Inner work on order

Well, this week has proven to be heavy on the emotional side and has me sidelined for a few days.  I know from past experience that with high stress levels I am prone to injury, so I choose not to train.  I know there will be more of these days in the near future for me as life presents issues to be dealt with.
But, I am with Elaine, I Need the accountability, that is why I have never felt I could stop blogging...plus I just feel this is something I "have" to do...like it's a "calling" of sorts.  We all have a story to share and this is how I choose to share mine right now.
My last post says, "If you stop, it won’t be because of what happens around you. It will be because of what happens in you."  And this is so true.  
Right now in my life, I feel  a lot is happening inside me.  Sometimes it doesn't seem so good nor is it pleasant, but I know I am growing stronger through it all.  Transformation is not just about fat loss, as we know here.  And I know it is through the greatest inner transformation that the greatest outer transformation can also happen...and sometimes in unison.  I experienced this last year in my first muscle mission with Sharon.
Even with the speed bumps along the way, I know I can do this again.  It will take a daily refocus on the process and review of the end goal. It will take daily affirmations like the ones in my previous post.  It will take discipline.  it will take determination.  it will take accountability.  It will take belief.

It will take removing the negative and replacing with the positive...in all ares of my life.

Quitting is more about who you are than where you are.

"But the reality is that the external things do not stop people. Those
who achieve their dreams don’t have an easier path than those who do not. They just have a different internal attitude about the journey."

The following is taken from John Maxwell's website. It was too good to not post the whole thing.  How many times do people start a weight loss journey only to quit at the first sign of difficulty.  I know I have at times...and it wasn't because of what was happening in life but because of who I was on the inside...likewise...my best "missions" were those where the internal attitude was on spot.  We need to really be a guard of our inner attitude.

Back in December, I wrote about the importance of starting well. In the comments, many people agreed with me, but they also pointed out the critical nature of continuing after you start. They were right. Like I said at the time, starting and finishing are the two covers of the book. The main part – the pages – represents the day-to-day labor needed to achieve your goal.
Unfortunately, in many ways starting is the easy part. Ralph Waldo Emerson observed, “The great majority of men are bundles of beginnings.”
What about you? Are you merely a starter? When the enthusiasm for a new idea fades, when the passion cools, when the odds against you increase and the results diminish, when it looks as if success is impossible, will you maintain your intensity and keep going? Are you tenacious?
Consider the fact that Admiral Robert Peary attempted to reach the North Pole seven times before he succeeded. Oscar Hammerstein produced five shows that were flops on Broadway before staging Oklahoma, which had a record-breaking run of 2,212 performances. Thomas Edison failed in his attempt to create a workable lightbulb 10,000 times before creating one that finally worked. To achieve your dream, you need to be able to keep going when others quit.
To develop tenacity, keep in mind that…
Quitting is more about who you are than where you are.
Everyone faces difficulty when working toward a dream. And if someone fails, he can make excuses for what went wrong, how the unexpected happened, how someone let him down, how circumstances worked against him.
But the reality is that the external things do not stop people. Those who achieve their dreams don’t have an easier path than those who do not. They just have a different internal attitude about the journey. The great artist Leonardo da Vinci once declared, “Obstacles cannot crush me. Every obstacle yields to stern resolve. He who is fixed on a star does not change his mind.”
The one who achieves the dream sees the journey differently.
Instead of thinking, “Not enough people believe in me. I’ll never make it,” he says,

“My belief in myself is enough; I can make it.”

Instead of, “It’s taking too long to realize my dream,” she reminds herself,

“Dreams are realized one day at a time.”

Rather than, “Enough is enough! I’ve taken enough hits!” she declares,

“I’ve come too far to give up now.”

Instead of, “I don’t have the strength to hold onto my dream,” he tells himself,

“Hold on a little longer. The darkest hour comes just before the dawn.”

Novelist Harriet Beecher Stowe said, “When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.”
And I love how H.E. Jensen expressed an achiever’s way of thinking: “The man who wins may have been counted out several times, but he didn’t hear the referee.” The only real guarantee for failure is to stop trying.
So when things go wrong, when the obstacles seem too great, when the difficulties get to be too much, when your dream seems to be impossibly far away, your job is to simply keep going. If you stop, it won’t be because of what happens around you. It will be because of what happens in you. Choose to see things differently. Success is probably closer than you think. Just keep moving forward."

