Showing posts with label challenge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label challenge. Show all posts

Thursday, January 13, 2022

Acceptance is a Gift 💝

Ahhhhh denial, it is a fun place to visit but not a great place to live.

Acceptance is certainly by no means an easy destination to travel to 🚙

First of all, there is usually not a clear roadmap 🧭 and defiantly no app with GPS that will easily guide us there, letting us know the best route, where the traffic is and perhaps where to stop and take breaks along the way…… I am sure that this app is in the works and maybe it is here and I do not know it. If it is, please let me know 😌

Acceptance is one of those road trips where you have to let go, sometimes meander, pay attention to the signs 🪧 and your surroundings and let the destination find you at the right time. It cannot be forced or pre planned.

It is a journey that will not be in a comfy first class airline seat ✈️ or high end luxury vehicle 🏎 and you cannot source it out to a Lyft or Uber to take you there. 

This journey is one that needs to be done step by step 🪜 one day or one minute at a time. You don’t get to pack, so you will need to muster up all the resilience, adaptability, and support you can along the way. It will be very uncomfortable, you often won’t recognize the beautiful spots along the way. At points this journey may be disheartening and darn right tortuous.

I do assure you though, once you arrive and you WILL ARRIVE, your SUFFERING will end and PEACE ☮️ will be restored. You will look back and see the journey in a whole new light 💡 It will be one of knowing, clarity and wisdom that will change your soul and your life forever. If I could tell you the who, what, why, where, when and the how I would as It crushes me to see people suffer………actually, I would not tell you. This journey is yours to be taken and in the end will be your gift 💝 …..your gift to yourself.I know, I know, you think I am being sadistic. The gift will be the metamorphic change that you will experience and your gift to others if you choose to share it. Share what you have learned and help those along the way find a little comfort knowing that they too can and will get to the other side and reach their destination .

Small steps 🐾 my friends, let people help along the way, use your resources, have faith in yourself, others and if you believe in a higher power have faith in your higher power. Be open and adaptable, have compassion for yourself and the situation/person and buckle up……..you will get to BIG THINGS.

I send you so much 💕 and 💡 

Would love to hear your stories of acceptance, thoughts or how you do acceptance :-). This is just my personal roadmap I thought I would share 

If looking for a quick pick me up check us out on Instagram @ Doggslife 

Monday, April 5, 2021

You Won!

You won!  Those two magic words.... or are they???

What if I was never at war with you?  Who really wins anyway and what is winning?

What if we both could win and be on the same team?


Winning is such an arbitrary and subjective word.

Wouldn’t it be better if we could all just take a step back, breathe and figure out what we are all looking for and find a way where we can meet in the middle and all get our needs met?


If we are being honest, aren’t we all just looking to be heard, understood and loved and valued for who we are?


The truth is, it is probably easier to have knee jerk reactions, stand by and defend our long held beliefs and convictions then to take the time to listen, absorb, educate, look at all points of view and then formulate a reaction, plan or stance.

Those things all take time, patience, an open mind and willingness to maybe even be and admit being wrong.........wait whaaattttttt???? Yup, I said it ....there is a possibility that you are wrong! 

Would you be surprised to know that when you are wrong you can actually be right? 

If you are willing to be wrong, you might just find there is a better way, a new idea, belief, thought process that is better than what you previously thought.


All that being said, a first step the next time you find yourself wanting to “win” a disagreement is:


Stop (imagine the person as their child self ...it is hard to be mad at a child)

Don’t React 

Listen


And see if there are more similarities than differences, or maybe what someone is saying actually makes sense. You may just find you are on the same side and fighting for the same things ...they are just wrapped in difference packages:)


I dare you :)


Take the first step, you might find yourself pleasantly surprised and that everyone ‘Wins”


XOXO








Saturday, March 20, 2021

Maybe Good Enough is Enough

How many times do we put things off until we can get it right, do it right, not make a mistake....and so on and so on.  We torture ourselves over the minutia and the procrastination, the overwhelm that can just lead to apathy and then nothing happens :(

What if good enough is enough??? What if just taking one step towards doing one thing on that project your putting off or that task that needs to be done or that email you need to write??? 

What if you take one tiny step? If might not be the perfect step but it is the one that puts you in motion... it is the one that starts the process of kinetic energy. I am not sure why or how I remember that a body in motion stays in motion and a body at rest stays at rest....trust me I am no physicist ... I don’t even know if that is a principle of physics :-) If there was only a device I could quickly look that up on...oh yes there is and it is ...wow, I did learn something in school;):);)

What I do know is that once you start moving, it makes it much easier to continue to move and next thing you know you look back and accomplish something and it FEELS GREAT! 

