet in the aisle or on the sidewalk. It amazes me how people can walk, looking straight ahead as you pass right by them. I always try to catch the eye of the person I’m passing and simply, smile. If you look for something to give or do for another, opportunity will avail itself; you’ll bless someone, and you will feel fuller, yet lighter.

ACTION:  Look around you right now. What do you see that you can do for someone in your immediate family?  Take a moment and think about the people in your circle; who has been having a hard time financially, physically, mentally? Write down at least 3 people that you know you could brighten their day or lighten their load, and write down what you will do.

Person I can do something for.                                  What I will do.

 

Living Life to the Fullest: Step Two

Step Two: Take Care of You

(Your Kingdom come; Your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven)

Where is “taking care of you” in the Lord’s Prayer, you may ask. When praying for God’s will to be done – the next part of the prayer – we should first pray for his will to be done in our own lives. Isn’t that kind of selfish, you may ask again?

Consider this: if our own lives are out of whack, how then can we help others?  For 30 years I have followed the Lord’s Prayer in my prayer time, first taking time to thank him and recognize his goodness in my life. Then, I pray for his will to be done in my life – to fix me – to forgive me – because, if I have something wrong in my life, whether it be with another person or between me and God, we are directed in scripture to first make that right, then He will hear us and we can proceed with confidence.

Therefore, give yourself permission to take care of you daily on your journey to living life to the fullest. For instance, every day take time for you in two areas in particular: your mind/spirit and body.

  • Every day we need to be doing some sort of personal development: reading books (or listening to them) on a topic in which you need improvement. Start with Darren Hardy’s Compound Effect. Don’t be thrown by the title; it’s not a financial book. It examines the compound effect of the little things we do in life daily and their “compound effect” over time. This is my all-time favorite. My next favorite is Punch Fear in the Face by Jon Acuff. If these books don’t stir you, you spoon has fallen out of your bowl.
  • Every day do something for your physical body. Stretch, walk, swim, workout. A friend of mine was battling an arthritis flare that lasted 3 months and she could barely walk. She joined one of my online challenge groups in which I sent one exercise per day via our Facebook private group. She could not get out of bed or off the couch at times, but she moved her arms in the manner of the video, or she would move her legs in repetition, and she would bend forward at her waist. When I lived in Texas, it would be so hot there was no way I was going to go run outside. Instead, I set the timer for 10 minutes and trotted all around my house doing a figure 8 as I jogged to the front of the house, into the office, back out and around the bar in the kitchen. Sometimes I’d jog up the stairs and in and out of the rooms! (this was before I discovered 10 Minute Trainer) Do what you can, where you are, but do something for your body. My mentor, Darren Hardy says:
  • Your body is a business. Take care of it or it will go out of business.
  • Today, remove one unhealthy thing from your kitchen. Throw it away and decide what one healthy thing you can replace it with. For instance, Oreo cookies. Yes, give yourself permission to toss them! It’s the best 3 bucks you have ever wasted, and don’t give them to the grandkids; remember, you’re taking care of you so you can take care of others – set the example. Replace them with a bag of dark chocolate morsels, and when the urge for chocolate occurs, grab a few of these instead. Do this once a week for a month, tossing a different unhealthy thing each week. For more healthy alternatives, go to my website: vickielperez.com and click on Fitness Coach.

ACTION:  1. Decide on a personal development book you will start today. Google it or browse on your favorite E-reader to find one. Start with the ones listed above if you are unsure. Write the title here (if you are already reading one, list it here as well) ____________________________________________________  (Comment to me what it is!)

  1. Decide right now what you will do for your body. Will you “trot around your house?” Will you sit on your couch and move your arms and legs if that is all you are able to do? Will you start a workout program? Write what you will do here:

___________________________________________________________________ (Need help deciding what to do? Let me know!)

  1. Get up, yes now, and go look in your cabinet and find one thing that is bad for you and toss it! Write what you tossed here ______________________________________ and what you will replace it with here ________________________________.

Living Life to the Fullest: Step One

You only go around once! Right?

Well, sort of: once on planet Earth, but…(that’s a different discussion).  Let’s focus on this go-around. This life. Your allotted 120-something years plus or minus ever how many.  I found the key to truly living life to the fullest in the Lord’s Prayer example.  Here is the first of seven steps that – I hesitate to say…use – live is a better word. If you’d ike the whole EBook, use the form on this page and I’ll email it to you for free.

