Change Your Life based on What YOU WANT!!!

                Good Morning Universe.  Here we are at the end of January 2013 and I am Proud to say that I have been sticking to my intentions for 2013.

                Those people who have followed my writings know that I spoke about my intentions for 2013 at the start of this year.  One of my biggest intentions for 2013 was eating better and exercising on a regular basis.

                One of the goals I desired to reach for this year was to weight loss.  Honestly, who hasn’t made the New Years Resolution to “Get Healthy” and “Lose Weight” at least once in their life.  I know I have made that resolution more than once, but I never really kept it.

                I have lost weight before in my life, the problem was that I didn’t lose weight in a healthy way.  In the past when I have focused on losing weight it was focused on the motto, “whatever way I can lose weight is Fine for Me.”

                This negative model for weight loss encouraged negative behaviors like, starvation, use of drugs that caused weight loss, or just plain unhealthy eating.  I was not focused on Long Term success.  I wanted results, and I wanted them NOW!!!

                As many of you know if you make significant changes in your lifestyle based on Negative Desires, you lose sight of the Real Goal.  The Real Goal is long term success and happiness, shortcuts just won’t stick.

                The difference between how I am achieving my goals now as compared to the past is that I have recognized where my true desire is.  Before now I just wanted to be Skinny so other people would find me more attractive or be envious of me.  Today I am more focused on how I FEEL ABOUT MYSELF, not how OTHER FEEL ABOUT ME.

                This is a MAJOR shift in my perspective, and has resulted in AMAZING RESULTS.  When I focused more on the worth other people assigned to me, I neglected the most important part of TRUE CHANGE.  True and lasting change in your attitude and behavior is only Successful and Fulfilling if it comes from YOU.

                It doesn’t matter what other people think about you.  What matters most is What You Think About Yourself.  If you are Operating from Love and not harming others you will see a path laid out for you that is More Amazing then you could ever picture.

                I am proud to share my journey with you, and hope that each of you will see the true value of Loving yourself and sharing that Love with the World.

To The Universe

Love Brandy

Commitment to Work, Commitment to Workout….I AM READY!!!

                Good Morning Universe, I am ready to make a long term financial commitment.  Ok it’s a gym membership, but that HUGE for me.

                I have spoken about my path to better health and fitness over the past few years.  This year I have even made my weight loss goals public knowledge.  Letting others know how much I currently weigh and my goal to be under 200lbs by July 4^th was a HUGE STEP.

                Now I am ready to make another HUGE STEP.  I am ready to join a gym, and to get the best deal I have to commit to a monthly payment every month for 24months.

 

                How do I know I am ready?  Well I started out taking baby steps.  Last year I started walking and paying more attention to my diet.  This year I committed to measurable goals and sharing those goals with others in order to hold myself accountable.

               

                I also didn’t run out and join a gym on New Years Day.  I put exercise into my daily routine and made sure I could stay committed without the pressure of a 2year financial commitment on top of the physical commitment.

                I have tried working out in a gym in my twenties, but I didn’t stick with it.  At the time I had big dreams, but had no idea how to put them into action and how to stay committed.  Long Term Commitment can be difficult, it starts with one step but it DEMANDS that you keep moving.

                The problem was that I didn’t ease myself into the changes I wanted to implement.  I jumped in without a support system and when the initial excitement wore off I realized all the work ahead and became so intimidated and fearful that I gave up.

                Now that I have been taking “baby steps” towards change, I realize that as long as I keep moving forward I WILL succeed.  I don’t have to be so worried.   I only have to remember how I got to the top of Lone Mountain the first time.  I got to the top ONE STEP AT A TIME….

To The Universe

Love Brandy

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What do you Feed your Body? What do you Feed your Soul?

                Good morning Monday, I am glad to see you.  Wow, I just said I am glad to see a Monday and that is new for me.  I think I am glad to see the start to a new week because it means an end to last week.

                Last week wasn’t all bad, just Sunday.  I did not feel well yesterday, I was tired, my body felt bad, and emotionally I just felt off.  It was like a trifecta of bad feelings that cultivated to make Sunday a rough day for me.