Take this quick blog post today .... it started with one word, one concept and kept going until now.  It is not perfect but it is something.

So I ask you .... what is one step you could take?  You don’t know....if you did know, what would it be?

Take the step, I dare you .... then let us know what it was and we can celebrate together!!!!

Xoxo


Happy First Day of Spring






Saturday, September 26, 2015

Letting Go

Sometimes, things, jobs, relationships just run their course.  We try and hold on to these things and really they are just holding us.  Why is it in life we are so scared to let go and terrified to let life's changes happen?
If one looks back in their life, most doors closed do open another more spectacular door.
The more we grip on the more we lose our grip.  The truth is, that sometimes it is just over or time to let go :(
As sad as that can be to come to terms with, it is often a true test to our character and a growth experience that most frequently can lead to the better.  One must walk through the sadness to emerge out the other side as a more beautiful and fulfilled soul and spirit.
I do not suggest that it will be easy by any stretch of the imagination! Depending on what one is letting go of, the harder it can be.  What I do know is, the more we fight it, the longer we stay in the sadness.
I have to remind myself to have faith, be open, be mindful, try and put things in perspective and learn what I can from the experience, when I can.

Be kind to yourselves and others. Take the Small Steps, so you can get to the Big Things :):);)

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Tr

I am back :) Been remiss in uodating the Tri Status. Since finishing Santa Barbara Tri, I have completed three additonal since. Long Beach, Seal Beach and Race the Base (Reverse Tri - Very Fun)!

Each race has been an adventure, many learning lessons but most of all given me a sense of accomplishment.

The act of signing up for your next event keeps you motivated to train and push yourself.  I have just signed up to return to the crime scene, Santa Barbara, where it all began.

I look forward to updating you all on the event - gonna go for a ride right now :):):)

Keep taking Small Steps to achieve Big Things - share your small steps with us.

If you are looking for some fun workout wear visit us at doggslife.com







Sunday, September 15, 2013

Road to First Mini Triathlon

I can't believe how long it has been since I have posted!  Well, here it is:

Completed month 3 of training.  Took to Ocean water swimming much better than I thought.  The wetsuit really gives you an edge with staying afloat which to me, helps with peace of mind.  As the month goes by and life gets so busy it was hard to keep up the training, however, it was kept up.

Made it to morning of first Tri -- Santa Barbara 500 M swim, 6 Mile Bike and 2 Mile Run.  Wake up time was 4:30 am, to leave hotel at 5am for 5:30 am arrival at race via bike.  Got adorned with gear -- didn't have to put on make up which is always a treat and trotted bike (new bike by the way - Red, Felt Z4 -- love it!) down the hallway and stairs.  We (my husband and I) jumped on our bikes in the dark and started our ride.  It was a beautiful, serene morning ride which took about 20 minutes.  As we arrived to the bib pick up, the excitement starts to brew.  Not too many people there yet so we really got to savor the experience.
Got in the tiny line, gave my name and got my packet.  Pulled out my timing chip, had it checked and was good to go.  We sat down with our coffees (wow, do they know how to get the tourist dollar on that) and went though our packets -- this is it, it is really the day we have been working up to.  Put my number sticker on my helmet and bike, bib number on my race belt and did a little pre race relax.

About 6:30am, time to go into the Transition area and set up first transition -- very exciting as I had never done this before.  Got into the area early and my sis and I were able to set up next to each other.  We marked our lane with chalk at the end so we knew where to run into as the area can get very full and confusing.  We mounted our bikes on the rack (btw, just watch other people set up and you will figure it out:)) set out our little towel,  shoes, helmet, gloves, wetsuit and  **note to self next time a water bucket for feet.

More people are starting to pour in -- we are in the women's only division so our transition area all women -- all seem very cool.  There were teams of moms, daughter/mother teams, young people, older people, super fit people and peeps that didn't appear super fit.  None the less, very exciting and a little scary all at the same time.  As my husband was in the co-ed division, his race started before ours.  As we were standing and waiting for him to come out of the water there was a guy next to me that was wet and in his wetsuit and I said, "Wow, did you finish already?"  He replied, "No, I had to quit mid swim because I couldn't breathe".  Needless to say, I was glad my sister didn't hear this as she was already very anxious about the swim portions as many are, including myself.  I chose not to chat with this man further as I didn't want it to mess with my head.

