It all starts with a DECISION
May 2, 2016:
Well it has been over 6 months now since I began to journal my experiences as I move forward to live happier and less stressed. It has been quite the journey and one that I can actually say that I wouldn't change at all. Why would I not want to change the challenges that I went through last fall through to this very day? Well to be honest, because it is through the challenges, where awareness is born. The difficult times help us learn the message we were meant to understand. Without challenges, not a lot of change "needs" to happen. When a challenge comes up, we have a choice. We can let the challenge or obstacle define us and make us feel hopeless OR we can see the challenge for what it is, an opportunity to learn and to grow.
Many of you who know me, know that I always choose to grow through these moments. I hope that you choose to also. It doesn't matter how big the challenge is, in my opinion it comes down to taking FULL responsibility and making the decision to change the way we feel. Like one of my mentors (Bill Mayer) says, it either feels good or bad. Let that be your guide and make a conscious decision to change what feels bad and do more of what feels good. May seem simple, but it really is. We often go to work (with old programming and old beliefs) to complicate it all. I can tell you it is so much better when I am not allowing myself to "feel" like a victim. It is up to me.
When I was in a stage of pity, feeling sad about my situation and wanting to pull away from everyone I cared about...I recognized the very negative space I was in. I started thinking about what everyone else was thinking of me. Asking questions like, "what kind of leader am I to be going through this right now?" I even felt inadequate when I was recently asked to participate in a team call...but what I recognized was that in the past few years of building a business, I preached the fact that we are not looking for perfection, but secretly and silently I still seemed to strive for perfection. So I wasn't at all in alignment of what I was sharing with others. So when I got honest with myself I recognized and DECIDED that it was time to show up as the imperfect and real person that I am and always have been. How great is it that I am part of a profession that focuses so much on personal growth and time freedom. When I went through the past 6+ months in a "funk", and as I also experienced medical issues (that I am still working to solve), I was able to step back and focus on my needs. What profession in the world allows that? I've never had a boss say, "Tara you are stressed, go take 6 months to do more personal growth and do what you love to do and we will still pay you". But guess what, that is exactly what I did and even though many people in my company may not have known what I needed, they respected the space I needed for my own healing. HOW AMAZING IS THAT? If I wanted to talk with anyone, they would have been there for me, but they respected that I needed to figure this out for myself.
Today as I write, I ask you the question: What do you wish you could change in your life right now, but you are too afraid to make the decision? Often times, change is so scary. But we continue to repeat, "I have to make a change"...and for months or years we continue saying the same thing, but we haven't actually made a conscious shift to make the change. How long does it take to change? Well...let's be real, it doesn't happen overnight, BUT it does begin with a DECISION that takes less than 10 seconds to make. To say, "I want to change" is much different than saying, "I DECIDED I am changing".
I know that I still have many moments of decision ahead, but one thing I know is that unless we take 100% responsibility and unless we believe 100% in ourselves, we will not shift and change until we make a DECISION to make a change.
I can tell you two days I made massive decisions that changed the direction of my life. September 1, 2009 I made the decision to eat Isagenix food everyday (no matter what) and within 3 years of making that decision I replaced my full time teaching salary and exceeded my husband's wages. (please understand that this isn't all about the income, but what the income provided for us - choices, many choices as well as the simple fact that thousands of lives have been impacted)
The 2nd decision I made that created a pivotal moment in my life, was August 18th, 2015. That was a day I recognized how low I was getting. A day when I knew that I didn't feel aligned with my passion, my purpose and with my own sense of authenticity. I looked in the mirror that day and was very sad that I didn't know who I was trying to become. It was the day I decided that I would never lose myself in the pursuit of success. Success is meant to be lived in a happy, fulfilled way. I found myself drained, resentful and angry. So I knew it was time to shift and decide...but as you'll now see, that decision created a lot of "dis-ease" inside and my body responded in many ways. I am only starting to see the bright light at the end of that confusing path. But like I said, I wouldn't change any of it. The challenges have helped me appreciate the journey, learn from past mistakes and also helped me have more compassion for myself and others. I am in the middle of my story of reinvention - which starts with a decision and continues with learning to love and respect myself so that I can do the same for others as we all deserve to be loved and respected.
I quoted this 3 years ago and I re-visited the message yesterday by T. Harv Eker
"If you want to change the fruits, you have to change the roots. If you want to change the visible, you have to change the invisible"
You are worth it! Don't settle, don't be a victim, take 100% responsibility and you will see how fulfilled and happy you become in your life - no matter how much you feel you may be struggling right now. You have the ability to decide today, that your story doesn't end here!
