All for One and One for All!

It's hard to believe that we are entering our seventh week in the challenge. At his point we have discovered that no matter what, we will not let anyone give up. We have all come so far, in such a short amount of time. At this point though, I am beginning to see the clouds accumulate and our fire burn a little less brightly. Now this is not because we do not want this, we certainly do. I think at this point our bodies are fighting us every way it can! For some of us, the food is getting to the point of sickness and boredom. For others, energy and motivation are the culprits. Whatever the case, now is not the time to give up.  I really started to see this the other day when one of our team members said she just wasn't "into it." Lately she has been tired and lacked motivation. After her little pity party, I proceeded to turn the speed of her treadmill up! Like I said so many times before, FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION!

To me this is a great place to be. It is the place that you have to dig really deep and determine the true motivation of your heart. It's the place where the rubber meets the road and only the strong survive. This is my place! The place that I am oh so familiar with. I am a master at being put in difficult situations and circumstances that would have otherwise caused me to throw in the towel, only to come out better than when I went in! I finally see that in myself now!

So for me, this is exciting. The moment that I get to see if I can be what I hope to be for the rest of my life. I know I have 30 days to wait for the results of my Personal Fitness Training Certification Test, but this is so much more than a piece of paper. This is real life, and not just any life, this is the lives of the one's I've become so close too. I can't let them give up, I can't let them fail. So I am bringing out the big guns! It's time to move beyond being in a "challenge" and trying to win. This is the point we all have to have a heart to heart and come up with our own personal strategies. It's one thing to want to lose weight, but in reality the major goal for anyone should be to change their lifestyle for good, because if you can't accomplish that now this will just be another 12 weeks and a few pounds away from getting right back on the out of control roller coaster you call your life. The reason most of us do the yo yo thing is we go all out for whatever reason and never get to the root of the problem and the behaviors that are causing them. For me, I know I am a stress eater. I know that when I am depressed, I will eat and go right to bed (or sometimes not even get out of bed at all). When I'm not sure how I am going to pay the rent or tuition or keep the lights on, what do I do? Yup, shut down from the inside and then not even realize the things I think are comforting me, are only making matters worse. You get the picture, right. Now for me over the years this has caused me to go up and down with my weight. Its my version of an eating disorder. I guess it would similar to binge eating, or having a drinking problem or something like that. Since I know my triggers, I have to learn to have a contingency plan in place for the moments when I am faced with the things that cause me to react. And this plan is one that will be with me for the rest of my life. Not just for the times when I am trying to loose weight or get a new job or whatever else is going on.

The same thing holds true for my friends! We as a team need to discuss life beyond the Challenge. What are their life goals and what are the behaviors from the past that can effect their success in the Challenge and beyond?  What will happen when Marie, and Medifast, and Drink More Water are long gone? Does life stop when the Challenge stops? So that means we still have work to do...I still have work to do, with and for them! Think about it, I know you are reading this because we asked you to be a follower and support us. But in reality, what are your struggles? What sends you over the edge? Is your body as healthy and as strong as you want it to be? Do you sit and wonder how you go to this place? Did you say, "wow, if I had the been part of that Challenge THEN..." What is your state of mind right now? What stresses do you have that are effecting your every move? Have you made excuse after excuse to let your dreams and aspirations pass you by? What about your job, your family, your friendships, your marriage? Are you happy? Are they healthy relationships or are they toxic? We all have our "things" or "demons" that haunt us. The question is what are you going to do about them? Let me take that back, its not what are you doing to do, it's when are you planning on getting unstuck? When are you going to get some guts and let nothing or no one stand in the way of accomplishing your next goal?

I'm there, I've found my "happy place" and its so liberating! I've been where you are, and I stayed there so long I began to think that was who I was. Then earlier this year I said enough is enough, I can't take this anymore! Our church was doing the beginning of the year 21 day fast. That is my time to regroup and see what the year ahead will hold in store for me. This year was different though. It wasn't about giving up the food as much as it was about giving up the things that would prevent me from being free! I took that time to shut myself off from the world and everyone that consumed my time. I was completely quiet! Learning to quiet my spirit and my soul was one of the best things I could have ever done. In my quiet time, I had a chance to listen to my heart and make the hard decisions and choices. I did this for the entire 21 days! When it was all over I learned I had to stop allowing others to determine my happiness and success. My financial situation didn't change, my job situation was still a mess, and my health was still deteriorating, yet I had this sense of peace and assurance that everything was about to change and it was finally going to be alright. I decided I had to clean out the closet and bag up negative friends, family habits, behaviors, mindsets, and even my man and donate them to another cause! Since then, life seems to be all that I've imagined it could be. I am not talking about the material things either. I think I'm relating to the person in the Bible who said he was "content in the whatever state he was in."  What a great place to be! I found that peace, comfort and confidence in living life with purpose and on purpose!

So my thought for you today, stop making excuses and making it about everything else! Start to looking within. Start to think long and hard about what it is you've always wanted to do. How you've always wanted to look and feel. Where you planned to be and how you got off course. Now take a deep breath and get those garbage bags ready! That right, GARBAGE bags! Because how many of us go back to the trash to pick something out to keep it? If you said me, that's gross! Trash not meant to be taken back. Its meant to be taken to a dump and left there to deteriorate and disintegrate! That's what you have to do to make the next phase of your life work. But be honest, brave and specific! Don't just do it to do it, that won't work. You will only replace one piece of junk with another.

And know this, you are NOT in this alone! Like my team, you have those around you who are there to lift you up and set you back on course. Those who want the best for you even when it seems hard and you feel like giving up. The ones that will ride or die with you! The FEW that will hold your hand and PULL you along kicking and screaming, because they do actually know what is best for you! Thanks RCR!

Green team and Challenge participants. We are in this together for the long hall, Challenge and beyond! We will leave no man stranded! Its All for One and One for All!!!