7:45 am, time to head to the beach to start this monumental experience.  All wet-suited up (I chose sleeveless option as sleeves make me feel constricted), colored swim cap on and standing in front of the Big Blue Ocean -- wholly cow, we are really gonna do this thing!  My sis and I chose to let other people run down first and we would take our time.  Many people go in the water first to acclimate to it, I like to just run, jump in and go.
There it is, the blow horn, Game Time!!!! Running into the water with all these people at the same time is a wild and weird feeling.  The water is chilly but the excitement overrides the cool temperature. In my head I am thinking how surreal this is, all these feet around me kicking away.  You can feel that waves around you, moving you about-- it is weird.  As you are swimming you have to manage your energy, your thoughts going through your head -- it is sort of frantic yet peaceful at the same time.  I swam by a little school of fish, made sure I kept sighting so I didn't end up in Catalina and stayed on the correct side of the buoy's.  About half way through I remember thinking how cool this experience is and that it is not as hard as I thought it would be.  I cannot put into words what an amazing feeling it is to round the buoy as you are swimming back towards the beach to finish the swim!  The feeling that rivals swimming into the shore is when you are running out, up the beach -- people are cheering and telling you good job and in my head I am joyful, proud and thanking God that I just completed the swim portion of the event.  It brings a little tear to my eye as I sit here and recount the experience.  Btw, another note to self, remember to smile as you exit the water so your pictures don't make you look like you are struggling on the toilet :-).

Running up the sand and into the transition area -- my head is racing with thoughts of completing the swim and thinking onto the bike and what do I have to do next?  Get to the bike, soaking wet as I strip off my wetsuit, shaking with excitement.  Soak my feet in someone else's water bucket (sorry).  Dry my feet, put on my cycling shorts (another learned lesson, next time need a tri suit! Look at me already talking about next time :)), put on running shoes, helmet and grab bike and start running bike out of transition area (you have to walk or run it, No riding bike in T area). Ooooops, bike comes to sudden stop as I forgot I hung race belt on wheel and it got stuck.  Had to spend time to get it unstuck which is not good as the transition time all counts against your overall time.

As I get bike out of T area and hop on for the ride the feeling of exhilaration is so overwhelming I almost start to cry --- I can't believe that I am doing this.  The ride is a little more hilly than I anticipated and it is an open course.  I am cruising along and thinking "I got this" only to be held up by someone running on the course, a lady with her car in the middle of the road and not moving it and people riding in the middle not staying to the right.  All in all though, it was a decent ride and as you approach the Transition area to dismount the bike the feelings of exhilaration return.

Ahhh, now the dreaded run portion.  I like to jog and at my own pace.......running for speed anymore is not my favorite thing to do.  Run bike back to T area, mount the bike, take off helmet, and go! It is such a weird feeling going from bike to running -- your legs feel wobbly and unstable.  I trek out one foot unstably in front of the other. In my mind I am thinking, this is it - 2 miles and then I have completed my First Mini Tri!  I trudge along down the bike path.  It is starting to warm up -- I just keep putting one foot in front of the other.  I keep thinking I want to run faster but I don't want to run out of energy.  I run past a lady and her husband, people pass me -- in my head I just keep telling myself, keep going, this is it.  There it is........the loop to turn back!  I am on my way.  As I approach the shoot to go across the finish line, I think to myself to savor this experience as it is almost over. As I run into the shoot I start to turn up the heat and run as fast as I can to get myself over the finish line -- here it is, the moment of truth...........I raise my hands into the air, let out a scream and cross the finish line!!!!!! :):);)  They say your name over the loud speaker as you cross and you know you have done it! I get my timing chip removed, my finishers medal is placed proudly upon me and I have completed a new challenge that I set out to achieve.  This is AWESOME!!!!!!!!!

On the heels (no pun) of the excitement, elation, and sheer proudness -- we now decide to do Long Beach Tri next, 800 M swim, 11 Mile Bike and 3 Mile run.

For anyone thinking of taking on the challenge, I recommend it highly!!!!!!!


Saturday, July 27, 2013

Road to First Mini Triathlon

7/26/13

Wow how the time is flying by!  Finished month two training in North Carolina and Baltimore.  Between the hotel gyms and the Lakes in Carolina I was able to keep up my training regimen. The lake swim was good practice.  Need to do ocean next.

Have now completed week one of month 3.  I did a bike ride today with hills and have learned that after two weeks of no hill training it definitely shows.  I had to actually stop for a second and catch my breath.  Went farther and longer than I thought despite wanting to stop a couple times -- I am glad I did as I got to see a bunny, the top of Friendship Park and raced a squirrel (the squirrel won).

I have found that I am starting to shift into competitive mode instead of the original mission which was just to have fun and complete the task -- not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing, I will keep you posted :):);)