What Would You Do If You Knew You Could Not Fail

What Would You Attempt If You Knew You Could Not Fail:
I bought this magnet 2 summers ago when I was on top of the world.

Funny what can change with time. I may not be on top of the world anymore in more ways than one, but I know everyday that I keep on keepin on ... I am getting closer to the person I want to be again and closer to getting to where I want to be.

In the past six weeks a group of us has committed to a paleo challenge, a life changing challenge that has transformed my body and mind. We all talk about it together at crossfit and we all mention how we could never go back to eating the way we used to.

If not for this challenge I would not feel as good as I do. If not for this challenge I would not be getting stronger every day. Funny how a simple food challenge can help shape the beginning of the year 2013.

Crossfit mantra I found a few months ago.
1.) Finish: if you start something commit to finishing it. Finish what you start, in the gym, in your relationships, friendships, in the house, at work. It isn't always easy peasy. Don't give up when it gets hard. You will be happier in the end when you finish.

2.) Take a Break: Its okay to rest. Its okay to take a day and sleep or leave the dishes until tomorrow. Be good to yourself, your body and your mind.

3.) Go Easy on Yourself: We are human, we have good days and days that by noon we` wish would end. Sometimes we PR a press that seemed totally unreachable.  Then there are days you can't even press a weight that had been easy for you last week. What we eat, how we sleep (or don't for me lately), hormones, moods, life - they all affect us differently each day. Give yourself a break and get after it the next day.

4.) One at a Time: If you have a giant pile of crap to do or so many reps it seems like you will never FINISH.  Do one thing at a time. Cross it off your list. Do one rep at a time. You can always dig deep enough for more rep. There will always a pile of... crap to do the next day. So take it one day at a time. Finish that day and put it away.

5.) You will say shit that you never thought would come out of your mouth: Having an entire conversation with people about Paleo, spreading your knowledge and passion about how great you feel and how everyone should try it. ... Never thought that would be me. I even have my mom trying parts of paleo.
The other day I was practicing my one handed handstands... Yep I said it. Yep I love it!

6.) Setbacks happen: We are human, we are not perfect, we can only push ourselves so far. Some weeks we take three steps back just to go two steps forward. In life there are obstacles and we have to overcome them. We will get blisters from pullups, we will get rope burns from double under attempts.

7.) Be Humble: There is ALWAYS going to be someone faster, stronger, better. Someone is going to lose more weight than me.. or you. And it is human nature to compare yourself to them or that one person in the gym. But know that you / and I have come along we each day from where we used to be. The day will come when someone tells you I want to be just like you, you will be the one who rows a 1:45 500 m row, you will be the one helping someone do what you could not days/weeks/ or months before.

The real specifics of this hangs on my fridge. I look at it every morning... well every time i go in the fridge. Sometimes you just need to remind yourself of the 7 simple principles to help you get through each day.

I finally got on the scale after 4 weeks and the progress was good and healthy. Although the "challenge" ends this weekend. I am going to stay strict paleo until March 16th. If I can stay sober for 10 weeks I can stay strict paleo. I am a virgo I love challenges, I love being persistent to a fault. More importantly I love what I have discovered in the past 6 weeks about myself.

A PLEDGE OF SUCCESS

"Today is a new day, a new beginning.
It has been given to me as a new gift.
I can either use it or throw it away.
What I can do today will affect me tomorrow.
I cannot blame anyone but myself if I do not succeed.
I promise to use this day to the fullest
by giving my best, realizing it can never come back again.
This is my life and I choose to make it a success."

This is a mantra I first read at my restaurant Agave in Newburyport, MA. It moved me the first time I read it and has moved most people who stop and read the inspiring quote.  Some people take a picture of it, some people just turn and around say that is awesome. 
I read some where that a young girl was assigned as a homework assignment to memorize this mantra and to be able to recite it the next day in class. If a little girl can memorize something so meaningful, I think i can too and I think I can recite it every morning. This affects your outlook at your job, at crossfit, in your relationships with friend and families, in your community. In your life.
Strive to be a better person than you are today. Strive to be a person you can look up to. 

Digesting Eat Pray Love 1

To find the balance you want, this is what you must become. You must keep your feet grounded so firmly on the earth that it's like you have 4 legs instead of 2. That way, you can stay in the world. But you must stop looking at the world through your head. You must look through your heart, instead. That way, you will know God.

I took a moment today to step away from work. Work for me is a binge i am on a 23 day binge without a day off. lately i work to survive. It is not a way of life I enjoy.
I am currently reading Eat Pray Love and took my "lunch break" to sit in a near by park to break away from my binge and enjoy the sun, the earth, the noise of children in the summer and let my mind be somewhere else. I am in the first "chapter" of the book. The above quote comes from when the main character goes to Bali and visits a medicine man and she asks for the clarity of letting god into her life and how to balance it with the distractions of the world. I am not necessarily saying I am becoming religious or event spiritual at this time but finding balance has always been a constant struggle. I even had a conversation about balance with my mother this morning. I would like to practice this mantra. I am going to make a conscious effort to do so. I have a feeling there will be many lessons learned about life, love and career in Eat Pray Love.