How To Make Yourself Feel Strong When You Need It Most

I understand how easy it is to get overwhelmed by the negative.  When things are not going well, it often feels like the world is crashing down around you.  It can be very difficult to see what is going well.  These are the moments when we’re likely to throw in the towel and convince ourselves that we “just can’t”.

Here’s the thing though:  you can choose to feel strong.

You can create that feeling on demand. It might not come naturally but I promise you, it’s 100% possible.

When all you can see is what is not going well, I want you to pause for just a minute and write down on paper the answers to the following questions:

What is good about my life? What do I have going for me?

Then ask: what kinds of things make me feel strong? What things could I do to feel more in control?

Maybe cleaning your kitchen, folding your laundry, getting in a workout or making a healthy meal would help. Maybe dancing to your favorite song or taking a hot shower and putting on your fave outfit.

Do it. Stop with the negativity and the pity party and choose to feel strong.

Decide that you’d rather take action and feel better than marinate in awfulness. It’s a choice.

If you spend your time & energy thinking about all the things that aren’t going well, chances are, things are going to continue to be hard.

Why choose to linger in powerless when there’s another option?

There is another option.

Keep a list of the things that make you feel strong and then do them. Here is a short list of some of mine:

  • clean house
  • laundry finished
  • working out
  • great music
  • clean eating
  • well rested
  • reading
  • journaling

Create a feeling of strength. Don’t wait for it.

You are as strong as you choose to be. Take control.

How can you choose to feel strong today?

286: Progress Made Simple – Do What You Know

286: Progress Made Simple – Do What You Know

In today’s motivational minisode I’m sharing a short entry from my journal. I wrote to myself, “When I practice what I preach, my  life is pretty amazing. When I do what I know to do, life is easier & I am  happier”.

Guys, progress isn’t a mystery. You don’t need to know anything more. If you simply do what you know, not only will you make progress, you’ll be happier and less stressed.

You don’t have to do everything you know, but if you’re willing to be honest with yourself, I am quite certain you can identify 2-3 things that, if done consistently, would make you happier and healthier.

Get to work & do what you know! While you’re at it, take a listen to the full motivational minisode!

Listen Now


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Resources:

Want to hop on the wait list for the spring Fat Loss Fast Track?

Check out the new Daily Motivations Podcast here.

286: Progress Made Simple – Do What You Know

285: How To Leverage Deliberate Practice for Faster Progress

When I get emails from clients or listeners who are sharing a struggle or asking for help, I often respond by asking, “what does your practice look like?”

You might understand the problem and you probably understand many of the solutions, too. But, understanding doesn’t take the place of deliberate practice.

It’s not enough to say “I want to lose weight” because there are a million different things you could do on any given day to lose weight.

Deliberate practice will dramatically accelerate your results. It requires that you identify one specific improvement you want to achieve and define your practice.

From there you must practice CONSISTENTLY & with great effort. Don’t miss today’s episode for a deep dive into deliberate practice!

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Resources:

Want to hop on the wait list for the spring Fat Loss Fast Track?

Check out the new Daily Motivations Podcast here.

284: The Year Of You

284: The Year Of You

Let’s make this year the year of you! Let’s make this year the year when your effort isn’t negotiable and your progress is consistent.

Today I want to share a personal conversation I had with a client. This particular client is so ready to change but her actions have yet to align with her intentions.

We recently had a tough-love conversation about progress, effort, excuses, negotiation and going all-in on yourself.

I told her that 2017 is my year, it’s her year and I want it to be the year of you, too.

If you need a little bit of tough love, don’t miss today’s episode!

Listen Now

Download Episode Transcript

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Resources:

Want to hop on the wait list for the spring Fat Loss Fast Track?

Check out the new Daily Motivations Podcast here.

Why I Redefined My Tattoo

In 2004 I went to Africa. It was the 50th anniversary of Ghana’s independence and I went there to sing “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” at a celebratory event.

I remember being so inspired by the genuine joy of the people of Ghana and marveling at how much they seemed to have, emotionally, despite having so little.

I had a spare hair elastic around my wrist and the kids were obsessed with it. To them, it was an exciting new toy. The things I hardly notice that litter the bottom of my purse are also thrilling toys – perspective.

When I came home from Africa, I got a tattoo. It was a symbol from their language which means, “No one can do anything to me but God.”

At some point in history, someone decided that’s what the symbol meant and everyone accepted it as such.

I have recently decided to redefine this symbol inked on my back, between my shoulder blades. Before I tell you what it means to me now, I’ll tell you why it changed.

In life, there is what happens and there is what we think.

Those are different things.

That’s all there is. There’s the present moment, which we can call reality, and there are thoughts and perceptions of what has happened, what is happening and what might happen next.

We spend about 99.9999% of energy & attention on thoughts while spending frighteningly little time actually experiencing reality without forcing it through our filter of thought & perception.

You might want to spend some time thinking about that. That’s what I’ve been doing.

As I thought about it, I realized that 100% of my unhappiness comes from my thoughts about the past, present or future.

100%. All of it. It all comes from thought.

If I am feeling sad, that is 100% a result of my thoughts about a particular situation. If I’m just focused on the present moment, fully there, there’s no thought of said situation.

If I’m overwhelmed by cravings or disappointment in something about my physical body, all the discomfort comes from what I think about those things.

That’s pretty crazy, right? And pretty awesome!

With my thoughts, I can create pain or I can create joy.

With my attention I can experience reality or I can escape into a tunnel of thought.

I thought about that tattoo…no one can do anything to me except God.

You know what? The only things that can hurt me are my own thoughts.

As I write this, I’m challenging myself to focus today on finding joy in each moment as it happens.

When I catch my mind drifting to the past or the future or anything other than the moment I’m living, I’ll look around and find joy happening now.

Joy in the song I’m hearing. Joy in the people I see. Joy in what I get to spend my time doing.

Joy.

The only things that can hurt me are my own thoughts.

I am not going to manufacture drama. I am not going to create unhappiness with my own thoughts.

I refuse to create weapons against myself.

Not happening. Not today.

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