So I just finished YET another book for the month of January (we’re up to 6 books finished now). It was called The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. I borrowed the book from Corinne – thanks so much girlie!! – and figured it would maybe bring a little happiness to my life. I, like the author, don’t have anything to NOT be happy about…we are both just looking for the same thing. MORE happiness. Gretchen chronicles her adventures during a twelve month test drive of the wisdom of the ages, current scientific research, and lessons from popular culture about how to be happier.
She didn’t have the option to uproot herself (as I did…moving to Birmingham 5 months ago), nor did she really want to; instead she focused on improving her life as it was. Each month she tackled a new set of resolutions: give proofs of love, ask for help, find more fun, keep a gratitude notebook, and forget about results. She immersed herself in principles set forth by all manner of experts from Thoreau to Oprah to the Dalai Lama to see what worked best for her – and what didn’t. Her conclusions are sometimes surprising – she finds that money CAN buy happiness, when spent wisely; that novelty and challenge are powerful sources of happiness; that “treating” yourself can make you feel worse; that venting bad feelings doesn’t relieve them; that the very smallest of changes can make the biggest difference – and they range from the practical to the profound.
Gretchen, meaning to or not, challenged me to look at my life…my happiness…and see where I could adopt some of her resolutions – and create some of my own. By breaking each month into a specific focused topic (Vitality, Marriage, Work, Parenthood, Leisure, Friendship, Money, Eternity, Books, Mindfulness, Attitude and Happiness) she was able to set obtainable resolutions. We often times, in January, set very lofty New Year’s resolutions…only to disregard them come February or March. With The Happiness Project, each month brought new challenges and new adventures. As I read through each month, I became more and more convinced THIS was the way to set resolutions I could actually stick with.
At the beginning of the book, Gretchen created the “Twelve Commandments” for her life in which to live by…when she struggled with a resolution, she always resorted back to her commandments – making sure she was staying true to herself and what was ultimately the most important.
She inspired me to come up with my own Commandments for myself:
1. Be Chelsey.
2. Enjoy the process.
3. Identify the problem.
4. Stay in touch.
5. Give thanks: for the ordinary and the extraordinary.
6. Be loving and love will find you.
7. Let go, let God.
8. Give without limits, give without expectations.
9. Act the way I want to feel.
10. This too shall pass.
11. Be the kind of woman I want my daughters to be.
12. Do it now.
Now that I have my commandments…it’s time to tackle the resolutions. I have adopted a few of Gretchen’s resolutions I feel will make my life happier…
*Go to sleep earlier. I get maybe 6-7 hours of sleep a night…I get home from work, get distracted and start reading, or emailing, or facebooking, or cleaning, or a horrible combination of ALL of these things. I am making a concerted effort to be in bed by 10pm every night. With this resolution comes her suggestion of the “10 minute tidy up”…taking 10 minutes each night to get clothes prepared for the next day, wash dishes, organize the mail stack, etc. JUST 10 minutes. I’ve done my tidy up each night and I wake up refreshed because I don’t have to run around like a crazy person that next morning when the alarm goes off at 5am; it’s already taken care of…which means I don’t lay in bed at night thinking about the tiny tasks that start piling up every day.
*Don’t expect praise or appreciation. Remember how in elementary school receiving a gold star if you did something good? Well, grown up life is sometimes not like that…we often times go searching for that proverbial gold star and feel disappointed when no one “rewards” up for something good we’ve done. My gold start needs only to be that feeling of accomplishment within myself.
*Give proofs of love. I love my friends and sometimes I don’t show it as often as I’d like. I really want to tackle the task of hand written letters, “happy” presents just because, messages just to say hello and quality time with no purpose other than to show my love for my friends.
*Launch a blog. Well…technically that’s already taken care of, duh. BUT I’d like to be more active on my blog. Gretchen recommended writing EVERY day to make your blog worthwhile to my readers, and ultimately to myself. I talked in an earlier blog about having a chronological account of my life…well, here it is.
