Master Eaters!!

I preach Paleo eating to everyone I come in contact with. My family, my clients, my friends, random people I don't know. I think about healthy food and what I'm going to be consuming FAR too often. Ask Chaz - it's quite the topic of conversation when we are together. I'm constantly trying to find new recipes - check out paleomg.com. My new favorite blog - thanks Paige! I have a rule that EVERY meal has to have something green in it and you'd think I had children the way that I have random healthy snacks packed in my purse and car. I even requested a paleo birthday cake. Well, the past 6 weeks (since finding out about qualifying for Regionals), I've been even more of a Nazi about what I was eating. Sorry if I was annoying to anyone I came in contact with - I'm a black and white kind of person...I was ALL IN on the healthy eating until we got back from West Palm beach.

Last night the paleo walls came crumbling down. I've been talking and talking and talking about wanting to eat pizza. It finally happened last night. Chaz and I decided to go to Mellow Mushroom for my first official "eat like a fat kid" meal. We ordered the Mega-Veggie (minus a few things I hate...in particular, olives). ALL of this was on the pizza - mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, green peppers, mushrooms, onions, roma tomatoes, broccoli, feta, banana peppers, and artichoke hearts. THEN we added pepperoni AND sausage. When our waitress delivered our pizza she said she was jealous of our pizza concoction. We told her we planned to eat the whole thing and she laughed - could she not hear the inner fat woman screaming excitement within me??

We finished the ENTIRE pizza together. When the waitress brought us the check she laughed and said all the cooks in the back were calling us the "master eaters" because they couldn't believe those two small people just destroyed a pizza like that! IT WAS EPIC...and my stomach is STILL full 12 hours later.

Please notice - I even have on an ITF shirt...hahahahha. I promise I'm back on the paleo train today.

The Power of Three...

They say good things come in 3's...just a few examples...

3 Little Pigs
3 Sheets to the Wind
3 Minute Egg
3 Feet in a yard
3 Ring Circus
3 Stooges
3 Blind Mice
3 Wise Men
3 Amigos
3 Muskateers
3 Primary Hues
3 Leaves on a Shamrock
3rd Times a Charm
Dixie Chicks
Tennis Balls
Sweet Tarts
Hear no Evil, See no Evil, Speak no Evil
Life, Liberity and the Pursuit of Happiness
The Good, The Bady and The Ugly
Small, Medium, Large
Faith, Hope, and Love
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
Ready, Set, Go
Past, Present, Future

And in my life recently:
*Head coaching promotion at ITF
*Qualifying for Regionals
*Meeting a really great guy

1) Coaching full time has been amazing!! There are days where I still cannot believe that I quit my job, moved back to Birmingham and I work 8+ hours in a gym where I play all day long. I get paid to live and share my passion of health and fitness every single day. On average I coach 50-70 people in one day...I am SO blessed by the members at IronTribe!! I have daily conversations about our bodies, food, life goals, kids, travel, motivation, struggles and faith. I am challenged by my members to be God's best version of myself...pushing myself to the edge of my limitations. I lay in bed at night exhausted, knowing I sleep with no stress (minus regionals nighmares) for I have one of the greatest jobs in the world. Also...I work with 3 of the coolest guys I know - Clint, Richard and Caleb. I cannot ask for a better team of men by my side. They are cheerleaders, encouragers, leaders, comedians, and friends. I value their opinions and know that they put other's needs before their own - what awesome coworkers!! I learn something new every day and pray that I continue to grow within my role at ITF and serve the members with my full potential and attention.

2) OMG it's regionals week!!!! I qualified for Regionals as an individual, but decided to compete with the ITF team - who qualified 5th overall!! Our team: Me, Jess, Amy, Tra, Jordan, Mike (that's right 3 guys/ 3 girls) and Zechariah have spent the past 3 weeks training like dogs in preparation for this competition in a few days in West Palm Beach. I have lifted heavier weight that I EVER imagined and done things never accomplished before. I'm proud to say I can now do bar muscleups, squat snatch 115#, hangclean 135 multiple times in a row, squat clean 145#, handstand walk 5 steps, do handstand pushups without an ab mat (!!), and connect multiple pistols. As we head into regionals, I feel confident in our team and know we are absolutely bringing our A-game. We compete for 3 days. The top 3 teams make it to The Crossfit Games in July.

3) ITF 280 member's - The Hill family - introduced me to Chaz a few months ago at a Bring-A-Friend day. They told me they had someone perfect for me...little did they know, we seriously are the male/female versions of the other person. Our first date (the 3rd week of the 3rd month) was to pizza (I know, I know...totally not paleo. BUT I had just qualified for regionals and it was a celebration dinner.) We have practically been inseperatable since then. Chaz is one day older than me, he's just as stubborn, is as much of a neat freak as I am, owns and wears way too much Lululemon, is obsessed with crossfit and paleo (He goes to Crossfit Rebellion - we WILL convert him to the Tribe soon...no worries), loves the Lord, and makes me feel like the most important woman in the world. He is kind, compassionate, and giving. He is a health teacher and a wresteling/soccer coach for Mountain Brook school system - how lucky am I to have found someone to share my love of teaching/coaching others?! Chaz understands my crazy days, crazy workouts, crazy eating and always wearing casual clothes. The month of May is crazy for us together - we are traveling 3 weekends - to ATL, to Nashville and to Baltimore.

