Don't Quit

"Give me your very best! Don't quit on me! Your very best!"

The other day I watched the movie "Facing the Giants" with my husband. I forgot just how inspirational that movie is. If you have never seen it, I highly recommend it. It is packed full with some very valuable lessons for all of us.

One of the most powerful scenes in the movie for me was when the coach has one of his players do the "Death Crawl." He challenges his player to carry another player on his back to the 50 yard line- blindfolded. The player thinks he can make it to the 30 yard line, maybe the 50 if he had no one on his back.

He agrees to do the challenge anyway, and the coach simply asks him to give his very best. In the end, the coach is down on his hands and knees, encouraging his player to keep going, to not give up, to give everything he's got, and not to quit.

The player thought he could only make it to the 30 yard line. Blindfolded, he made it across the entire field with another player on his back. He went exponentially farther than he ever thought he could. He gave his best, even when it was hard, when it hurt, and when he wanted to give up.

There are so many circumstances in our lives where we limit what we think we can do. We put a limit on ourselves and allow too many excuses.

"Well, maybe if this were different, I could do that."
"It's just too hard to do that."
"I don't think I could do it."
"Someone else is better at that than me."

Even if we don't vocalize these thoughts, they are there in our mind, only limiting ourselves. Already defeated. Already failing, simply because we have not tried.

I saw a great quote the other day that "The only way you can fail is if you give up."

How many times have we written ourselves off before we have even attempted something? I know that I have- countless times. COUNTLESS. How many times have I quit half way in because it just seemed too hard, or the reward not near enough? Countless. How many times have I not given my best, because it seems like someone else's best is better than mine? Countless.

But you know what? We were not made to quit. We were not made to give up. We were not made only to put in half our effort.

You were made to live, you were made to be strong and courageous. To stand firm.

I'm telling you now- get rid of that self defeating mindset. It will keep you in chains the rest of your life, no matter what area of life you allow it in.

I challenge you today to challenge your own view of yourself. Try these 3 steps to take action against those areas of self defeat today.

1. Find one area where you are self defeated. Where do you talk down to yourself? (Oh, you can't do that. Well, maybe I'll try it a different day. I just need this circumstance to line up.) Write the area down. Recognize the issue.

2. Write down WHY you feel defeated. Write down at least 5 reasons you feel defeated about the issue. This may be a hard one. It's hard and can hurt to dig up the real root of the issue. Are you afraid of failure? Do you think you're not good enough? Are you afraid of what will happen after that?

3. Write down AFFIRMATIONS. Now I want you to take those 5 reasons you just wrote and flip them around. If you wrote "I am afraid of failure" I want you to write "I can and will succeed." If you wrote "The timing just isn't right." I want you to write "Timing will never be perfect, the time IS NOW." And so forth. Take what you wrote and write the opposite, speak positive life over yourself.

Be encouraged that you are not alone in self defeat. I have struggled with it so much in my life, and still do at times. But I also know the power of changing your mindset and shifting away from the negative to the positive. It can make a world of difference!

If you have never seen the movie "Facing the Giants" I really encourage you to check it out! Share your thoughts on the movie below, and if you're brave enough, share one way you turn around self defeat in your life. 

My Secret to Staying Motivated

Flipping through the pages of most magazines on the shelves these days makes me nauseous. I ache for women both thin, large, and everywhere in between that hold up these images, then look at themselves and compare. I want this to be understood now...YOU are beautiful.

Stop comparing yourself to the magazines. To the models. To that other person. You are not that other person. And you are beautiful. BE YOU.

One of the biggest struggles throughout my life and my journey with weight loss is knowing how to stay motivated. I knew I didn't want to get sucked into staring at pictures from magazines and use that as motivation. That to me was like torture.

So if we don't use the images society gives us to stay motivated and on track for our goals, especially in any health and fitness journey, what do you use?

I'm going to let you in on three of my "secrets" of how I have stayed motivated on my journey so far. For the record, this is the longest I've EVER held to anything in regards to health and fitness. I tried Weight Watchers for a while in high school, did good, but then fell off track. I tried Slim in 6 and Hip Hop Abs, got through a few weeks and gave up.

But I am thrilled to be able to say that I am now entering into my sixth month of consistently working out and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Not without ups and downs, but I have stuck with it. So how have I done it when I was never able to stick with anything before?

1. I started with a strong support partner. I came to my husband in January and told him I wanted to start working out and I wanted to get healthy. I asked him if he would work out with me for 10 weeks (the duration of the program we did, T25). He agreed and he held me accountable to working out every single day, and we did it!

I know that not all of you may have a supportive spouse, or someone who just gets it in your family, but I encourage you to find someone, whether a close friend, a relative, or whoever, and ask them to keep you accountable. Explain why it's important to you. They don't have to workout with you, but ask them to keep you accountable.

Post workout picture with my wonderful husband.

2. I remembered WHY I started, and didn't give up. Remembering why you are doing this is so key. There will be days you don't want to do it. But do you want your goal more? You should. The end goal should propel you forward even on the hard days. If it isn't strong enough, find a stronger reason.

If you need to, write down your reason why you are doing it. Put it in front of your face so you are DAILY reminded of why you started. Remove giving up and quitting from your mind and vocabulary. Don't let it even be an option! Trust me, it will be worth it.

3. I plugged into and then lead a challenge group. I decided I was going all into this, and I plugged myself into a group of like minded people online. I lead a group of women who were all doing a workout program, and we kept each other accountable every day.

I posted motivation, I researched and learned new tips to share, and we all pressed forward together. Being a part of a challenge group has been one of the biggest keys to staying motivated for me. Because I know there is a group of women that I am held accountable to, and I am holding them accountable.

We are all making positive changes in our lives, and it's so incredible to be surrounded with people who are going through the exact same thing as you. Who struggle one day with wanting to work out, and then a group that we can share our victories with, and FINISH with.

The results from my first round of T25

I can't even put into words what it has meant for my life to be getting on track with my health and fitness. I still have a long ways to go, but I have also come a long way. Not only physically, but emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. I have seen growth and joy increase in all areas of my life.

If you're looking for a change, but don't know how to stay motivated or don't know where to start, please contact me. I would love to help you in any way that I can, whether it's just answering questions, or if you want to be a part of any of the Challenge Groups that I lead monthly, please reach out to me!

Because of the change I have experienced in my life, I am here to pay it forward and help YOU. Don't put your health on the backburner, trust me, it's worth the time and effort you put in to change, even if it's just baby steps and a little bit at a time.

So, now that I've shared my motivation secrets, what are yours? What keeps YOU motivated? Comment below with your favorite ways to stay on track!