                We all have bad days, but I realized that I needed to know what made me feel so bad.  If it was just an average sickness like the flu or a cough that would be easy to understand, but with The Trifecta I needed to know the causes.  If I knew the causes then I can try to avoid those bad feelings and actions next time.

                Trying to find the cause of our emotional and physical state of mind is important.  This is part of The Work and The Practice we need in order to grow.  If we never try to understand our Negativity we can never learn how to work through it and spend the Majority of our lives in LOVE.

                This is what my self-reflection about this weekend has led me to realize.  I was feeling crappy because I didn’t sleep well.   I can remedy that by focusing back on my regular sleep schedule.  I was feeling crappy because I overate on Saturday night and Sunday morning.  I can remedy that by paying more attention to my diet when I get busy or go out to eat. 

I was feeling crappy from guilt.  I had indulged and it led to a tummy ache, then I let my guilt toy with my emotions.  What I should’ve done is recognize where I went wrong then forgiven myself.  Holding onto negativity can spread from your mind into your body, and Trust Me that feels doubly crappy. 

What you put in to your body and your soul is often what you get back.  If you feed yourself positivity and healthy affirmations, that’s what you get back.  What are YOU Feeding Your Body and Soul?

To The Universe

Love Brandy

Do Something Different, Nutty, Silly…It’s Friday Let Loose your HAPPY!!!

                I just finished reading an article about letting your inner child come out and play.  It basically touted the benefits of remembering the simplicity and joy that children often experience, but doing this as an adult.

                One of the people who was referenced in this article carries around a bottle of bubbles.  You remember these, a little colored plastic bottle with the round ended stick you blow into…then POOF, bubbles come out.

                Blowing bubbles was so simple, so fun, and so amazing as a child.  So why don’t we include some simple, silly, and happy things like this into our lives as adults?  Speaking of bubbles when was the last time you blew a Bubble Gum Bubble so big it popped?  Simple happiness at it’s Best!!!

                I wonder how much stress, unhappiness, apathy, and negativity could be avoided just by including some silliness or child-like innocence and wonder into EVERY Day of Our Lives. 

                Maybe you think that this is immature or a waste of time.  If you really feel that way then I think you are probably one of the people most in need of some silliness in your life.  Don’t take yourself too seriously, it’s bad for your health.

                I KNOW that being silly, dancing around when no one is looking and other activities like this can reduce stress and increase your happiness.  Give it a try.  What do you have to lose?  Don’t just trudge through your life…LIVE YOUR LIFE TO THE FULLEST!!!

To The Universe

Love Brandy

What are YOU INSPIRED BY?

                Of all the questions we pose to ourselves everyday, I am pretty sure that MOST People don’t ask themselves this.  People spend most of their days focused on basic questions.  Questions like, “Which route to work has less traffic?”  “What should I make for dinner?” “Do I look good in these jeans?”

                The smaller questions we pose to ourselves daily are a major part of our ability to function in society and they often can form how we process information about ourselves and our environment.

  

                The problem is that when we focus on basic information and feelings we can often forget to question who we are right now, and who we want to be in the future.

                Ask Yourself, how often do you REALLY CONSIDER what your inspiration is.  The answer should come from deep inside yourself.  A comprehensive answer to what inspires you requires contemplation and the ability to draw your answers from deep within your heart.

                Some things that inspire you are obvious, like friends and family or something beautiful in nature.  These are great, but the more you can identify what inspires you the more you can draw on those emotions in times of need.

                I am inspired by my family and friends.  My mother is filled with SO MUCH LOVE and KINDNESS she inspires me.  My Best Friend is a FIGHTER in the face of a deadly illness, he has survived and thrived since the 90’s.  My father and his fiancé Susan have a vision to Heal the World with Love and Accountability, and I share that vision.

               These people are obvious answers to who inspires me, but this neglects the question, WHAT INSPIRES ME.  The WHAT is so important because you can’t live your life through or for other people.  It is YOU who must walk your path and at sometimes you may be alone.  What will keep you inspired and moving forward when you are alone?

                Some of my personal inspirations are very simple.  I Love Cloud formations, they make my heart smile.  I LOVE when my dogs get SO EXCITED to see me that they run around in circles so fast I can hardly see them.  I LOVE the feeling I get from hiking, it can be painful during the workout, but the beautiful nature I see and the pride upon completion is AMAZING.