*Enjoy now. I often times get too caught up in thinking about the future to enjoy the moment…I typically live by a planner – it’s in my purse (with my green pen, duh) and I’ve been trying to reference it less often. Just enjoy the present.
*Take time for projects. I have an artsy side…not sure if a lot of people know that. I went to college for interior design and was a practicing registered interior designer for almost 4 years. My favorite class in college was a tossup between art history (of which I think I look 3 or 4 classes) and photography. In college I should have bought stock in Hobby Lobby with how much money I gave them. Since having a career change and being disconnected to the artistic world, I rarely take time to release my creative juices. I love scrapbooks, home-made crafts, paintings, etc. I just never make time for these anymore…my resolution is to do one crafty thing a month. My glue gun and the jar of buttons on my desk are just asking to be used.
*Remember birthdays. Praise the Lord for facebook – for without such, I would not know people’s birthday. BUT a simple facebook message is not enough…nor a text for that matter. I make a resolution to either call someone personally…or even better, send a written birthday card to them. I LOVE cards…literally will spend hours in CVS picking out cards for just the right occasion. I would like to make birthday cards more of a habit.
*Don’t gossip. Water cooler talk. I hate gossip. I hate spreading it. I hate hearing it. I hate being the one gossiped about! I make a resolution that if I’m around gossip…I will just walk away. I will not partake…even just being in the presence of something someone is saying; I don’t want to be associated with that.
*Spend Out. I tend to cling to things – I reuse razor blades until they’re dull and keep toothbrushes until they are frayed. I buy items and keep them for a “special” occasion…an occasion that never comes around and the new item becomes old. I want to use the good stationary, wear the dress that has to be dry cleaned every time I wear it, drink the expensive wine, and not save ideas of fun things to do for a rainy day.
*Keep a gratitude notebook. So, I talked in an earlier blog about writing my 2012 Recap. I’ve decided not only to write down my accomplishments and note worthy events in my life. I’m going to write what I’m grateful for in that moment. It’s one thing to feel but a completely different concept to write it down, have that record, and be able to look back at the different things in my life that I was grateful in that moment.
*Imitate a spiritual master. John 13:15 says “I have set you an example, that you should do as I have done for you.” As a follower of Christ my mission is to spread His word and be a worldly example of God’s love for his people. We all wore those WWJD bracelets in high school…mine was blue…and I don’t think I fully grasped the implications of truly walking like Jesus. I have made a resolution to memorize scripture…each morning when I do my devotion, I write down the verse on a note card – carrying the card with me all day; reading as often as possible to engrain into my brain. May I make a daily effort to be like Christ.
*Write a novel. Not a lot of details here about this…yet. BUT it IS on my bucket list and the book has been started. It will come to fruition within the next 5 years. Teaser: it’s about relationships. Gretchen was able to write a book in a MONTH…yeah, that’s not gonna happen with this chick – nonetheless, still a lofty goal on the bucket list.
*Give positive reviews. We are huge on feedback at Lululemon…and I’ve tried to take this exercise into my daily life. Giving someone positive feedback for their hard work will make them work harder. I’d like everyone – even the bank teller at Wells Fargo or the server at Taziki’s that they are of value. A smile or a “thanks” goes a long way. Gretchen suggest “Pollyanna Week”…a week of being as nice as possible to anyone you come into contact with; challenging you to ignore the things that often times annoy the crap out of you or dismissing something that ordinarily may have pissed you off.
*Travel…often. I have a HUGE growing bucket list of places to visit. So…instead of wishing and hoping I’ll make it to these places one day, I’m doing something about it. I’m making plans. I’m booking flights. I’m reading Foder’s. And I’m going to travel the world. I will set “by when” for all my places I’d like to travel and I will slowly check off my list...one city or country at a time. First up – San Francisco with my mom in April.