Step One: Be Grateful

(Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be your name)

First, we need to be stop and take a moment to be thankful. From this day forward, start each day this way, before your feet hit the ground (or as soon thereafter as possible). “But, Vickie, there’s not a lot to be thankful for at the moment; I’m broke, I’m sick, and life really sucks at the moment.” I know it can get pretty rough at times, but here are a few things we can always pause and give thanks for:

  • We live in the United States of America. While it seems like the country may be coming apart at the seams, it hasn’t. This is still the land of opportunity, and as long as you are here, you can find and make a way out of the worst of situations. Be thankful that you live in America.
  • You have access to clean air and water, and there is someone or some agency who will help you with food. These same places will also provide temporary shelter. Be thankful that you have water, and it’s probably in a really cool Yeti or Rtic container that you are proud to carry around!
  • You have your mind (I can’t help myself here), and it is a terrible thing to waste! It may be cliché, but it is, perhaps, your greatest asset. If you can imagine it, you can achieve it. It is a muscle you can build into whatever you can imagine. Be thankful for your ability to think and choose. Choose to be thankful!

I didn’t mean to go down the road of worst case scenarios of being left with nothing but air and water of which to be thankful, but it proves the point. I mean to help us realize, there is always something we can find to be thankful for. There is something about pushing aside the negatives, the not-so-goods, the hurts from a friend or a loved one, the physical pain – and simply pausing and being thankful for what we do have, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant. It gives your mind and your spirit a place to go that is good.

ACTION: Stop right now and list at least 5 things you can be thankful for, and smile as you think of them. You may find that way more than 5 come to mind.

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Faith Friday

A paraphrased quote from Darrin Hardy, motivational mentor and speaker, relates the idea that simply consuming more content is not the goal; instead, growth is the goal.

For instance, do you really need to read another fitness article? Another clean eating article? How many healthy eating ideas and exercise clips can you share or repost on Facebook?  Yes, reading all these things is good, but if “growth is the goal” then there comes a time to stop “consuming more content” and get to work. Right?

It’s the same with faith. Yes, reading and hearing the Word is how faith is “consumed,” but the spiritual growth is in the doing. James 2:17 says, “So too, faith by itself, if it is not complemented by action, is dead.” Yes, reading the Bible is good, nay, absolutely necessary! But, if we are hearers only and not doers of the word, then according to James 1:22, we are deceiving ourselves. Our religion is dead.

Question:

What will you do? Continue reading and reposting, or will you rise up and grow?

Action:

Right now, do something with eternal rewards: feed the hungry, clothe the naked, help the orphans.

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Is it God or Indigestion…

When making big decisions (or even little ones), I want to be sure I’m on the right track….I believe there are a few things that any of us can use to “know” that our goals are truly God’s goals (his will) for our lives…

Is it God talking to me, or is it indigestion?  We really need to know the difference. Some would say that God doesn’t talk to people, or that we cannot know what God’s will is. To that I say, then why bother with God at all if we can’t know him and what he wants? I can already stumble and guess my way through things. So….

However, I’m not into living on the fly, so to speak. When making big decisions (or even little ones), I want to be sure I’m on the right track. While my life has not been perfect, and surely it was indigestion I was feeling a few times during my planning, I believe that God does help me. I believe there are a few things that any of us can use to “know” that our goals are truly God’s goals (his will) for our lives.

  • It simply won’t leave you alone. By this I mean, when something stays on my mind and won’t go away, I know something’s up. Little things (and sometime big things) keep appearing/happening that lead back to it – my mind won’t let go of it. Like with Samuel (the prophet, not Perez) when he kept feeling like someone was calling his name while he was trying to sleep. Up and down. Up and down, trying to figure out what that voice was. Finally, Eli the priest said, and I paraphrase “this time simply say, ‘what is it, Lord. I’m listening.'” When we get that “something” that just won’t let go in our minds, we need to recognize that God may, indeed, be trying to get our attention.

 

  • Crazy things fall into place. This ‘thing’ that keeps staying on your mind may seem crazy or impossible, exciting or maybe scary, then something happens that opens a door of possibility. For instance, I’m about to leave Texas and move back to my hometown of Kentucky to be close to my parents in their Golden Years.(I know!) It’s been on my mind for over a year. It seemed impossible. Crazy. No way. Then my husband’s work said, “Sure. You can work remotely from there!” Hmm. A couple of months later, my boss said, “You’ll teach remotely, one day a week!”  Whaaaaa! Then, my realtor says, we have about 3 buyers interested in your house THAT’S NOT EVEN ON THE MARKET YET!  So, yeah. You know, the animals start walking up to you 2 by 2.

 

  • There’s peace that’s unexplainable. One thing I’ve learned is that, if there is confusion, strife, wringing of the hands, then something is off. But, when there is peace, then something is right. Seeing that God’s word says, “…they will go out with joy and be lead forth by peace…” Well, that’s always been a deal maker for me.

