I ran across another entry from my senior year scrapbook while I was taking my trip down memory lane last week. This entry was a list of 50 things I wanted to accomplish before I died. These are the things I've accomplished so far:
1. Go Skydiving - Side note...NEVER go sky diving in January. If it's 32 degrees on the ground...just imagine what the temperature is 2 miles in the sky!!
2. Go on a mission trip - lots more to come of this.
3. Run a 1/2 marathon - Running number 3 in December.
4. Go on a Cruise - 2 to date. Still want to do an Alaskan cruise.
5. Visit the Bahamas - beautiful!!
6. Visit Another Country - lived in London for a mini-semester at Samford and backpacked through Italy...8 cities in 13 days!
7. Dye my hair a different color - what color hasn't my hair been now?
8. Go Rock Climbing - done indoors and outdoors. Working on getting over my fear of heights.
9. Coach a team - 5 year olds are the CUTEST soccer players ever. Loved them.
10. Take kickboxing classes - took a semester of karate as one of my PE's in college...close enough, right?
10 things in 10 years?!? Not too shabby. BUT...that means there are STILL 40 things left to do. In the next 10 years, here are the top 10 things I hope to mark off the list:
1. Participate in a Triathlon
2. Hike part of the Appalachian Trail
3. Take a vacation to Hawaii
4. Ride in a Hot Air Balloon
5. Hike through the Grand Canyon
6. Swim with a dolphin
7. Fly in a helicopter
8. Get married
9. Write a book
10. Own my own business
When I made this list 10 years ago, I had no clue I would seriously be capable of completing so many things on this list. Maybe my subconscious knew I'd grow into this competitive/goal oriented/driven/passionate person. Maybe God was giving me signs of things to look forward to in my future. Makes me want to keep my eyes open wider and be more aware of my current thoughts and surroundings now...they are probably shaping my future...
Monday, October 24, 2011
Friday, October 21, 2011
Things Change...
So...I'm quickly approaching my 10 year high school reunion (!!) and I decided to take a trip down memory lane, and pulled out my senior year scrapbook. I created the scrapbook as a part of senior year english class - each entry having a written entry...almost blog like. (Dont know if blogs existed then, or if they did - you were quirky if you had a blog.)
One of the entries that caught my eye - Things I Love and Things I Hate.
It crazy how God is molding me into a new person...a large portion of the things on the "I hate" list are things that DEFINE me now, things that make me who I am...in 2001 theses were the things I hated:
*The color green. (Seriously?!? That's my favorite color...ask anyone. I have a green bedspread, green living room rug, green office chair, green coffee tumbler, waterbottle and protein shaker, green computer, green workout headband, etc.)
*Having people see me without make-up on. (It's a rare treat if you see me WITH makeup on these days...I'm completely comfortable with a naked face.)
*Sea Food. (Love it!! Paleo has changed my eating and I eat seafood at least once a week!)
*Being in charge of planning an event. (In college I was the social director and step sing director of my sorority. In the working world I was on every single professional organization possible. I love helping plan crossfit events, throwing birthday parties/showers, organizing book clubs. Any reason to gather people together...I love being the ringleader.)
*Cleaning. (I love to clean. It's calming. It makes me feel accomplished and I love coming home to a clean house or getting into a freshly made bed. I'm OCD now about cleanly-ness. Cannot go to bed with dishes in the sink or laundry in the wash.)
*Speaking to/or leading a group. (Very ironic. My previous job was a SALES position. I was paid to talk to people. I'm now a coach. Still being paid to talk to and lead people. I love it...I'm driven by the knowledge of making a difference by my words. The larger the group the better.)
*Reading. (OMG...I still cannot believe this one. In 2009 I set a goal to read a book a week. That year I accomplished reading 45 books - pretty darn close. I now read a book every other week. I love to read - it helps me relax, teaches me, challenges me, inspires me, and sometimes even humbles me.)
*Studying. (Granted I'm not in school anymore, BUT I seek knowledge now. I think this one goes along with reading...and I love to read/study about life. I study The Word, I study about crossfit, and I study about nutrition. I've even thought about going back to school for nutritional counseling...yeah, that would definitely require studying.)
*Walking down the hall and having someone knock me over. (I'm not sure what I meant by this...BUT I'm reading into it and I dont think I was very confident. I probably didnt hold my shoulders high, didnt own my personality. I'm extremely confident now and walk proud.)
*Seeing people cry. (Ask anyone (!!)...I cry more than any female should cry. I cry at commercials, I cry when others cry, I cry when I'm excited, I cry when I'm tired. I'm completely ok with myself and others crying. I am very aware of my emotions and I often expose them more than some.)