As I’ve said before, I read books that challenge me…I like to have a take away from each read. Gretchen’s passion for her life and her happiness jumps off the page, and reading just a few chapters of this book will inspire you to start your own happiness project. I definitely don’t have all the details figured out – like having a resolutions chart, when/where I plan to volunteer each month, writing in a one sentence journal each day, maintaining my blog like I’d prefer to, capturing photos at every event I attend, always writing thank you notes, and keeping a food diary. BUT I believe I am well on my way to my own happiness project. I am armed with my resolutions and pray I will always “Be Chelsey”.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
2012...A Fresh Start!!
So...I sat down for about 3 hours on December 31st (at my favorite coffee shop in town - Urban Standard...if you havent tried it, you should. And totally not paleo - but you should try their red velvet cupcakes: OMG!!) Anyways...in this long afternoon, I did a lot of pondering about my life. What I accomplished in 2011, what I want to accomplish in 2012, where I see myself in 10 years, etc. I created one document titled "2011 Recap"...here's the sad thing - there are about 3 months that I have no clue what happened in my life. Literally, I know I worked and worked out, but I have no significant moments that stand out from a large part of that year. I started feeling like I had wasted my time.
So, I created a second document: "2012 Recap". I promised myself that ANY time I accomplish something, I will write it down in my recap. For instance...yesterday I set a new 3x back squat max...I added that to the recap. This way...I'll SEE how I'm getting closer to my goals and have a way to look back at my progress and transitions along the way. AND if I'm feeling down about myself, I'll have a way to remind myself of my progress in life. I would hate to be sitting in Urban Standard on December 31st, 2012 and feel the way I did last week...I want to remember it all and feel like I'm always growing physically, mentally and spiritually.
I made one more document: "2012 Goals". I had 4 categories for my goals: crossfit, work, travel, and personal. And (thanks to the tip from Lululemon) I made BY WHEN's for all my goals - I set a month as to when that goal will be accomplished. Now that I've actually written my goals on a typed document (something I've never done before)...they feel real; they feel obtainable. Forrest may say this at his goal setting seminar on Thursday because it's something that he mentioned at the last goal setting seminar..."If you dont write down your goals, they are only wishes. If they are wishes and you dont achieve them, you have no one (or no document) to hold you accountable." I'm thinking about changing the title of that word document to "2012 Contract"...a contract with myself of things to continually work at.
So, one of my personal goals was to read a book a week. I set this goal in 2010 and ended up reading somewhere in the 40's. I think I'll beat that this year...it's January 10th and I've already read THREE books!! (Insert mental image of Chelsey hundered down every night in her reading chair, glasses an all.) The reason I've been reading so much - these books are AWESOME!!
The books:
1) Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin
2) One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard
3) Radical by David Platt
The stack of books on my reading table is growing DAILY and my eyes balls cannot move fast enough to read everything, but what I do know is this - I am inspired by books. I am inspired by people who have a vision and put their thoughts into written words. I am challenged by books. I am pushed to think outside the box. I learn something EVERY time I read.
I've been pretty diligent about posting my TOD's on facebook. My TOD's almost always come from something I've read that day - be it a devotional, my latest book, a crossfit journal article, saying from one of the MANY blogs that I follow, etc.
I hope that MY words challenge someone, inspire someone to write down their goals, to accomplish something new, and to remind everyone that this life is short...compared to the eternity we will get in heaven. Enjoy EVERY moment and thank God daily for the many, many skills you are given to reach and exceed those goals. Push beyond your limits...always.
So, I created a second document: "2012 Recap". I promised myself that ANY time I accomplish something, I will write it down in my recap. For instance...yesterday I set a new 3x back squat max...I added that to the recap. This way...I'll SEE how I'm getting closer to my goals and have a way to look back at my progress and transitions along the way. AND if I'm feeling down about myself, I'll have a way to remind myself of my progress in life. I would hate to be sitting in Urban Standard on December 31st, 2012 and feel the way I did last week...I want to remember it all and feel like I'm always growing physically, mentally and spiritually.
