What if no one cares?

ACCOUNTABILITY

It seems we need this to stick with something that we don't enjoy.

I have felt (countless times) that LACK of accountability. And what happens when I don't have anyone to hold me accountable? I fall. I fail. I make excuses. I quit. I slack. I don't measure up to any expectations, especially when NO expectations have been set. 

I often have a pity party inside my head! I frequently find myself saying, 

"Well, no one else cares if I fail. I have done it before, and NO ONE cared. Why does it matter what I look like, anyway? I am still a good {wife, mom, friend, sister, daughter} even if I don't fit into those goal jeans or hit my goal weight. 

WHY DOES IT MATTER?

NO ONE ELSE CARES? 

WHY SHOULD I?"

After time and time again of struggling through this mindset, this thought came to me just yesterday. I reversed the question and asked myself:

 "IF I DON'T CARE ABOUT MYSELF, 

WHY SHOULD ANYONE ELSE?"

This was a tough reality check. 

Why do I worry so much about what others think and try to please everyone else?

The person I should worry most about is myself. After all, I am the one who has to look at myself in the mirror. Am I proud or ashamed of the choices I have made? 

So where should the expectations come from? 

They should come from within. What is it YOU want and desire? And how bad do you want it?

Expect more from yourself. Not because you are not good enough RIGHT NOW, but because you are capable of SO MUCH MORE!!!! Much more than you ever give yourself credit for. 

Do it for YOU. And no one else. Because you are worth it. 

Don't get me wrong, this is NOT an easy task. 

We all need constant reminders.

Can you count yourself as your own accountability? Your level of commitment depends on your level of desire to grow and become better. 

But guess what? No matter how much you think no one else cares, there is always Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ that will care for you no matter what. They also want you to do your best and become your best. Challenge yourself. Improve your skills and mindset. We are here to learn and grow, NOT JUST SURVIVE.

It seems that through struggles, we are brought to our knees in humility and broken heart, which then draws us closer to God and we will then become spiritually stronger. 

We all have a purpose and a place in this life. There is no doubt in my mind that each one of us is unique and we each play an important part here on earth. 

This new favorite song of mine portrays JUST THAT!!!!!

Read the powerful words, then LISTEN to the song and FEEL of it's truthfulness <3

There are times when

you might feel aimless

and can't see the places 

where you belong.

but you will find that 

there is a purpose

it's been there within you all along

and when you're near it, 

you can almost hear it.

It's like a symphony

Just keep listening

and pretty soon you'll start 

to figure out your part.

Everyone plays a piece

And there are melodies

in each one of us.

It's Glorious!

And you will know how

to let it ring out

As you discover who you are

Others around you will start to wake up

To the sounds that are in their hearts

It's so amazing

What we're all creating.

It's like a symphony

Just keep listening

and pretty soon you'll start 

to figure out your part.

Everyone plays a piece

And there are melodies

in each one of us.

It's Glorious!

Listen to GLORIOUS by David Archuletta

"Focus your energy on the things that really matter! There will always be distractions that will keep you from achieving your goals. Don't give in to them. How have you increased your skills, knowledge, abilities, or income in the past 90 days? Do you really expect to be successful, given how you are using the majority of your time, resources and skills?

Are you spending time with people who can enhance and enrich your life? What are you doing to take your life to the next level? Will your current efforts make the next 90 days even more successful than what you just experienced? Be honest with your assessment. Don't play games with yourself. Remember ~ if you don't have an agenda for your life...you will be a part of someone else's agenda. You have GREATNESS within you!" -Les Brown

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Do you have a VISION for your life?

A few years ago I was obese with no goals for my life.

I was content with being "average" and blending in with the masses. 

I didn't ever do anything extraordinary or go out of my way to serve others. 

In fact, I rarely left the house because I just didn't have the energy 

or confidence to do much. 

We lived paycheck to paycheck, struggled with money and finances, yet I thought I was happy and healthy because money and looks didn't really matter much in life anyway, right? I had healthy blood pressure and didn't suffer with anxiety or depression, 

so I was doing good.... 

or so I thought.

So if I was doing "good" then why did I feel so bad? Why was I full of disappointment every morning when I got dressed? Why did I hate looking in the mirror and feel very uncomfortable with myself in public. My self esteem was low and that affected every aspect of my life. Yet, I didn't realize it. I used the idea that "I am just shy" to explain my discomfort around others. 

My dreams were diminishing and I was making excuses for my lack of effort. 

It was easier to do nothing, so that's what I did.

Well, needless to say, doing nothing got me, well, nowhere....

I began a weightloss journey in July 2011 and within 10 months I lost over 70 pounds, I had set and achieved goals, I was crushing my workouts and feeling MORE ALIVE THAN EVER!!! It was exciting and I was motivated by my goals and dreams!

I admit, however that toward the end of 2013, I lost sight of my goals and became overwhelmed. Due to lack of continuing my own personal progression and development, I lost belief and I actually threw away my dream board from 2012. 

It was a sad time, and is still sad when I think about how much momentum I LOST by letting my fear and excuses take over.

Then I was reintroduced to the idea of letting my dreams back into my life in 2014!

