Time

 Last night I was reading before I went to bed. I committed to fully reading The Purpose Driven Life this year. I have started it multiple times but never read it all the way to completion, similar to what I do with most books.

The title of Day 16 is What Matters Most. The opening sentence read, "Life is all about love." I continue reading the next 6 pages and am completely convicted by the scripture and statements. What stuck out the most to me and caused me to stop reading immediately and pray was the following passage...

Busyness is a great enemy of relationships. We become preoccupied with making a living, doing our work, paying bills, and accomplishing goals as if these tasks are the point of life. They are not. The point of life is learning to love-- God and people. Life minus love equals zero.

WOW. WOW. and WOW. I am convinced that paragraph was written specifically for me. I  admit one of my biggest struggles is balancing time. Time is a precious gift because there is only a set amount of it. When I give someone my time, I am giving them a portion of my life that I will never get back. My time is my life--- which is the greatest gift I can give to someone.

I leave with this--- I commit to being present and scheduling out time for the people I love most. My family and a few people I work with come to mind first. I am very aware that the individuals in my life who love me the most actually get the least of me, because I expect them to understand my career and personal goals are of "utmost importance." The battle in my head is ambition vs. contentment. I feel if I am not do, do, do & go, go, go then I will get left behind. I may battle this forever, but I believe awareness is key.

I pray each day, "God, whether I get anything else done today, I want to make sure that I spend time loving you and loving other people-- because that's what life is all about I don't want to waste this day."

Contented living

(pictured: My youngest sister = Best friend. Encourager. Support. Bucket filler)

"Nine requisites for contented living: Health enough to make work a pleasure. Wealth enough to support your needs. Strength to battle with difficulties and overcome them. Grace enough to confess your sins and forsake them. Patience enough to toil until some good is accomplished. Charity enough to see some good in your neighbor. Love enough to move you to be useful and helpful to others. Faith enough to make real the things of God. Hope enough to remove all anxious fears concerning the future."

I asked myself today---How content are you? The passage above provided some clarity in the thought process.

1) Health enough to make work a pleasure. --CHECK. ClearLLLLLy I  L-O-V-E my job! I am in the business of getting people healthy. Changing their lives from the outside in.

2) Wealth enough to support your needs. --1 day at a time. Each day I learn the more I help others the more we all win. Give first then receive.

3) Strength to battle with difficulties and overcome them. --CHECK. The support group I have from my family, friends, and within Trinity Training Systems is as strong as steel. The Circle of Trust within my core group is what pulls me through seasons of difficulties and allows me to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

4) Grace enough to confess your sins and forsake them. --CHECK. Praise Jesus I am a Christian and He forgives when I ask.

5) Patience enough to toil until some good is accomplished. --Patience is a virtue. Always a work in progress for  me.

Who are you surrounded by....

Pictured above is my some of my family. Each of these people believe in me, encourage me, hold me accountable, know where I am going, and what I am up to. The passage below is worth the read. 

Who are you surrounding yourself with daily? Are they on your team and believe in something bigger than themselves?


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In Prosperity Our Friends Know Us. In Adversity We Know Our friends.

 
The less you associate with some people, the more your life will improve. Any time you tolerate mediocrity in others, it increases your mediocrity. 

An important attribute in successful people is their impatience with negative thinking and negative acting people. As you grow, your associates will change. Some of your friends will not want you to go on. They will want you to stay where they are. Friends that don't help you climb will want you to crawl. Your friends will stretch your vision or choke your dream. Those that don't increase you will eventually decrease you.

Consider this:  

• Never receive counsel from unproductive people. 
• Never discuss your problems with someone incapable of contributing to the solution, because those who never succeed themselves are always first to tell you how. 
• Not everyone has a right to speak into your life. You are certain to get the worst of the bargain when you exchange ideas with the wrong person. 

My Feel GREAT List

Quoted from the book Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie.

Feeling Good:

Make yourself feel good.

It’s our job to first make ourselves feel better and then make ourselves feel good. Recovery is not only about stopping painful feelings; it is about creating a good life for ourselves.

We don’t have to deny ourselves activities that help us feel good. Going to meetings, basking in the sun, exercising, taking a walk, or spending time with a friend are activities that may help us feel good. We each have our list. If we don’t, we’re now free to explore, experiment, and develop that list.

When we find a behavior or activity that produces a good feeling, put it on the list. Then, do it frequently.

Let’s stop denying ourselves good feelings and start doing things that make us feel good.

Today, I will do one activity or behavior that I know will create a good feeling for me. If I’m uncertain about what I like, I will experiment with one behavior today.
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After reading this passage I was inspired to write the list below. This is everything (in no particular order) that makes me happy. At times I find myself denying certain things on this list to justify an ends to a mean. I was reminded today that only brings me discontent and sadness. I will continue to strive for balance and create the best life ever.

My Feel GREAT List:

1. Sister Goddess hang outs
2. Hanging out with friends
3. CrossFit workouts
4. Journaling
5. Track workouts
6. Polvos
7. Laying in the sun
8. Weather above 80-degrees
9. Sunshine
10. Ritas on a patio
11. Body comps on client's who work hard and success is a given
12. Creating ideas to take Relentless Boot Camp national
13. Attending random events where I know very few people but have a chance to meet new friends
14. Beach vacations
15. Boat time on Lake Austin & Lake Travis
16. Football season--tailgating
17. Random Sunday Fundays
18. Driving with my sunroof open
19. Dancing