I made one more document: "2012 Goals". I had 4 categories for my goals: crossfit, work, travel, and personal. And (thanks to the tip from Lululemon) I made BY WHEN's for all my goals - I set a month as to when that goal will be accomplished. Now that I've actually written my goals on a typed document (something I've never done before)...they feel real; they feel obtainable. Forrest may say this at his goal setting seminar on Thursday because it's something that he mentioned at the last goal setting seminar..."If you dont write down your goals, they are only wishes. If they are wishes and you dont achieve them, you have no one (or no document) to hold you accountable." I'm thinking about changing the title of that word document to "2012 Contract"...a contract with myself of things to continually work at.
So, one of my personal goals was to read a book a week. I set this goal in 2010 and ended up reading somewhere in the 40's. I think I'll beat that this year...it's January 10th and I've already read THREE books!! (Insert mental image of Chelsey hundered down every night in her reading chair, glasses an all.) The reason I've been reading so much - these books are AWESOME!!
The books:
1) Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin
2) One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard
3) Radical by David Platt
The stack of books on my reading table is growing DAILY and my eyes balls cannot move fast enough to read everything, but what I do know is this - I am inspired by books. I am inspired by people who have a vision and put their thoughts into written words. I am challenged by books. I am pushed to think outside the box. I learn something EVERY time I read.
I've been pretty diligent about posting my TOD's on facebook. My TOD's almost always come from something I've read that day - be it a devotional, my latest book, a crossfit journal article, saying from one of the MANY blogs that I follow, etc.
I hope that MY words challenge someone, inspire someone to write down their goals, to accomplish something new, and to remind everyone that this life is short...compared to the eternity we will get in heaven. Enjoy EVERY moment and thank God daily for the many, many skills you are given to reach and exceed those goals. Push beyond your limits...always.
Monday, December 5, 2011
My Machine Failed Me...
6 months ago my brother convinced me to sign up for the Las Vegas 1/2 marathon...he and his wife, Laura had signed up for it and wanted me to come visit them in Sin City (Drew is stationed at Nellis AFB in Las Vegas.) I had run the Nashville 1/2 twice before and figured why not - third time is a charm, right? The past two races, I had been an avid runner - following the typical training model...you know: short runs throughout the week and long runs on Saturdays; increasing each week how many miles I would run. Well, this time I decided to take a different approach...just continue my crossfit training (which often incorporates running, but never anything significantly long.) I've been a lot more focused on my goal of getting stronger recently.
For those of you that know me, I'm obsessed with crossfit and working out in general...often times workout twice a day. And recently it has been brought to my attention that I do not take NEAR enough rest days. But I'm a typical stubborn Aries and I plow through with a fatigued body and ignore how tired I can sometimes be.
I walked into the 1/2 marathon yesterday with a goal in mind. My past two 1/2 marathon times were 2:03 and 1:57. My goal this time - 1:55. First of all, I didnt take into account that both of those races were over two years ago...my body has changed in two years - I'm heavier and have more muscle. Secondly, I havent been a true runner by nature in two years...my knees arent use to the pounding nor had I run ANYTHING longer than 6 miles in 2 years.
A few factors about the race that were very different than the past two...1) Las Vegas 1/2 is at night...meaning I've spent all day getting nervous about the race. 2) Because the race was at night (in December) we started at 57 degrees and crossed the finish line at 38. Brrrr. 3)The course is about as flat as a pancake. I enjoy running hills because on every side of an up, there is a down to relax on. No hills = no relaxing. 4) Because the course is as flat as a pancake, there was change of scenery, but it was a VERY slow change and you could see where you needed to get to, but it never came quick enough. 5) The coral groups never spread out, never. I spent almost the entire race weaving through people. I have brusies on my arms from getting elbowed.