Dare...Boldly 2011: Dare to Believe Boldly

Can you Dare to Believe Boldly that there is a Savior and was sent to this earth to live among us?
Can you Dare to Believe Boldly that this Savior, who was sinless, yet died a sinners death?
Can you Dare to Believe Boldly that this Savior died so that we may live?  for all eternity.  He loves us that much!
Can you Dare to Believe Boldly that this Savior not only died, but rose again on the third day, conquering death for all time.  Death could not hold Him.
He is Risen!

He isn't here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying.

Matthew 28:6 NLT
It is this Risen Savior that gives me strength...a warriors strength.

Dare...Boldly:   Dare to Believe

Dare...Boldly 2011: "No Surrender!" T-102 Determined

a lesson in learning how to think today: In my conversations with Carlos DeJesus today.

I am Determined!

It is set in the mind to go forward unwavering without fear, doubt, or discouragement.

I won’t Surrender!  I can’t Surrender!  Surrender is not part of my vocabulary.

 

Surrender:  to give (oneself) up to some influence, course, emotion, etc.:

to give up, abandon, or relinquish (comfort, hope, etc.).

 

Determined:

de-ter (de tur) , to frighten: see TERROR to keep or discourage (a person, group, or nation) from doing something by instilling fear, anxiety, doubt, etc.

mind --set one's mind on to be determined on or determinedly desirous of

de-ter-mined (-mnd) adj.    1 having one's mind made up; decided; resolved   2 resolute; unwavering --de-termined-ly adv.  --de-termined-ness n.

of unwavering mind; resolute; firm 

             

Is to be determined to be the opposite of being deterred?

Yes,  but look at the word deter

de-ter (de tur) , to frighten: see TERROR to keep or discourage (a person, group, or nation) from doing something by instilling fear, anxiety, doubt, etc.

It means,(to me) to go forward without fear, terror, doubt or discouragement- which can distract ( and rob) from the set goal- very important.

To NOT be deterred!  is to be full of belief and faith.

Yes, and look at where we are to make that choice- in the mind. Having a mind that will not be deterred!

 

"Be transformed by the renewing of your mind"

I realize this is the day, because I no longer feel afraid!

 

Pretty powerful stuff.

Dare...Boldly 2011: "No Surrender!" T-103 Commitment

Commitment - DOING the thing you said you would do long after the MOOD to do it has passed

That is transformation.
yesterday was cardio and abs.
Today, muscle C.
I press on daily.
I remain focused.
I remain determined.

Seems like I should run away
‘Cause life has hitten me in the face
Hey, hey, but I’m here
And I’ll never surrender to fear
Retreating, be defeated no way
‘Cause I can’t, I can’t.
I’m stronger, I’m a fighter!
But I’m so focused and I’m so driven
I gotta make the best out of this life for living
Can't be the winner if I surrender,
I won’t surrender, I can’t surrender.
I realize this is the day
‘Cause I no longer feel afraid
I can fight through the pain
‘Cause I know something's gonna change
I see the haters standing around
So I know I gotta make a count
Get ready for war, I’m standing my ground
No matter the score, I’ll never back down

Seems like I should run away
‘Cause life has hitten me in the face

Not today, not today.

No Surrender!

Dare...Boldly 2011: "No Surrender!" T-106

Dare…Boldly 2011: “No Surrender!” T- 106

In 106 days I will be flying out to Australia to meet my good friend, Sharon.  It is my goal to be in the best shape of my life on that day. 

But this mission will not come by way of only a physique transformation.  It will entail all of me: mind, soul, body.

Any true transformation does not come by way of just the physical.  It all starts in the mind. 

What we think, we speak.  What we speak, we believe.  What we believe, we become.

And this works both ways, positively and negatively.  I can testify on both sides.  I have done both.  Believe me, the positive results are much better and worth the effort and so much more rewarding!

So this mission is all about doing just that – thinking, speaking, believing and being.  I will not Surrender to the negative way of thinking that I have been so accustomed to most of my life.  The past year I have been thinking, speaking, believing for this trip to Australia to be a reality. And it is.  Tickets are purchased, Passport is in hand.

Now I will use the same thinking, speaking, believing to achieve my physique goals and Be that person I see in my mind. 

 

It’s time to rev up the Engine!

 

Workout done.  meals eaten.

Dare...Boldly 2011: "No Surrender!" T-110

Dream your dream and live it in your mind and you can watch it become your reality.

