Trip is booked - it's almost surgery time!

My trip home for the surgery is officially booked!  I leave Seattle on January 11th to head home for what will be the beginning of a series of life changing events!
I was speaking with my aunt last week and she recommended I call Delta and ask if they would allow me to pay a round trip price but leave my return open ended.  I was planning on booking a one way ticket home and then returning home when I felt up to it.  However, since the surgery is in January, the ticket prices will only go up heading into February.  Plus I was a little nervous about having to pay extra fees in case the surgery is changed for any reason.  I figured, hey why not!  I'll give Delta a call and see what they say.

I explained the situation to a super nice lady and let me just tell you what proceeded to happen completely blew me away.  They were totally awesome!!  She was determined to help me.  She looked through all of her rules and regulations to figure out exactly what they could do for me.  When it was all said and done I received:  A discounted flight, I paid no booking fees, they placed a waiver on my account in case I have to change the dates and they gave me a free upgrade to economy plus on my return trip to make sure I was as comfortable as possible.
Just another amazing act of kindness and generosity I've experienced since starting this journey. Before we hung up she said to me, "I just want you to know that we think what you're doing is absolutely incredible and I know it's not much but this was the least we could do!  You are a hero!"  Again I was immediately humbled ... I'm not sure I'll ever be comfortable with that word but was completely grateful for her kind words and generosity. 

January - here we come!!!
Oh and fly Delta people :)

Free 21 day Mind ~ Body ~ Soul Course

If I were to hold a FREE 21 day Mind, body and soul course, would you be interested?

We would cover all kinds of topics such as: Creating a vision for your life, setting a plan for 2015, creating a healthy mindset, finding balance, creating good habits and behaviors, etc.
I wanted to offer this because I am a healthy lifestyle coach and what I do goes well beyond losing weight or getting tone. I aim to support my clients in living a healthy lifestyle permanently. This in...cludes finding balance in mind, body and soul! You cannot just address one area, neglect others and expect for everything to be flowing smoothly in your life.

I want to help as many people as possible get on a path to living their best life
This course is going to contain tips that I have learned along the way, which have helped me to transform my life completely! You CAN live the life you have always dreamed, it's inside every one of us! These tools will help you radiate on a level that will allow you to start attracting what you truly want!

I was thinking that I would start this group Dec. 1st and it would run through the 21st. I'm just starting to see if there is a big enough interest to put the group together first.

If you are interested please fill out this form and I will contact you with details.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1leibDwXt38RplYehcau_5IYInf4DUrDl_B-GkS6doFo/viewform

 

Making BIG decisions!

Let me ask you this .... Have you ever had to make some really big and scary decisions that were life changing?  Have you ever had to consider the worst case "what if" scenarios?  Have you ever had to determine if someone had to be your voice, who it would be?
Of course it's something we all should think about, but it's also something you often don't think about unless you are forced to. 
This was my first time filling out one of these.  Have you ever filled on out?

It's a pretty humbling time to picture yourself in trouble and determine in writing what you would want for yourself.  It's also a very odd feeling at the same time because much of my personal development has been to release control and live in the moment and this is asking me to create scenarios that may never become real.  There are actually two different roads you can take in this form.  One where YOU make all of your decisions and they must be obeyed and the other you appoint someone you trust to make the decisions if need be. 
I find it interesting to think that I could make a sound decision, before the situation even exists, but when it matters most I would be unconscious .... seems a little odd but some people want to make sure their wishes are carried out.  Shoot most people won't even donate their organs after they die! 

I find it comforting to know that I have someone I trust to listen to all of the information possible and make the best decisions based on that.  I mean that's quite a thing to have to ask someone too!  "Would you be willing to end my life if need be?"  You hope of course it never comes to that but it's still a conversation you have to have ... a very real conversation! 
When you are faced with major decisions and conversations like this, you're reminded of how fragile life is.  It's a total blessing because you are reminded to make everyday special and leave your mark in some way.  Don't let one day go by without doing something special! 

