Set Goals That Make You Want to JUMP OUT OF BED in the Morning

One of the greatest rewards of becoming a entrepreneur has been learning to set goals.  I honestly cannot believe that I lived life so long without setting goals.  Before this I was just going through life, waiting for things to happen for me.  Well life doesn't just hand you what you want, you have to go get it!  So that is why goal setting is so crucial because you need to be clear on what you are going after and you need those goals to keep you motivated.  

I initially started setting goals for my business, then I started setting goals for others areas of life (fitness, growth, rest, relationships, family, financial, etc) and it keeps me motivated to do great things every day.  

Here are my top 3 tips for setting goals that will make you jump out of bed in the morning:  

1.  Set goals that are motivating.  This means you want the goals to be realistic and attainable by a certain deadline.  You don;t want a goal that seems so out of reach that it un-motivates you.  I've been down that road before and it's no bueno.  Set goals that you can achieve within 1-3 months that lead up to the bigger result, that way you won't get discouraged  

2.  Write your goals down.  Write them down every day if you can, but at a minimum write them down on a weekly basis.  Writing down your goals adds a sense of commitment.  There was a study that found that people who write down their goals are 42 % more likely to achieve them, so get that pen/pencil to paper and WRITE ON.  

3.  Do a brain dump of action items that need to be done to achieve each goal.  Then plan out each of the action items to see what needs to be done and by what date.  You can track these actions in your planner to make sure you are staying on track!  

Make goal setting a ritual in your life by carving out time daily, weekly and monthly for goal setting / review.  Just like anything else, once you create the habit and get consistent, you will see great results!  

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There is No Magic Pill

So, I've been having a lot of conversations with people lately and this pesky term keeps popping up out of their mouth and is ripping my heart to pieces: "I am taking _____"

Guys, please stop TAKING stuff to lose weight.  "Taking" products (shakes, pills, teas, etc) does nothing because it does not fix YOU.  If you are unhealthy, then you are the way you are because of bad habits  (unless you have some underlying health condition).  YOU ARE THE PROBLEM.  That's right, I know you probably don't like to hear that but you can't get rid of the problem if you are not working on getting rid of your bad habits.  Do not waste your money or effort on something that is a temporary cover-up of the problem.  The weight is going to come right back on, doing you more harm than good.  

If you need to improve your health or lose weight than you have to learn proper nutrition, you need to get regular exercise 5-6 days a week, and you likely need to be working on your mindset because a lot of time these bad behaviors and habits of ours are pretty gnarly things that go a lot deeper and need to be sorted out properly.  You could find more success treating your condition by going to see a counselor than drinking some silly tea!  

It's time to get real with yourself and face the facts.  You got yourself to this place, you need to get yourself out by unlearning the bad habits and creating new ones that will help you get to your goals and feel good again.  I'm not saying this to insult you, I have those bad habits too and spent over a decade trying various fad diets and fat burners, without addressing my bad behaviors with food consumption (sugar addiction, bing eating and emotional eating).  I am still not out of the woods yet but now that I am openly honest with myself and others, it's a lot easier to work through these habits - especially with the wonderful support of my Fit For Life challengers!  

True results that LAST come from hard work and dedication.  Stop looking for that magic pill because it does not exist!  

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My Reaction to the "Thirtysomethig Mums" Post (MOMS - PLEASE READ!)

This ‪is a response to an article that I saw floating around on Facebook today titled "To the Thirtysomething Mums". Maybe it is because I had insufficient sleep last night (nothing to do with my age or being a mom BTW!) but this article seriously got on my nerves. I think it made me so emotional because I used to believe the same things that this author talks about.

As you can see here, that's me as a somewhat new mom on the left. I was wearing the typical "mom" tankini (as noted in the blog post), I was about 40 lbs heavier, I was definitely overtired, and I too had lost my SELF. Becoming a new mom was so much more stressful than I ever anticipated that it would be! I had the same stories in my head about how I had to make these "sacrifices" because I was a mom and my son was the main priority. I used to make constant jokes and remarks about my body and my new lifestyle and it was to cover up my insecurities and guilt.

So here is my response to this blog... Being a mom does not mean you have to fork over your identity. That is complete BS. ‪#‎SorryNotSorry‬

When I had given up my SELF at that time I was stressed, anxious, depressed, frantic. You think that made me a good mom? Heck no!

I always like to refer to the good old oxygen mask analogy: on the airplane they instruct you to put your oxygen mask on first before anyone else, EVEN your children. That is because you cannot help anyone else until you get yourself taken care of. So yeah, YOU DO matter!

Once I finally had enough of feeling unhealthy and unhappy I knew I had to step up and make a change not only for myself but for our family. And I'll tell you that once I started to reclaim my self back, life got so much better for our family! I was more energized, less stressed, more confident, and overall feeling healthy and happy. I was finally able to be the mom and wife that I truly wanted to be.

Now, instead of being at the beach staring at all those other moms (and wanting to cover myself underneath a tarp), I'm out there in my bikini not caring a damn thing about anyone else on the beach except us. I just turned 37 and I'm more happy with who I am and how I live my life than I ever have been before.

I don't think that life is going to get easier when I'm in my 40s, and I don't think that I would be more toned and rested if I were in my 20s. I also don't think it's cool to compare yourself to others or live a life where you don't feel DAMN GOOD! I do know that us women are strong, fierce and amazing forces! (Helloooooo our bodies can grow humans, birth them, and feed them!). I know that we can do anything when we set our minds to it!

So please ... Don't let your SELF go. Please.

PS:  If you didn't read the blog post you can view it HERE.