Secrets to Success

https://www.thedietdoc.com/blog/blog/2015/01/12/the-secrets-to-success 

Please check out this entire article! I have these -9 Traits of Successful People- as the background of my phone right now...

 

We obviously want to identify ourselves with these attributes. They are essential to achieving success. A few traits that I really need to focus on(other than all of them!) is having a sense of curiosity and desire to learn, as well as, behavioral flexibility. Again, I need to work on all of these, but I think these 2 areas need some special attention. Please read this awesome article by Kori Propst! It's so helpful. 

Progress not perfection

Yesterday as I was taking my progress pictures and tracking where I was at this point in my last prep, I celebrated that at 9 weeks out from my next show, I am, where I was 3 weeks out from my last show. I was so happy to see that with my additional muscle, my body is transforming quicker! Hard work pays! Then today, after a work-out cut short from a business call, and a waffle fry or 4 from my kids chick fil a kids meal later, I opened Instagram. As I scrolled through my feed one of my fitness icons had posted a few shots from their last professional fitness shoot. Self doubt and loathing washed over me. I felt insignificant, unworthy, and totally overwhelmed. After a half hour of toying around with the idea of finishing off those waffle fries, I decided to go back to where my compition journey began. I scrolled through the pictures of myself 2 years ago and It brought me right back to just how insecure I was feeling on a daily basis. I knew that at that point in my life that I could barely dream of the day that I had the body I do now. There are days that all of us feel so much self doubt, even those women whom we aspire to be like. The reality is, we are all works in progress. Some of us reach our goals quicker than others, but that plays no relevance in our journey. This is a lifestyle I will continue beyond competing. I plan on building muscle on muscle on muscle for years to come!! The beauty of this sport is that our bodies continue to get better with age! We gain more muscle, and that muscle matures, and our physiques look better and better. There is a lot to look forward to when you live this lifestyle day in and day out. Some days we need to take time to revisit where we started, to celebrate how far we've come, and to excitedly look forward to what the future holds. 

The Young

Gabe and I decided a little while back to host Sunday dinner for our college student employees. It has been so refreshing to have their energy in our home every week. There is something so intoxicating about the youth. They are so full of life and excitement. I find such immense joy being around these young adults. They look at the world with such hope. They have big dreams and nothing is holding them back. I love the outlook of the young, that truly anything is possible. The world is a big exciting place, full of oppurtunity and adventure. Every week our employees inspire me to continue being excited about what the future holds, and to be proud of how far we've come. I'm going to strive to always keep a sense of wonderment. I am truly grateful for the wisdom and confidence that comes with life's experiences. With each passing year, I'm more comfortable in my skin. I believe aging gracefully means to always be young at heart, but to embrace the wisdom we've gained...and perhaps a little help from Botox. Let's be honest aging is always better with Botox.(my hubby doesn't agree, he believes in aging naturally, but he also has the most incredible genes so it's super easy for him). Hahahah...I actually haven't started down that road, but the day will come and I anticipate when that day arrives that I will only be that much more comfortable with myself because I have that much more life experience behind me. 

Business Card

This just spoke to me. It's really true. It makes me want to be more conscientious of my actions. I love that I find so much inspiration from social media. The internet is so awesome. I'm really glad it exists.

Chill day

This morning I wasn't able to get to the gym before the kiddos woke up, so I would have had to go tonight. Which I hate with the passion of a thousand burning suns!!!!!!! The night crowd at the gym is supremely obnoxious and it's so congested. I also really hate taking that time from my family if I don't have to. Pen wasn't feeling kids klub, and I didn't have the fight in me so we just chilled at home. In keeping grounded during prep, I've learned that it's critical to not beat myself up for having days that are less than perfect. Those days are going to happen. When you've got a family, prep is simply never your #1 priority. That's not to say that you can't make it a priority in your life. You HAVE to in order to make it on stage. It will simply never be a priority that resides above my family's well-being.  So today I rest, and 6:30am tomorrow I am right back at it! 

Life's storms

As life has become increasingly hectic I've found myself wanting to turn to food for comfort. Which is what I've always done when I get really stressed out. I eat. I take my family down with me during these stressful times, because we eat out a ton, and our cabinets are full of garbage. (I mean that literally as well, when I'm stressed the house also goes to hell.) Anyways, I'm having a really tough time being on prep and not being able to turn to my vices. I'm so grateful to be confronted with this challenge though! I mean that seriously. Emotional eating has been a huge issue for me. In the past, if I had a few stressful months in a row(new baby, new business, family issues) I could easily throw on 15 pounds in 2 months. I kid you not. Emotional eating is still very much a reality in my life, but I plan on changing that. I relistened to Kori Propst's, Emotional Eating pod cast and it is so helpful. Bottomed line, life is humbling. Sometimes I actually feel like I have a few things figured out, and then the storms of life hit and I realize just how weak I am. Yes, I am stronger than I was last year. No doubt about that. But man oh man do I still have a hell of a long way to go!!!! Never let anyone fool you, that bc they've reached a certain level of fitness or they've conquered their self-control demons, that they somehow have life figured out. Life will continue to humble us all, and most painfully when we're prideful. It's my goal to stay grounded and to keep my priorities straight. I just want to live my life in a way that I can look back with pride when it's all said and done. 

St George Expansion

We're in the process of expanding The Crepery to St George. Our loan is finalized but we are still deciding between 2 different locations. We drove down today to see the places again(12.5 drive for 2 hrs in town). That's what we get for doing business on opposite sides of the state! I really hope the spot next to 'The Egg and I' will work out. We shall see. Gabe and I swore we'd never open another restaurant after the hassle we went through in Logan, but here we are a few years later doing it all over again! You never where life is going to take you, and unless you keep an open mind you'll miss out on some incredible opportunities. This process has taken much longer than we had hoped for, but that is the case with much of life! Gabe and I are 9 weeks to his exhibit, 10 weeks to my competition, and we're only a fews weeks out from starting our build-out for this restaurant. It's a lot to have on our plate but I feel totally at peace that we're doing what we're supposed to. We've learned to trust our intuition, even when we're unsure of how it'll all come together. It's an exciting time of life! Now for some Qudoba and back to our babies!...