*Trying to lose weight. (I dont try to lose weight now...I dont even weigh myself - except when it's a WOD where I have to lift a % of my body weight. I've learned that "diets" dont work, nor do I even use that word...I've made lifestyle changes to my eating habits and have become comfortable in my own skin. It's about how you FEEL from what you're eating...it shouldnt be a battle, you should enjoy the foods you consume.)
*Stress. (This is kind of an oxymoron...I still hate stress, BUT I thrive on stress. I thrive when I have a jam packed day moving from one thing to the next. I excel when I have a lot going on vs. sitting stationary. I would rather have too much going on than be bored with myself.)
A few things that havn't changed that I STILL hate...
*Taco Bell
*Oreos
*Mayonnaise
*Seeing a dead bug on the floor
*Buying gas (who doesnt hate this?!)
*Being sick
*Procrastination (I HATE to be late!!)
*Panty lines with workout pants
*Popularity
Almost the entire "I love" list is still true. I guess I'm learning a lot about opening up to loving everything about my life...I pray I continue to find ways to move those items on my "hate" list to the "love" list. There is a plan to God's work...and he's unveiling the layers of myself and my life to me one year at a time. In 10 years from now I hope to look back and continue to laugh about how I've changed and and how there is a method in HIS madness.
"There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness."
Friedrich Nietzsche, "On Reading and Writing"German philosopher (1844 - 1900)
One of the entries that caught my eye - Things I Love and Things I Hate.
It crazy how God is molding me into a new person...a large portion of the things on the "I hate" list are things that DEFINE me now, things that make me who I am...in 2001 theses were the things I hated:
*The color green. (Seriously?!? That's my favorite color...ask anyone. I have a green bedspread, green living room rug, green office chair, green coffee tumbler, waterbottle and protein shaker, green computer, green workout headband, etc.)
*Having people see me without make-up on. (It's a rare treat if you see me WITH makeup on these days...I'm completely comfortable with a naked face.)
*Sea Food. (Love it!! Paleo has changed my eating and I eat seafood at least once a week!)
*Being in charge of planning an event. (In college I was the social director and step sing director of my sorority. In the working world I was on every single professional organization possible. I love helping plan crossfit events, throwing birthday parties/showers, organizing book clubs. Any reason to gather people together...I love being the ringleader.)
*Cleaning. (I love to clean. It's calming. It makes me feel accomplished and I love coming home to a clean house or getting into a freshly made bed. I'm OCD now about cleanly-ness. Cannot go to bed with dishes in the sink or laundry in the wash.)
*Speaking to/or leading a group. (Very ironic. My previous job was a SALES position. I was paid to talk to people. I'm now a coach. Still being paid to talk to and lead people. I love it...I'm driven by the knowledge of making a difference by my words. The larger the group the better.)
*Reading. (OMG...I still cannot believe this one. In 2009 I set a goal to read a book a week. That year I accomplished reading 45 books - pretty darn close. I now read a book every other week. I love to read - it helps me relax, teaches me, challenges me, inspires me, and sometimes even humbles me.)
*Studying. (Granted I'm not in school anymore, BUT I seek knowledge now. I think this one goes along with reading...and I love to read/study about life. I study The Word, I study about crossfit, and I study about nutrition. I've even thought about going back to school for nutritional counseling...yeah, that would definitely require studying.)
*Walking down the hall and having someone knock me over. (I'm not sure what I meant by this...BUT I'm reading into it and I dont think I was very confident. I probably didnt hold my shoulders high, didnt own my personality. I'm extremely confident now and walk proud.)
*Seeing people cry. (Ask anyone (!!)...I cry more than any female should cry. I cry at commercials, I cry when others cry, I cry when I'm excited, I cry when I'm tired. I'm completely ok with myself and others crying. I am very aware of my emotions and I often expose them more than some.)
*Trying to lose weight. (I dont try to lose weight now...I dont even weigh myself - except when it's a WOD where I have to lift a % of my body weight. I've learned that "diets" dont work, nor do I even use that word...I've made lifestyle changes to my eating habits and have become comfortable in my own skin. It's about how you FEEL from what you're eating...it shouldnt be a battle, you should enjoy the foods you consume.)
*Stress. (This is kind of an oxymoron...I still hate stress, BUT I thrive on stress. I thrive when I have a jam packed day moving from one thing to the next. I excel when I have a lot going on vs. sitting stationary. I would rather have too much going on than be bored with myself.)
A few things that havn't changed that I STILL hate...
*Taco Bell
*Oreos
*Mayonnaise
*Seeing a dead bug on the floor
*Buying gas (who doesnt hate this?!)
*Being sick
*Procrastination (I HATE to be late!!)