Whatever you do ... just never give up!

If you've ever had to struggle to get somewhere, you will relate to this post!  Especially those of you who have ever started your own business.  It's HARD work!!  You have to stay very closely connected to your why because if you don't you'll be chewed up and spit back out.  My why is to live a life of complete freedom.  To come and go as I please, live in a peaceful place, getting to go on adventures and travel the world and to be living a life of complete gratitude.  It's also to continue to expand my growth mind, body and spirit.
You have to be willing to give up everything, invest your heart and soul, take lots of criticism, fail multiple times and keep moving forward.  There are so many days you question your decision, wonder if you're doing the right thing or on the right path.  I find that if you are on the right path, it's at just those moments when something will happen to renew your faith. 
I will be going on year three of my business and I've been having some tough months lately that have left me asking myself many of these same questions (that I have asked many times before).
Can I do this?  Am I going to make it?  When will I reach my goals?  When is it going to get easier?

Then I logged onto my email and I had received my email from Team Beachbody that tells me my stats in the company.  Out of around 225,000 coaches I am ranked 1,299.  Now there are two ways to look at this.  I could look at the small picture and say, "Man I've been working this hard and I'm still only 1,299!!??"  Wouldn't that just be a glass is half empty thing to say!  Or instead I could look at the big picture say, "Wow!  Out off all of those people I'm 1,299.  I'm in the top 1% of the company and I'm pretty awesome!"  I choose the latter :)

Because you know what, YOU have to lift yourself up!!  YOU have to stop and congratulate yourself and be proud of yourself.  YOU have to slow down and recognize the signs around you, both good and bad.  This is how you know if you are on the right path.  Make the choice to live a conscious life and so many amazing things will unfold for you.
I was asking questions about my business and asking for a sign ... I received it.  I'll use this to fuel me forward and keep me motivated to build my business with love and passion. 
There are SO many people who can use my help!

Day 305 of expressing gratitude daily :)

At the beginning of this year, I decided to embark on a journey of expressing gratitude daily for the entire year.  When I first started, I had to work to make it a habit.  There were days I forgot and had to play catch up or days I had to search out the ordinary for something extraordinary. 

Once it started to become a habit, I started looking forward to it.  Just naming that one thing, I may have normally overlooked, that made my day a little brighter or that I appreciated.  Sure there were days that were down right shitty but you know what I discovered?  Finding something you're grateful for on those really awful days does something amazing.  It actually has the ability to shift your focus from something you were dwelling on and puts you in a space of gratitude. 

I have to be honest with you, when I first started this journey I thought it would be something cool to do but never did I imagine the impact it would have on my life and my outlook.  The bad days jus don't seem so bad now and I stop to appreciate so much more.  I am not taking granted of the little things, when often times they are the things I am most grateful for.  The difference now is I'm conscious of them. 

What started as a year long commitment has now become a life long one :)  I have been cataloguing my journey on this blog, under the Gratitude Project tab if you'd like to check it out.  I plan to make a project with it when I'm done to remind myself of the power in gratitude! and what this year has done for me.

I challenge everyone to do the gratitude project in 2015 and see what impact it has on you!  You can track via pen and paper, an app in your phone, on social media ... it doesn't matter!  What matters is acknowledging something you're grateful for every day. 
I'd love to hear about your journey as well!

Personal Development Utopia

I haven't posted now in a few weeks and it's now something I'm ready to post about.  I have been going through some significant personal issues and the last two weeks have been very humbling and moving ones.  The transition started with much pain but at the same time, still felt different.  Instead of feeling physical pain, stressing myself out, NEEDING answers, trying to figure every little thing out ... and on and on and on.  I did none of that!  Instead I did a lot of meditating, I cried when I needed too (something else I have always struggled with), spent a lot of time in nature, spent a great deal of time quiet and alone with my thoughts and was very gentle with myself.  I realize it was going to take an event this significant to show me how far I've come in my personal development and all I can say is I'm blown away!  I come from a long line of controllers and have spent much of my life trying to control everything and everyone around me.  I finally feel like I'm making progress on releasing this controller and it's the most liberating feeling I've ever had!!  I feel rooted spiritually and I have faith that everything is going to turn out.  I have no doubt that meditation has taken my awareness to a whole new level and has given me an entirely new set of amazing tools to apply in my life.