 

                These are just some of the people, places, and things that Inspire Me.  What things Inspire You?  Write a list, keep it handy if necessary then when life starts to get you down take out “Your Inspirations” and draw them into your heart.

To The Universe

Love Brandy

Big Project….Don’t Know Where to Start…Just JUMP IN!!!

                I am scared today.  I am Intimidated today.  I am a little lost today.  Whew, now that I got that negativity out of the way I can FOCUS, right?  If it were only that easy to say your feelings out loud and then…Poof, they would disappear.  Oh well it was worth a try.

                Honestly my negativity hasn’t completely gone away, but I ACTUALLY do feel better having expressed my feelings out loud.  I know that those feelings are still inside me, but now that I have Acknowledged them I don’t have to dwell in them.

                If I am to move past my negative thoughts and emotions the first step is to acknowledge them, otherwise how can I Really Know what to work on.  Without acknowledgement the only other option is to bury my negativity, and BURYING NEGATIVITY is only a temporary fix.  When you Bury feelings they ALWAYS come back to Bite You in the BUTT, and they come back with a vengeance.

                Now that I have decided to JUST JUMP IN, I know that I am on the right track.  I wrote the first part of this blog a few days ago and two things have happened to reinforce my decision to JUMP IN.

                 First off this morning I was reading a Blog written by Jenna Hall posted on The Daily Love website where she said, “A way cannot be made if you do not move. If you wait until you are ready, you will never begin.”  BAM!!!!  That hit me like a ton of bricks, procrastination can be the killer of our dreams.  Fear of not being perfect can COMPLETELY Stop us from moving forward, from creating, from living our dreams.

                I used to live in FEAR and ANXIETY about the “what if’s” in my life and I was stuck and unhappy.  A path cannot be made if you do not move. If you keep waiting until you are Absolutely Sure Everything is Perfect, you may never begin.  Now I constantly strive to MOVE, maybe I won’t always be moving forward, maybe i’ll stumble and fall, BUT I WILL ALWAYS BE MOVING.

                The second reason I KNOW I am on the right track is that the writer’s block that kept me COMPLETELY STAGNANT over the weekend, has lifted.  I have been creating not only my Blog but making good progress with content creation for The Elevate Institute’s Mastering Love program.  I JUMPED IN to the project I am dedicated to and I have been rewarded.

                What projects, tasks, desires, and dreams have you been putting off for FEAR of Jumping IN?  If you don’t feel comfortable JUMPING IN, are you willing to at least step forward into your future?

To The Universe

Love Brandy  

Don't be AFRAID of Life...Experience IT!!!

                I am afraid of more things than I would like to admit.  The fears that I am talking about today aren’t the run of the mill fears like “heights” or “the dark.”  The fears I am referring to are the fears we harbor about our lives and our future.

                Our natural instincts have evolved from fear.  Fear is how we have kept our species alive over the millennia, but natural fears for our personal safety are different then the fears we harbor that hold us back from living a GREAT LIFE.

            When we let the natural instinct of fear override our lives and thoughts, we never truly live.  If we turn tail and run away every time we are fearful, that will become our norm.  Every new experience would be wrought with anxiety for fear of how it will turn out.  This Fear would in turn rule our lives and prevent happiness and light from entering our souls.

            The trick is to find out which fears are necessary and which fears need to be examined and thrown away.  Try thinking of our fears as instinct, not reaction.  We all know that humans have instincts that are good and bad.  But society has taught us how to control and use our instincts to better ourselves and those around us. 

For instance, our instinct when are tired is to rest.  Though to fit into our society we don’t just walk into any house and go to sleep.  So why can we control our “restful” instincts but believe we can’t control our fear.  We Can Control and Use our Fears to Grow.

            It’s a slow process but to grow you must acknowledge your fears and shed the belief that everything bad you fear will happen to you.  If you can’t shed your fear and negative belief, how will you ever experience GREAT NEW THINGS. 

Try to take your fears captive and turn them into something positive, something beautiful, or just dismiss them altogether.  The less fear you have in your heart, the more room you have for happiness and love to grow in your heart.

To The Universe

LOVE BRANDY