*Panty lines with workout pants
*Popularity
Almost the entire "I love" list is still true. I guess I'm learning a lot about opening up to loving everything about my life...I pray I continue to find ways to move those items on my "hate" list to the "love" list. There is a plan to God's work...and he's unveiling the layers of myself and my life to me one year at a time. In 10 years from now I hope to look back and continue to laugh about how I've changed and and how there is a method in HIS madness.
"There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness."
Friedrich Nietzsche, "On Reading and Writing"German philosopher (1844 - 1900)
Monday, October 3, 2011
Random Ramblings
So much for blogging once a week, right? It's been a month. A MONTH since I last blogged. I make a promise that I will get it together and be more dedicated to my blog. I blog when I have something (in my opinion) profound to say...and recently, I just have been complaining. I'm pretty frustrated with myself.
Not that it's an excuse, but I got completely overwhelmed with my life...reality set in. I had a week about 3 weeks ago where I cried every day. EVERY day for 7 days straight. The reality that my life is compeltely different than it use to be slapped me in the face. Hard. I got scared I had made a HUGE mistake by moving back, by quitting my job. I got scared and I got selfish. I had a few days where all I did was bitch to other people (anyone who would listen really) about how my life was overwhelming and stressful and I didnt know if I could do it. Then I had lunch with a friend who brought everything back full circle. "Chelsey - do you have any debt?" "No." "Do you have school loans or a car payment?" "No." "Do you have a mortgage? Do you have kids to care for? Do you at least HAVE a job? Do you have friends and family that will support you?" The list went on and on. After listening to my friend and drying my red, puffy eyes....I realized I was being selfish.
The whole reason for my move was I wanted to feel more satisfied in life. What made me feel satisfied? Serving others and making a difference!! And there I was feeling sorry for myself because I was tired and I was overworked and I felt financially strained and I felt pulled in a million directions. BUT when serving others, it's NOT about me and my needs...it's about getting the job done and knowing at the end of the day I made a difference. I was SO wrapped up in my own stress that I failed to see the difference I was making on others. And I WAS making a difference...just oblivious to those that I was touching.
I had dinner with a friend early last week, followed by coffee with a different friend the following morning where in BOTH conversations we talked about INTENTION. Intention and purpose. I have since changed my attitidue about everything. The first thing I do EVERY morning when I wake up is set my intention for that day. I literally lay there in my bed, staring at my ceiling and meditate on my day. What is my goal? What do I hope to accomplish? Who do I plan to touch? What will make that day satisfying? Then as I walk (run, stretch, talk, lift, etc) through my day I think about my intention. Is my intention being reached? It's crazy...I am still tired and I do feel stressed some days, but I'm totally ok with it because I've met my goal for that day. And when you set yourself up for success (achieving that intention) and focus less on the negative, you feel so much better about life. Who knew all I needed was an honest conversation with a friend to remind me it's not about me? She is one of the most self-less person's I've ever met and I'm so grateful to have her in my life. It is my intention to find more friends like her.
I've been coaching a 101 (crossfit fundamentals class) at ITF Homewood the past month and received a special facebook message from one of the girls in the class the other day...literaly made me cry. It said: "I loved talking to you today. I can tell you are a special person and God has his hand on your life. I am proud of you going after what you love. You are awesome." Message's like that are the nuggets of goodness that remind me to do what I love and love what I do. That day and those moving forward remind me that when I focus on others, they notice and it will return back to me.
Same feeling happened this weekend at Tribe Quest. I HATED not being able to compete with everyone!! BUT it was such an amazing feeling judging and coaching everyone through the grueling WOD's. Had I not done my part that day on the organizational side, the members would not have had as enjoyable of an experience. I felt so proud listening to everyone rave about how much fun they had and how well organized the event was. It was about a team effort and had the ITF staff not been a team and served the members that day, the event would not have been such a success. I honestly think I had MORE fun judging than I would have competing as an individual, go figure.
The ONE area where I'd like to have internal focus on MYSELF is my study in the Word and commitment to prayer. I have found myself SO tired recently that I dont read the bible or say prayers as much as I use to. I'm physically and mentally so tired that I neglect the one who should give me strength? Ironic...
If I could use any moments where I'd like to feel selfish and shift them to focus on God's purpose for me and how he can effect/change/guide my life I think I'd be even better at serving others. I would really like to set my intention to have God time each day. I absolutely HAVE 15 minutes a day I can spare that I can devote to Him, his teachings and how to improve myself through Him. I pray that through dedication to this ONLY selfish moment in my life, that I will feel more energy to pay it forward to others. Like Gandhi said "Be the change you wish to see in the world."
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