Laura and I started the race together and at about mile 3 my hip started feeling tight...I kept my mouth shut and just pushed throught it. At the 10K mark I admitted to her through teary eyes that my hip was killing me. "Are you ok??" she asked. "Honestly, no, but I dont want to stop. I dont want to quit." "Chelsey, your body is your tool - you need to take care of it...do you need to stop?" I told her I was just gonna slow down and for her to go on - I'd meet her at the finish line. I pulled over at mile 7 to stretch my hip and slowly watched her disappear out of sight. I stretched and felt a little better, running until mile 10. By 10 I was practically dragging my left leg because it hurt to bend my hip...It had gotten to a point that people were passing me left and right. I started crying (I know, what's new?) and pulled over to the right side of the course...and started walking. Yes, walking. I was so upset...There I was - walking (probably looked more like a limp to the crowds than the power walk I thougth I was doing) and crying in the middle of Las Vegas Blvd. I walked from 10-12. Everytime I started to think about running my brain said GO, but my body said NO. Once I reached 12 I knew I was close. I ran for 3 minutes, walked for 1 minute the last 1.1 miles of the race. I crossed the finish line at 2:16. I crossed in pain and in tears - I'm not looking forward to seeing that finish line photo. Haha.
This was the first time in my life that my body has failed me. There are many times in crossfit workouts where I feel like I cannot go on, but I find the internal drive to push through - because in reality I'm not that tired and/or sore. Well, yesterday was a whole new level of feeling like I couldnt go on. I push my body, and push my body and push my body...that I think it finally said SCREW YOU and shut down. Thanks for choosing a huge race to be my break point stupid body. BUT...maybe I needed this...maybe I needed to be reminded that this machine of mine needs a break. I need to listen when I'm sore, I need to take rest days, and I need to be reminded that I will not always perform at my best. Yesterday was very far from best. But, I finished. I'm upset and frustrated, but I accomplished finishing the race...and ahead of about 30,000 people. Not too bad, right? I walk away from this race knowing that God has HIS timing to teach us lessons - I suppose He wanted me to learn my lesson the hard way - the only way to stick it into my brain that I need to take it easy sometimes is to break me when it really counted.
I'm blessed with an awesome friend who always has the right things to say to me. Matt's text after the race: "I know you wanted to be faster than your last race, but maybe you just had one of those days. After all, you HAVE been hitting PR's in all your strength and oly lifts, and don't forget your muscleups...maybe your endurace took a little hit. 2:16 is STILL a pretty awesome time for someone that doesnt specialize in running. You are one of the best all-around athletes I know, and you are strong and fast and as beautiful on the outside as you are on the inside. I'm proud of you no matter what." I needed that reminder from him...we even teach that idea to our 101 classes: We are not specialists, we are generalists. I'm generally good at a lot of things and that's ok. :)
I'm feeling like an 80 year old woman walking around Drew and Laura's house today because my hips and knees are in so much pain. And if you asked me right now if I'd ever run a 1/2 marathon again, my answer is HELL NO. I am super excited to get back into the gym and focus on the things I'm really starting to enjoy - lifting heavy weights. Will I take a few days off before I jump back in? Yes, but it will be hard.
Do I plan on setting any running PR's? Probably not. Is that ok? Yes...because I already have some new crossfit goals to chase...
*155# clean and jerk
*150# OHS
*30 muscleups for time <15 min
*300# deadlift
*free standing handstand
*200# backsquat
For those of you that know me, I'm obsessed with crossfit and working out in general...often times workout twice a day. And recently it has been brought to my attention that I do not take NEAR enough rest days. But I'm a typical stubborn Aries and I plow through with a fatigued body and ignore how tired I can sometimes be.
I walked into the 1/2 marathon yesterday with a goal in mind. My past two 1/2 marathon times were 2:03 and 1:57. My goal this time - 1:55. First of all, I didnt take into account that both of those races were over two years ago...my body has changed in two years - I'm heavier and have more muscle. Secondly, I havent been a true runner by nature in two years...my knees arent use to the pounding nor had I run ANYTHING longer than 6 miles in 2 years.