 

At the beginning of the year I posted up about “Daring…Boldly.”  Daring to Believe Boldly.  Daring to Dream Boldly.  Daring to Think Boldly.  Daring to Live Boldly.  Daring to Pray Boldly.

But my thinking, believing, dreaming, praying boldly was met with opposition.  As it was meant to.  If you are to dare…boldly, you have to expect to be put to the test.  Daring…Boldly requires faith.  Faith is to believe something that is not as though it were.  To not surrender to the fear.  To not live in defeat.   Daring…Boldly is to Not Surrender! 

 

Since May 2010 I have believed boldly for a trip to Australia to go see my friend, Sharon.  My faith was put to the test.  The goal was to save a little bit of money each month for about 14 months.  But the savings was cut short due to some financial strain.  For several months I had no idea where the money would come from.  I was trusting that It would be there.  As the days moved forward I would fight the doubt and that somehow it would come.  And it did!

Tuesday night, the reality of my dream was one step closer.  I have purchased my ticket to Australia!

 

I have been dreaming this dream for nearly a year.  I have been living this dream in my mind for nearly a year.  I am now watching it become my reality! 

 

I had a dream in my mind.  I thought about it every day.  I could put emotion to it and could feel the dream in my heart.  I believed in my heart that it would happen.  It was happening in my mind already.  All I needed to do was have faith that what I have been dreaming would become a reality.  It was already real in my mind, in my heart.  Even when things didn’t look like it was going the “right” way, I believed that somehow it would just be.  Even when doubts would creep in I let my faith take hold and declared it was to be.  I kept saying, “It is a done deal.  I am already there.”  I did not surrender to what my circumstances said.

 

I have a definite goal…a Photo shoot ready body.  This is my “comp”.  I have an image in my mind.  An image of a strong, confident, muscular Warrior Woman.  It is not any other person’s body, it is mine.  I see myself.

 

And now, I have a definite goal end date…August 1, 2011.  The day I fly out to Australia. 

 

I have huge emotions attached to this goal.  It is the culmination of a dream, of faith, of belief…of not surrendering to doubt, fear, or circumstances.

But this goal is not just about a photo shoot or even a trip to Australia.  It is about giving it my all.  It is about Inspiration.  It is about being inspired.  It is about all the emotion that comes with this trip to Australia.  It is personal.  It is about becoming more than I ever dreamed I could possibly be…not just physically, but spiritually and mentally.  It is about rising above my circumstances and overcoming the trials of life.

 

This goal will require focus, drive, determination, intensity, and strength of heart, mind and spirit.  It will require a “No surrender!” attitude. 

 

“This is the day, because I no longer feel afraid!”

 

This video I made for Sharon and the song fires me up.  It empowers me. It Inspires me!  It will be my anthem for this mission to Oz.

Dare to Think Boldly!

Dare to Dream Boldly!

Dare to Believe Boldly!

Dare to Pray Boldly!

Dare to Live Boldly!

 

NO SURRENDER!!  T-110 days!

Inpiring video

Talk about inspiring?  I have to share with you all a video I made for my Aussie friend, Sharon.  Despite going through some tough personal crap this past year, she has been busting her butt getting back into shape and has worked her way down to a four-pack and has nailed her Senior Brown Belt grading in March.  I made a video from her pics from her grading.  It so fits her and her journey up to this point.
Every time I watch this video I made for her I get inspired.  It fires me up!  I've got 113 days to get that photo shoot ready body for my trip to Australia to visit Sharon in August.
It is going to be a challenge, but I am a Warrior!!   I will focus on the positive and will focus on words of Life!!  I will not be waving my (white) Flag anytime soon, either.  Not in this physical challenge, nor in my life challenges.  Every challenge I face is making me stronger!!  I am thankful for my challenges.  They are growing me into a new person.  I am being Transformed!!  a continual process.

Song: "Never Wave My Flag" by Mary Mary

I will post up updates soon to my next "mission"

Comparison Pics

Super quick post....comparison pics.  tummy is way, way flatter!! My weight has gone from 161 lbs  down to 154.5 lbs. in the past 1 1/2 weeks.  But, I have more work to do! I need to Reshape my whole body.  Some body fat has gone, but the muscle gains need to improve. I think I am close to where I was "pre-Muscle" (from my "mission 3" from nov. 2009-to feb.2010)
I am getting some new "fire" in my belly.
My trip to Australia has been confirmed(like I always knew it would!), so I have some major muscle building and "ripping" needed to get done.  I have 122 days.