 

I feel so blessed to be where I am at in my journey and as I mentioned before, humbled.  I've been working really hard on myself for about 4 years now and it's so humbling to feel a shift of great significance in your world.  That moment where you know your life is going to be different ... better!  Although there is still a small piece of me that's nervous for my future, there is a bigger piece that's really excited!  I know that I am on the right path and amazing blessings will continue to unfold.  I love my life :) 

Transformational Tuesday!

Each week we've been doing a transformational Tuesday photo on Team Aloha, to highlight someone's journey.  One of my amazing team members, Lauren, is so creative and makes these amazing photo's all the time.  I felt so special when she sent me my very own this week.  So this week's transformational Tuesday photo is .... yours truly :)

When I look at this, I have to sit back and reflect on where I am today in my life and how far I've come!  Not even 2 short years ago I was:  At the top of my BMI, exhausted all of the time, had horrible digestive issues, didn't like the way I looked and was not happy about where I was in my life.  It was then that I joined my first Beachbody Challenge Group!  Fast forward to today ....
I am in the best shape of my life and still rocking those same Beachbody Challenge Groups!  The only difference now is .... I'm a coach!  If someone would have told me a few years ago I would be a health/fitness coach I would have hysterically laughed in their face!  I was the complete opposite picture of health!  I partied, smoked, never worked out, didn't eat well, didn't get enough sleep ... I was horribly abusing my body and it was totally catching up with me. 
I don't know where I would be without the support and accountability of Beachbody and my Team Aloha family.  This experience has completely changed my life and I am so humbled and grateful every day for that!
It's NEVER too late to change your path, make a different decision and go after what will REALLY make you happy! 
DECIDE ~ COMMIT ~ SUCEED!

I'm Back

I know it has been a few weeks since I posted to my blog but it's all for good reason!  Team Aloha is growing at such an awesome rate - it's been amazing!  We have been working on a training program for over 1 year now and it's been through many revisions.  We have tried different approaches, changed things we didn't feel were effective, tried other things we thought may be ....
I finally feel like our training system is getting to where it should be, after A LOT of hard work!!  Coming off the cruise, I feel like everything became so clear.  It wasn't one thing that happened. It was a series of ah ha moments that led to the picture becoming so clear and wow what a powerful moment let me just say!

I had to devote my time to making training videos, editing and organizing posts.  I knew that a few weeks of devotion to this project would pay off in the long run.  In the past, I would have tried to cram in everything and I would have really stressed myself out ... but not the new developed me!  I had to take a few things off my plate temporarily, my blog being one of them, until I finished my project.  Although I definitely missed my blog, I was able to allow my creativity and energy to flow through my training and not get stressed out.  I'm learning to be more flexible in life, although it's still not easy for me.  Meditating has helped me in this area greatly. 
I feel so blessed to be attracting positive people into my business and I am really excited to see where the rest of this year goes! I am happy to be back and connected to my blog :)

The Power of Meditation

My vertigo has been getting better and better the last 4 days and is finally pretty faint.  I'm still feeling a little imbalanced internally in my brain, my hormone levels and I'm still recovering nutrition wise, from the cruise.  It's amazing how sensitive my body has now become after living in a healthy state most of the time!
Instead of beating myself up, trying to push myself, making it worse, feeling anxiety, etc.  I am applying my personal development and I'm recognizing my body and mind have needed the break, I need to be gentle and patient and I will work through this at the pace that I'm being pulled at. 
I planned to try to start working out today but again my mind and body had other plans!  I was feeling negative, irritable, sensitive, and defensive.  Instead of pushing through this with a tough workout, or staying in this space all day, I decided to do a nice long meditation.