Well it has been over 6 months now since I began to journal my experiences as I move forward to live happier and less stressed. It has been quite the journey and one that I can actually say that I wouldn't change at all. Why would I not want to change the challenges that I went through last fall through to this very day? Well to be honest, because it is through the challenges, where awareness is born. The difficult times help us learn the message we were meant to understand. Without challenges, not a lot of change "needs" to happen. When a challenge comes up, we have a choice. We can let the challenge or obstacle define us and make us feel hopeless OR we can see the challenge for what it is, an opportunity to learn and to grow.
Many of you who know me, know that I always choose to grow through these moments. I hope that you choose to also. It doesn't matter how big the challenge is, in my opinion it comes down to taking FULL responsibility and making the decision to change the way we feel. Like one of my mentors (Bill Mayer) says, it either feels good or bad. Let that be your guide and make a conscious decision to change what feels bad and do more of what feels good. May seem simple, but it really is. We often go to work (with old programming and old beliefs) to complicate it all. I can tell you it is so much better when I am not allowing myself to "feel" like a victim. It is up to me.
When I was in a stage of pity, feeling sad about my situation and wanting to pull away from everyone I cared about...I recognized the very negative space I was in. I started thinking about what everyone else was thinking of me. Asking questions like, "what kind of leader am I to be going through this right now?" I even felt inadequate when I was recently asked to participate in a team call...but what I recognized was that in the past few years of building a business, I preached the fact that we are not looking for perfection, but secretly and silently I still seemed to strive for perfection. So I wasn't at all in alignment of what I was sharing with others. So when I got honest with myself I recognized and DECIDED that it was time to show up as the imperfect and real person that I am and always have been. How great is it that I am part of a profession that focuses so much on personal growth and time freedom. When I went through the past 6+ months in a "funk", and as I also experienced medical issues (that I am still working to solve), I was able to step back and focus on my needs. What profession in the world allows that? I've never had a boss say, "Tara you are stressed, go take 6 months to do more personal growth and do what you love to do and we will still pay you". But guess what, that is exactly what I did and even though many people in my company may not have known what I needed, they respected the space I needed for my own healing. HOW AMAZING IS THAT? If I wanted to talk with anyone, they would have been there for me, but they respected that I needed to figure this out for myself.
Today as I write, I ask you the question: What do you wish you could change in your life right now, but you are too afraid to make the decision? Often times, change is so scary. But we continue to repeat, "I have to make a change"...and for months or years we continue saying the same thing, but we haven't actually made a conscious shift to make the change. How long does it take to change? Well...let's be real, it doesn't happen overnight, BUT it does begin with a DECISION that takes less than 10 seconds to make. To say, "I want to change" is much different than saying, "I DECIDED I am changing".
I know that I still have many moments of decision ahead, but one thing I know is that unless we take 100% responsibility and unless we believe 100% in ourselves, we will not shift and change until we make a DECISION to make a change.
I can tell you two days I made massive decisions that changed the direction of my life. September 1, 2009 I made the decision to eat Isagenix food everyday (no matter what) and within 3 years of making that decision I replaced my full time teaching salary and exceeded my husband's wages. (please understand that this isn't all about the income, but what the income provided for us - choices, many choices as well as the simple fact that thousands of lives have been impacted)
The 2nd decision I made that created a pivotal moment in my life, was August 18th, 2015. That was a day I recognized how low I was getting. A day when I knew that I didn't feel aligned with my passion, my purpose and with my own sense of authenticity. I looked in the mirror that day and was very sad that I didn't know who I was trying to become. It was the day I decided that I would never lose myself in the pursuit of success. Success is meant to be lived in a happy, fulfilled way. I found myself drained, resentful and angry. So I knew it was time to shift and decide...but as you'll now see, that decision created a lot of "dis-ease" inside and my body responded in many ways. I am only starting to see the bright light at the end of that confusing path. But like I said, I wouldn't change any of it. The challenges have helped me appreciate the journey, learn from past mistakes and also helped me have more compassion for myself and others. I am in the middle of my story of reinvention - which starts with a decision and continues with learning to love and respect myself so that I can do the same for others as we all deserve to be loved and respected.
I quoted this 3 years ago and I re-visited the message yesterday by T. Harv Eker
"If you want to change the fruits, you have to change the roots. If you want to change the visible, you have to change the invisible"
You are worth it! Don't settle, don't be a victim, take 100% responsibility and you will see how fulfilled and happy you become in your life - no matter how much you feel you may be struggling right now. You have the ability to decide today, that your story doesn't end here!