I had FOUND my excitement and passion again!!! 

Do you know what the bridge between having NO motivation 

and taking ACTION to becoming unstoppable? 

I found that with that passion and bigger purpose, I began to set goals and create that vision again for what I wanted to achieve. Those goals were BIG enough to DRIVE me into action!!! 

Why was I SUPER motivated in 2012, but lost that in 2013 and gained weight back?

And how did I go from doing NOTHING with NO DRIVE or excitement, to once again finding my passion and motivation and knowing now how to make it a lifestyle change....? 

I NOW KNOW that it is.... VISION!!!

MY DREAMS are coming alive again! 

Last year I had convinced myself that I wasn't meant to be great. It took a LOT of excuses to make me believe that my dreams meant nothing. After all, it was my purpose in life, right? To NOT focus on making myself better. (sense my sarcasm).  

I have spent much time contemplating on what I want most in life. I created MY dream board and vision for what drives me. Everyone has different dreams. What drives me may not drive you. That's OKAY and GREAT! YOU have goals specific to your passion and purpose. My job is to help you find that!Once you find your dream and purpose, you tie it to actions that you can take today. Then simple every day choices become easy. You simply ask yourself, "Does this get me closer of further away from my ultimate 

vision I want for my life?"

Think about it... Most people don't fail because they WANT to fail. They fail because they don't know how to succeed. They don't know where they are headed, so they just wander around making choices "in the NOW" and don't consider the consequences. 

People want to succeed. They have just forgotten how to dream. 

They have hit "survival mode" and are barely holding their head above water.

Dreams and visions give them a platform of FRESH air! 

Anything is possible with HOPE.

These dreams on my dream board here SCARE ME, but I know that I have belief and passion that surpass my fears. 

Thank you for letting me share them with you and learn and grow with you!

A video from me "WHAT IS A DREAM ANYWAY?"

click HERE to watch from a mobile device

I would love to hear what you think. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE share your dreams with me and with others. 

Never stop dreaming. 

We NEED more dreamers in this world! A dreamer is a DOER! There are enough people on the sidelines! What we need are people who are willing to work to make a DIFFERENCE and get in the GAME! Are you waiting for permission to pursue your dreams? Well HERE IT IS!!! Go after them and Don't stop til they become reality!

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Finding your WHY

When making a change for the better, you MUST have a reason for wanting to make that change. 

Especially if the change is not easy. 

Especially if it takes effort and time.

Especially if you may not see the changes right away.

Your WHY has to be powerful enough to see you through the times when you want to quit. It has to be strong enough to PULL you up when all you want to do is lie down. 

In my journey to losing weight, there have been plenty of times that I don't see results immediately and feel like my efforts are not making any difference. For one who has never really been into "working out" or "dieting", sticking with this has been tough. I have had to learn and relearn different things that work for me (and don't really work for me). WHY do I continue to press on, even through the tough times when I don't "feel" like doing it anymore? 

It is because I decided from the very beginning that I wanted to be a good example for my family to follow. I want to SHOW them that anything is possible with persistence and determination. But more importantly, I want to be healthy for THEM! I want to LIVE to its fullest, and be able to create lively memories for them. I can honestly say that when I was obese, there were MANY things that I couldn't do. I didn't let my weight or physical appearance hold me back from loving myself, who I was, my purpose as a wife and mother, or belief in myself. However, the physical aspects of being obese held me back from being able to do many things. Like walk up the stairs without being out of breath... yeah. That was me. I couldn't run to keep up with my children. In fact, if I had to run to save my life, I would die. Hahaha! I noticed before that I was constantly tired. Energy was hard to come by no matter how much sleep I got. I lacked drive and motivation to do anything productive. Although I never doubted my self worth, I still was disappointed in myself as I would look in the mirror and see someone I wasn't sure I recognized. I wasn't proud of that. I try to teach my daughters to love themselves no matter what, but the truth is, when you aren't doing your best to keep up with your health, there is a sense of disappointment that comes.

This is where my WHY gets even deeper. I look at my oldest daughter who is now 9 years old. You know those tween years when they start to believe the things that others tell them? They see pictures of models and begin to take in the world's definition of what beauty is? It scares me to death thinking about my daughter not loving herself the way I love her. Embracing every aspect of how amazingly wonderful and beautiful she is not matter what she looks like. I want her to KNOW, without a doubt, that her body is something to appreciate. It is a miracle that was given to her and she needs to take care of it. I truly believe that by me being that positive example, she will learn that. By showing her that her health does matter because her body is a miracle that needs to be taken care of, she will learn to appreciate the blessing of health and put forth more conscious effort to treat it properly. 

The same goes for my younger two children as they grow. 

This is a lifestyle change that I am making for them. Not because I want to "look" good or be "skinny". But because I want them to be proud of the accomplishments that we have made together.

I am motivated by the memories we have YET to create. 
I am motivated by the legacy of love I want to leave. 
I am motivated by the fact that taking care of my health NOW, I can live LONGER and have more TIME with loved ones. 

The question now is what motivates you?

More importantly, WHY? 
Why does it even matter?

Once you find that DRIVING FORCE, you are UNSTOPPABLE! 

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