The world of meditating is still very new to me and often still very challenging, however, it instantly shifted my energy!  I now feel:  Calm, positive, reflective, happy and productive! 
To meditate is to connect with yourself on the deepest level possible.  You realize that you DO have control over all of these things!  Stress, anxiety, fear ... these things don't even really exist.  They are simply conditions we put upon ourselves.

That moment when gratitude takes over!

Since being back from our Beachbody cruise to the Caribbean, I have felt an array of feelings and emotions.  First and foremost I've felt extreme vertigo, and imbalance within my body.  Yes it hasn't been fun, but it also makes me proud of myself as well.  I'm proud because I've come that far in my health journey, that my body craves health and balance!  I have to say in the past, neither were even on my radar!  I have said it before and I'll say it again ... I feel nothing but gratitude for the path that I'm on!  We just get back from this AMAZING all expenses paid Beachbody cruise that I was able to earn, along with $500 in spending cash, for myself and my fiancé.  All for supporting others in reaching their health goals!!  I mean come on, that's something that is already SO rewarding, but now you're going to send me on really cool trips for free??  Ummm ok :)
As if that isn't enough, you're truly surrounded by the most incredible group of people I have ever met!!  They are all individuals that:  Have a story to share, care about your story, are engaged in personal development to better themselves and want to make the world a better place!  My fiancé is not heavily involved in the business, although he loves his Shakeology every morning, was touched by the people and stories he was exposed to!
Please check out our fun trip .... http://youtu.be/e6eBntyjx6k and just think ... this could be you!

As if that experience didn't have me on enough of a high, I came home to so many awesome stories of people kicking butt, going after their goals, wanting to get involved and one that hit extra close to home.  Some of you have been following my father's health journey and for those of you who haven't, here's a brief recap. 
My father finally gave up heavy drinking and smoking cigarettes a few years ago, after many years of abuse.  I was so proud of him but I also saw him shift his addiction to food and I actually felt like he was killing himself faster!  My dad stands 6'1 and has always been a big man but he put on  a lot of weight, even for him.  I was really worried about him but also knew he was still working to get through his other addictions and knew he wasn't ready to now face a new one.  He went to his Dr. with back issues, only to find out that he needed a complete hip replacement.  He very quickly realized that if he didn't change his ways, this surgery could be the thing that kept him permanently from doing the things he loved to do.  My dad loves to hunt, fish, garden, etc.  The thought of those things being taken from him, really hit home!  His health had also gotten to the point where he was on all kinds of meds for:  High blood pressure, high cholesterol, nerve damage, anxiety, and was seeing a heart specialist.  I knew I had to intercede and help him get started.  I told him that he would now be replacing one meal per day with Shakeology - and this was NON NEGOTIABLE.  He found them delicious so it wasn't too hard of a deal for him :)  After one week, he started reporting:  More energy, his color came back so I knew his circulation was improving, less cravings, regularity, etc.  He was able to lose about 10 pounds before his hip replacement surgery and I know that helped in his recovery big time!!
After his surgery, he did his physical therapy and kept replacing one meal per day with Shakeology.  He still struggles with his nutrition and he has gone up and down on his health journey.  He's had some really frustrating moments and some really incredible ones too! 
Fast forward to today .... he has just reached the 30lb weight loss mark and ready for this .... just found out he doesn't need ANY MORE MEDICATIONS and no need to see a heart specialist!!! 
My dad drinks his Shakeology everyday, plugs into his accountability group to get motivation & support and he does the best that he can!  He still can't workout too hard and still struggles with his nutrition but the fact that all of his numbers are within a  healthy range is an AWESOME start!! 
He now feels like a Facebook celebrity because so many people have connected with his journey and made comments.  He is waiting for Tony Horton to call and offer him a job ha ha ha!

I've been sharing my journey in gratitude that I've been on with all of you.  I have found that by finding one thing you are grateful for each and everyday, you will feel a moment where gratitude takes over!  You are just all of a sudden living gratitude and it's flooding into your life in so many areas :)  What a feeling ....