Monday, October 26

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE


 Several years ago I accompanied my son to Peru where we hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.

(www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6DULNriI8g
And you can read about this adventure in my latest book, A Year in a Suitcase, available on evolvetolive.com.)

After nearly escaping with my life (too old… out of shape… late start in the day...) I was beyond exhausted when we got back to our room for the night.

My son was the only one in the group who wanted to hike Wayna Picchu the next morning. (Taller mountain in the back).

It seemed like a feat that was simply out of the question for myself. But when I asked the guide if she thought that I could make it, she said something to me that I remember vividly to this day; ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE! I've come to really appreciate those three words in my life.

Yes… anything is possible and with her kind words, I got up the next morning at four and made it to the top! Why… because ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!

So that brings me to the present day in my life. I decided to run a triathlon. Seems crazy, but its a baby one and it will give me a reason to make conscious choices each day about my health. Come and join us! Evolve to Live is going to have a team. May 6 and 7th 2016  in Sahuarita, AZ!


Monday, October 19

EVALUATE: ADAPT AND EVOLVE!

While researching how to develop a success media campaign, I ran across a young company from Scotland and their advice really hit home with me. EVALUATE: ADAPT AND EVOLVE! It really resonated with me because its how ETL got its start. A young priest said to me, "Evolve or die!" And after much contemplation my sentiments became, "You have to evolve if you want to truly live!"

I could see how I could I apply this philosophy not only to my business but that I could also use it in my personal life.

IN BUSINESS: I've been doing ETL since 2011 and haven't made a profit. Now, I've lived a life that I wouldn't have changed one thing about, but as far as growing ETL, it's time to EVALUATE: ADAPT AND EVOLVE!

PERSONALLY: After having time to think about what my aunt said, "You got fat!" I decided to EVALUATE: ADAPT AND EVOLVE! Evaluate: How is what I'm doing working for me? Adapt: what can I do that will help me make some changes in my life? Evolve: How can I implement them in a way that makes sense in my life right now… today?

My conclusion: Now that I've been able (relatively so) to accept my body exactly how it was created to be… can I consciously make decisions about my health… meaning body, mind and soul? And how can I implement staying awake and present in each moment in a balanced way that makes sense?

I'm going to run a triathlon! Why? WHY NOT?




Monday, October 12

SELF ACCEPTANCE - PART 2

Learning to love myself… every inch… exactly how I am in any given moment didn't come easy… and it's still an on-going challenge.

A few years ago I lived in beautiful spanish style home that was completely secluded in southern Arizona. Because the summer's are so hot and I didn't have the funds to use the air conditioner, it gave me an opportunity to practice loving me… all of me on a daily basis. 

I quickly found out that if you don't use artificial cooling and you don't wear clothes… you weren't hot. So that summer I spent in the nude. 

And there I was… in my face… all day… ME! ALL of ME! For me to see… and experience the judgments that I had developed over the years about myself and my body. 

And then… I even took it one step further. I told my daughter… "I'd watch porn, but I'm afraid I'll die and you children will find it on my computer!" She assured me that it was more popular than my little conservative mind could imagine and gave me a site to explore. 

This was a short lived experiment for me, but it was very revealing. I could witness my resistance and explore my childhood abuse issues from another view point. But mostly what it did for me, was to see the bodies of other women and see that I wasn't any different… better or worse… than any of them. I had the same parts and they were being loved (perception) exactly how they were. Could I do the same for myself? 

So when my aunt blurted out last week You got fat! (Previous post) It was a gift. Simply an opportunity to see how I felt about it. Yes… I had gained weight… now that it was said out loud and I wasn't offended or hurt, I wondered if I could explore another avenue of being conscious and in choice about how I want to move forward in my life.  Whatever I decide to do in the future… eat… exercise… or not…. can I do it consciously? That's my next plan! 

We plan and God laughs!

Monday, October 5

SELF ACCEPTANCE PART 1


I had to laugh during a recent visit with my 83-year old aunt whom I hadn't seen in over a year. With the innocence of a child, she blurted out, You got fat! 

I reflected back to the writing of my now published, third book, A Year in a Suitcase. As I read back in my journals I had written about my astonishment to the fact that my weight had risen to new heights! During this time, I weighed more than when I delivered any one of my four children! Really? How could that be? How could I have let that happen…. to me?

Like many women, I had been weight conscious and even athletic in my younger years. It wasn’t until my life began to shift in a direction that I was unfamiliar with and all I could do, literally, was to remind myself to wake up and breathe through each moment. I didn’t care about anything else. I couldn’t care about anything else! When I finally began to emerge from The Dark Night of the Soul… I was in disbelief. Was this really my body? Oh how it had changed. I became a bit more aware and conscious of what I was putting in my mouth but I still wasn’t motivated to do much else about it.

While away on a trip, a book caught my attention. It was taken of brave women showing their tastefully exposed naked bodies. The title…. This is Who I Am…. I instantly knew that I would like to make a book titled…. This is My Body…. it is NOT Who I am!

My aunt had given me a gift, an opportunity to take another look at accepting myself exactly how I am. Can I love me… every inch of me without judgment? Can I be in choice? Can I consciously decide what I put into my mouth and enjoy it without guilt? Can I enjoy what I choose to put into my mouth without making excuses or punishing myself at a later date using the excuse, I ate/drank too much. When I get home… I have to fast/run…whatever punishment seems appropriate!


Certainly I want to be as healthy and look as good as possible. However, it seems as important to accept, love and make peace with me… exactly how I am.