A few factors about the race that were very different than the past two...1) Las Vegas 1/2 is at night...meaning I've spent all day getting nervous about the race. 2) Because the race was at night (in December) we started at 57 degrees and crossed the finish line at 38. Brrrr. 3)The course is about as flat as a pancake. I enjoy running hills because on every side of an up, there is a down to relax on. No hills = no relaxing. 4) Because the course is as flat as a pancake, there was change of scenery, but it was a VERY slow change and you could see where you needed to get to, but it never came quick enough. 5) The coral groups never spread out, never. I spent almost the entire race weaving through people. I have brusies on my arms from getting elbowed.
Laura and I started the race together and at about mile 3 my hip started feeling tight...I kept my mouth shut and just pushed throught it. At the 10K mark I admitted to her through teary eyes that my hip was killing me. "Are you ok??" she asked. "Honestly, no, but I dont want to stop. I dont want to quit." "Chelsey, your body is your tool - you need to take care of it...do you need to stop?" I told her I was just gonna slow down and for her to go on - I'd meet her at the finish line. I pulled over at mile 7 to stretch my hip and slowly watched her disappear out of sight. I stretched and felt a little better, running until mile 10. By 10 I was practically dragging my left leg because it hurt to bend my hip...It had gotten to a point that people were passing me left and right. I started crying (I know, what's new?) and pulled over to the right side of the course...and started walking. Yes, walking. I was so upset...There I was - walking (probably looked more like a limp to the crowds than the power walk I thougth I was doing) and crying in the middle of Las Vegas Blvd. I walked from 10-12. Everytime I started to think about running my brain said GO, but my body said NO. Once I reached 12 I knew I was close. I ran for 3 minutes, walked for 1 minute the last 1.1 miles of the race. I crossed the finish line at 2:16. I crossed in pain and in tears - I'm not looking forward to seeing that finish line photo. Haha.
This was the first time in my life that my body has failed me. There are many times in crossfit workouts where I feel like I cannot go on, but I find the internal drive to push through - because in reality I'm not that tired and/or sore. Well, yesterday was a whole new level of feeling like I couldnt go on. I push my body, and push my body and push my body...that I think it finally said SCREW YOU and shut down. Thanks for choosing a huge race to be my break point stupid body. BUT...maybe I needed this...maybe I needed to be reminded that this machine of mine needs a break. I need to listen when I'm sore, I need to take rest days, and I need to be reminded that I will not always perform at my best. Yesterday was very far from best. But, I finished. I'm upset and frustrated, but I accomplished finishing the race...and ahead of about 30,000 people. Not too bad, right? I walk away from this race knowing that God has HIS timing to teach us lessons - I suppose He wanted me to learn my lesson the hard way - the only way to stick it into my brain that I need to take it easy sometimes is to break me when it really counted.
I'm blessed with an awesome friend who always has the right things to say to me. Matt's text after the race: "I know you wanted to be faster than your last race, but maybe you just had one of those days. After all, you HAVE been hitting PR's in all your strength and oly lifts, and don't forget your muscleups...maybe your endurace took a little hit. 2:16 is STILL a pretty awesome time for someone that doesnt specialize in running. You are one of the best all-around athletes I know, and you are strong and fast and as beautiful on the outside as you are on the inside. I'm proud of you no matter what." I needed that reminder from him...we even teach that idea to our 101 classes: We are not specialists, we are generalists. I'm generally good at a lot of things and that's ok. :)
I'm feeling like an 80 year old woman walking around Drew and Laura's house today because my hips and knees are in so much pain. And if you asked me right now if I'd ever run a 1/2 marathon again, my answer is HELL NO. I am super excited to get back into the gym and focus on the things I'm really starting to enjoy - lifting heavy weights. Will I take a few days off before I jump back in? Yes, but it will be hard.
Do I plan on setting any running PR's? Probably not. Is that ok? Yes...because I already have some new crossfit goals to chase...