 

  • It lines up with scripture. Finally, (and of course, if you do not believe the Bible, then this will not apply). There is no scripture that says, “thou shalt move to this state” or “thou shalt not buy that purse,” but there are many scriptures that deal with family and many that deal with finance, so I have something to gauge my plans on. We have to train our minds – fill them with the knowledge of God, THEN we will be able to…”prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2.

Our finite minds can, by no means, know everything there is to know about a situation, but when these 4 things are at work in a process, I have found it to be a good indicator that I’m on the right track. Have I been wrong before? Yep. Remember the indigestion possibility?  Still, I know I have a partner in planning whose mind is infinite – who knows the end from the beginning – who has numbered the hairs on my head; therefore, I keep moving forward.

Take a moment and be still. Is there something that keeps coming back to your thoughts? Something that you think about, especially when you have time to ponder? You should consider saying, “What is it, Lord? I’m listening.”

Have you ever had experiences like this? I’d love to hear about it in the comments belowconfused

Like a Rock

When we try to do things for approval…aka…acceptance, praise, ‘likes’… the realness factor is simply not there because our passion or motive is in the wrong place, and instead of drawing people, what we seek is “taken away” or lost. We need to do what we do because it is who we are, not what others want us to be, or even what we want others to believe we are.
Matthew 21:42-43 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit…
 
“If you desire the approval of men, God’s anointing cannot fall upon you.” ~John Bevere20160601_143412
 
This is more than just for preachers, teachers, or evangelists. This is a truth for everyone in every area of life. When we try to do things for approval…aka…acceptance, praise, ‘likes’… the realness factor is simply not there because our passion or motive is in the wrong place, and instead of drawing people, what we seek is “taken away” or lost. We need to do what we do because it is who we are, not what others want us to be, or even what we want others to believe we are.
 
The ‘anointing’ will be there when what we do comes from our heart, like a fire that burns within in us that we simply can’t put out. Or, in the words of Jeremiah who said, “But if I say, “I will not remember Him Or speak anymore in His name, Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire shut up in my bones; And I am weary of holding it in, and I cannot endure it.””
 
Absolutely, we should feel this way about God, but inside each of us this same God has a purpose for us… “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.” (Ephesians 2:10). In doing “our way of life” which means being truly “you”…that’s when folks will say “…this is marvelous in our eyes” or in today’s lingo, “that’s so awesome!” They may not realize that it is “from the Lord” but they will notice the difference, and the ‘anointing’ of truth will make the difference.
 
Question. What is it that you love to do more than anything? What thing do you always come back to? Though you give this a try, or that a try, this is what you end up doing, talking about, reading about…thinking about? It’s probably the very thing that God “prepared in advance” (since the foundation of the world even) to be your “way of life.”
 
Share in one word what it is excites you, that gets you going, that you could do or talk about for hours. One word.

Dang It, Darren Hardy

Dang it, Darren Hardy. Yes. I meant that. Every day (or most days) I listen to DarrenDaily, a daily motivational clip by Darren himself. It gets me motivated and sets a positive tone – and often lights a fire under my b###.

Yet, sometimes I find myself still missing the mark in my fitness business, in my missions work – shucks let’s be honest – sometimes in simple walking-around-day-to-day things. You know, it’s so cold; who can do anything in this weather (we just had a week of frigid temps)…or my house is a mess; I can’t do anything until I get it cleaned…or fill in the blank with your favorite excuse…

Guess what? Today, my friend and mentor (I’ve never met him, but I feel like I know him), Mr. Darren Hardy asked, “Why aren’t you better? Why aren’t you living your dream…hitting your goals. What keeps getting in the way?”

I sat eagerly waiting for his wisdom. Then he said, “You!” “You are the only one who can take 100% accountability for your life.” Then he said, “You’ve failed.”

What! How dare he!

Dang it. I kept listening. He said, “We’d like to blame some outside source for our failure, but cut the bull.”

Yes, he said it like that! I kept listening. “All you have in life is created by 1) what you should have done, 2) what you could have done but chose not to.” Then he said, in answer to the question, “But what if you’re hit by a bus, or there is a tsunami? Are you responsible for that?”

Uh huh. I waited with bated breath on this one. I mean, really. Tsunami. That’s a biggie. Then he said, “Of course not.”

Ah ha!

“But, you are responsible for how you react or respond to what happens to you.”

Dang it.

He said, “Take back your power. Take 100% responsibility for every condition in your life.”

This, he says, will separate us from everyone else. We will be the one who transforms problems into opportunities. No excuses. We can be free from self-imposed shackles of excuses that is keeping us from being all we were meant to be.

Challenge: Stop and take a moment and evaluate your life here in this New Year. What are the “situations” that seem to be keeping you from progressing? Determine right now what you will do about it. Remember, you (with God’s help of course) are the only one who can do you.

I’d love to here your thoughts on this. Feel free to comment here. I will respond.