"Can You Take Back Your Power and Trust Your Process?"

Who Is Behind Your Wheel?

My summer is soon to end, and I fell short of my commitment to create a post at least once a month. I am a bit bummed because, I actually started a post last month planning to complete and post it before the first...and, I come to find out today that apparently my work was not saved. It was my desire to share and facilitate self-reflection about taking action in your life, yet surrendering to your Higher Power, and trusting your process. I guess and I choose to trust today's words will be more meaningful to my readers, than my previous draft.

I'd like to suggest retrieving a memory of a time when you may have rode your bike with no hands, and also the last time you chose to drive your vehicle on cruise control??? Explore what your purpose was in your experience . Did you have a destination, and if so, where were you headed? Can you recall your environment, your thoughts, and your feelings???

When I reflect on riding my bike when I was young with no hands, I know fear was an emotion upfont. I recall my love of nature, adventure, the sun beaming down on me, a the wind blowing against me. My purpose and destination was to face my fear, push through my limits, and accomplish riding my bike with no hands from point A to B. Was I scared? Heck yeah! Did I know for a fact I would not stumble? No. Fear itself, can become so crippling in life! Life is a process. Our path is a journey; and along our journey we have destinations...we create our stop and go. No one walks a perfectly  straight path. We all make mistakes, stumble, and fall.

"Failure provides you with a great opportunity to decide how much you really want something. Will you give up? Or will you dig deeper, commit more, work harder, learn, and get better?" (Jon Gordon)

Do you coast when you use cruise control, or have you ever tried it? I recently took a road trip and used my cruise control. My destination was Austin, and I was focused on the road ahead of me. I glided with speed, freedom, and caution for changes on the road. This analogy for me, can have a double meaning...Do you coast through your life, going through your habitual motions? Or, do you live with passion, adventure, take risk, and take control of your setbacks??? You see, I believe that we live in a state of continuous change. One may feel and perceive that they have hit a plateau or experience tunnel vision in their life...however, if you are not taking baby steps forward, you are in fact slowly drifting backwards. So, choosing to be lukewarm and to coast within your comfort zone does not guarantee a life with upgrades.

My second perception of when one chooses to utilize cruise control is as follows:  they surrender to a set speed, release their control over the accelerator, and steer the direction to which they desire to move.  For me, I align this to my journey with walking in Faith.

We are all given a free will. You make a conscience choice to ignite the engine to you car each time you desire to drive somewhere. Along our journey and flow through life, we will have many paths and destinations to choose to pursue. Exercising our free will in choice is expressed through the story we choose to write about in our lives.Our choices last, and our actions that follow create who we become. The speed to which one chooses to flow through life can create a world of impatience. In America we live in such a fast pace, "gotta get'er done" mentality, that we live in a constant flux of instant gratification. We want and we want it now...However, our God extends to us an offer of a personal relationship with him. So just as we keep our hands on the steering wheel in our vehicle, we are free to accept or reject God, good, or evil. When we choose to surrender to God's timing and steer our lives in a direction of good, that is when we receive our clarity and blessings in life.

In conclusion, no matter what life circumstance you are facing...I encourage slowing down for self-reflection. Life gives us warning signs, and no success is worth losing your health to. Blurry things, uncertainty, being lukewarm, and drifting backwards all can change and be brought into focus. We must TRUST the process and timing of our God. We must seek clarity and take ACTION.

With all this I ask, " What story will you choose to write about your life, and what masterpiece will you create in your life???"

Note: Below is a clipping I chose from Pinterest for a Transformation Workout Plan. High Intensity training being my favorite mode...I share with you. Execute with caution and at your own risk. Enjoy!

What is Your Life Masterpiece?

So here I am in the midst of my summer break; my first time off in several years. Before it even arrived, my mind was busy with ideas of work I could offer with my time off. Well, apparently the good Lord had something else in store! 

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

I am grateful for this time to rejuvenate, relax, and self-reflect..."What does my life masterpiece look like? Am I being the best version of myself?" One thing is for sure...without my own personal health, I cannot work on my masterpiece. I cannot share my craft or give to others as my heart desires, if I am not being the best version of myself first! 

"What is your life masterpiece? What does your life look like when you are at your healthiest, strongest, and best? What does your family, work, and relationships look like? What matters most? What drives you each day?" (Jon Gordon)

These powerful questions and many more will be resourceful for your self discovery and progress forward... I have a developed a good habit of seeking and life learning; however, I have horrible habit of not always completing my studies. My attention span and excitement tend to get scattered and I struggle at times with focusing on one thing at a time. This summer I am reading a few books at once, and have continuing education for both my teaching position, and as a trainer. 

So, lets return to my topic of reflection and purpose. "Whom or what do you invest most your time in?

What craft do you have to share? Whom do you choose to surround yourself with? In what areas of your life do you desire change and transformation?"

Let us question and meditate daily... "What will it take today for me to be my best version: physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually?" (Matthew Kelly)

God calls us to empty ourselves so that He can fill us up. His will of us being the best version of ourselves does not come easy. However, the more we empty and open up to His guidance...the more we will receive.

Whatever obstacles and challenges you may be facing... pause, reflect, seek clarity, and act! My ongoing life challenge, separate from my bodily disease, is my nutrition. I am currently studying Nutrition Periodization. Our filed of nutrition is constantly changing as our diet fads our exhausting. 

I have always lived a very active lifestyle, and until recently, usually separated my activities from my nutrition intake. Well, that was not smart of me and that light-bulb moment occurred in my studies. Nutrition should support a person's physical activity and provide the body with the necessary nutrients at the right times to support positive physiological adaptation . The new focus should be, "eat to train, don't train to eat." Rather than thinking of food as a reward or an enemy, the nutrition periodization program serves as an ally to achieve health, fitness, and performance goals. 

Your nutrition intake should support the body's energy needs associated with the different exercise volume and intensity variables throughout your year to elicit positive physiological responses (Bob Seebohar). So, I approach this new train of thought with action exploring my changes to share. I encourage you to explore..."Does your food intake support your life variables?"

Here is a diagram for body weight exercises to get you going... enjoy!