*155# clean and jerk
*150# OHS
*30 muscleups for time <15 min
*300# deadlift
*free standing handstand
*200# backsquat
Friday, November 11, 2011
Exhaustion...
THE longest day EVER…This is the typical Tuesday/Thursday in the life of Chelsey…
4:30 Alarm goes off…hit snooze til 5:05. Inhale 2 cups of coffee and read daily devotion.
5:30-7:00: Drive to Homewood High School. Coach The Movement – “Fran” test.
7:00-7:30: Meeting at OHenry’s.
7:30-8:30: Row 3K at ITF Homewood, eat breakfast (AFAP), shower, minimal makeup, then tackle 280 traffic to drive to The Summit.
8:40-8:55: Wait for the freaking shuttle – don’t get me started on my rant about that dang employee shuttle.
9:00-2:15: Work at Lulu. Leave the store in awe – pondering how that woman just spent over $1K on workout clothes and she doesn’t even workout. Would she like to share some cash with me?
2:15-2:30: WAIT for the dang shuttle.
2:30-3:00: Catch up on phone calls and POUND a Venti coffee from Starbucks.
3:00-4:30: Unsuccessfully attempt to catch up on emails, blog, etc. at ITF 280 – music blaring, make-ups sessions in progress, etc. Note to self…stay at Starbuck next time.
4:30-5:15: DOMINATE a 100 hang power clean/burpee WOD! (Feel better about stressfully long day.)
5:15-6:00: Attempt (again) to finish catching up on emails…
6:00-8:00: Coach crossfit class and new 101 group.
8:00-8:30: Set up for tomorrow’s WOD.
8:30-11:00: Dinner at Lacey’s house– and yes, we were both too tired to cook, so what did we eat…her ITF meals from the week. Exciting. Then, like we always do when we’re together: ponder life, faith, saving the world AND how to find extra time in the day.
11:00-12:00: Drive from her house (in Mount Laurel) ALL the way back downtown, unpack 18 million outfits worth of dirty clothes from the day, clean dishes in sink, thank God for coffee and Innerfire grill paleo meals, fall asleep with the light on…
4:30 Alarm goes off…hit snooze til 5:05. Inhale 2 cups of coffee and read daily devotion.
5:30-7:00: Drive to Homewood High School. Coach The Movement – “Fran” test.
7:00-7:30: Meeting at OHenry’s.
7:30-8:30: Row 3K at ITF Homewood, eat breakfast (AFAP), shower, minimal makeup, then tackle 280 traffic to drive to The Summit.
8:40-8:55: Wait for the freaking shuttle – don’t get me started on my rant about that dang employee shuttle.
9:00-2:15: Work at Lulu. Leave the store in awe – pondering how that woman just spent over $1K on workout clothes and she doesn’t even workout. Would she like to share some cash with me?
2:15-2:30: WAIT for the dang shuttle.
2:30-3:00: Catch up on phone calls and POUND a Venti coffee from Starbucks.
3:00-4:30: Unsuccessfully attempt to catch up on emails, blog, etc. at ITF 280 – music blaring, make-ups sessions in progress, etc. Note to self…stay at Starbuck next time.
4:30-5:15: DOMINATE a 100 hang power clean/burpee WOD! (Feel better about stressfully long day.)
5:15-6:00: Attempt (again) to finish catching up on emails…
6:00-8:00: Coach crossfit class and new 101 group.
8:00-8:30: Set up for tomorrow’s WOD.
8:30-11:00: Dinner at Lacey’s house– and yes, we were both too tired to cook, so what did we eat…her ITF meals from the week. Exciting. Then, like we always do when we’re together: ponder life, faith, saving the world AND how to find extra time in the day.
11:00-12:00: Drive from her house (in Mount Laurel) ALL the way back downtown, unpack 18 million outfits worth of dirty clothes from the day, clean dishes in sink, thank God for coffee and Innerfire grill paleo meals, fall asleep with the light on…
Monday, October 24, 2011
Another Scrapbook Entry
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...
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...
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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