Literally, (ask Chaz) a week ago I was ranting about how I hated odd numbers - especially ones that had a 3 in them. I think I have changed my tune about that number - I just may be onto something here...

3...2...1...GO!

7 - A Story of Excess

Just finished reading the book titled "7...An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess". 7 is the true story of how Jen Hatmaker took seven months, identified seven areas of excess in her life, and made seven simple choices to fight back against the modern-day diseases of greed, materialism, and overindulgence. Food. Clothes. Spending. Media. Possessions. Waste. Stress. Jen and her family would spend thirty days on each topic.

Everything I'm about to share is applicable to EVERYONE'S life...if we all made efforts to adopt at least half of these concepts, the world would be a healthier, happier place to live.

Only eat seven foods, wear seven articles of clothing, and spend money in seven places. Eliminate use of seven media types, give away seven things each day for a month, adopt seven green habits, and observe "seven sacred pauses". What was the purpose of living a deeply reduced life? Jen took me on a discovery of a greatly increased God - a call toward Christ-like simplicity and generosity that transcends a social experiment...Here's the irony (which I didn't realize until I finished the book) - I started this book on the first day of lent. According to Wikipedia: The traditional purpose of lent is the penitential preparation of the believer—through prayer, penance, repentance, almsgiving, and self-denial. During Lent, many of the faithful commit to fasting or giving up certain types of luxury as a form of penitence.

So...here I was reading a book about reducing excess in someones life to ultimately grow closer to God and consider what Jesus' version of rich, blessed and generous might look like RIGHT around the time when others around me would be doing the same thing. Devine intervention?

Month One: Food. For 30 days Jen ate these seven foods ONLY: chicken, eggs, whole-wheat bread, sweet potatoes, spinach, avocados, apples. Kinda sounds like Paleo (minus the bread, right?). No delicious seasonings on her chicken, no cinnamon on her sweet potatoes, no dressing on her spinach salad. Bland, bland, bland food for 30 days. This meant giving up her beloved coffee. What did Chelsey give up for lent you may ask?? Coffee.

Jen's addiction to coffee sounds all too familiar...she writes:
"I escaped a Starbucks at the airport today by chewing gym like a quitting smoker. I should tell you that every time I've been to Sprouts, I've put my nose directly on the glass cases of bulk coffee and inhaled like a deranged weirdo. I mean, deeply inhaled. For at least ten seconds. Nose to the glass. The only possible way I could act more disturbing is if I ground up some beans, made a line with a razor blade, and snorted it in the middle of aisle 9."

I feel ya sister!! I cried that day - literally. I wanted coffee so badly that I was driving down 280 and cried when I passed Starbucks. That was day 5 into lent - I'm happy to report on day 15 I'm doing much better with the addiction cravings.

Could I adhere to the rules of month one...absolutely.

Month Two: Clothes. This month, Jen only wore 7 articles of clothing (not including socks and under garments). They were: a pair of jeans, long-sleeved t-shirt, two short-sleeved t-shirts, pair of drawstring knit capri pants, one long silk dress shirt, and shoes (boots, tennis shoes).

We had a contest in highschool...it was "The Clothes Game". Every senior year, the contest was open to all seniors who wished to participate. At the beginning of the school year you put $50 into a jar, showed up to school in one outfit. Then wore that outfit to school as many days in a row as you could. (Of course you were allowed to wash your clothes every day.) Here was the caveat - you could not add more layers as you approached winter. So...whatever you started with, you had to have on your person from the beginning. The winner that year wore her clothes EVERY single day of school - even under her cap/gown at graduation. And she was also a few hundred dollars richer - as she got the pot of cash in the end! Did Chelsey participate - hell no.

It's just ironic because my job before ITF and Lululemon was SO heavily focused on appearance - did I fit the "look" of a sales rep in a big city. I spent WAY too much money on clothes, shoes, accessories. Since I've lived in Birmingham, I've cleaned my closet out three times and gotten rid of nearly a 1/3 of everything I own. I don't need it anymore. It's just so, SO sinful how much we spend on clothes we really do NOT need. This chapter was a friendly reminder to put my money somewhere else and to know that I have PLENTY!

Could I adhere to the rules of month two...yes (if I got a washer/dryer in my apartment). :)

Month Three: Possessions. This month Jen gave away 7 things every day. The first day alone she found 210 things in her home to give away. As I sit here typing this, I look around my apartment and see so many things collecting dust. So many things that are RARELY used. So many things that someone else would LOVE to have. When you start to clean out your home, you find more things you didn't realize you had - what a concept. You downsize, but still find something that's "new" because it hasn't been used/worn/looked at in so long.

Jen didn't just arbitrarily give to Goodwill, she sought our organizations that had specific needs and gave to those. She felt it was important to see the faces of those you were directly effecting. Jen was deeply disturbed by how many things were cluttering her life. She writes: "Do not be fooled by the luxuries of this world; they cripple our faith. As Jesus explained, the right things have to die so the right things can live - we die to selfishness, greed, power, accumulation, prestige, and self-preservation, giving life to community, generosity, compassion, mercy, brotherhood, kindness, and love."

Could I adhere to the rules of month three...Spring cleaning - here I come.

Month Four: Media. Jen's family shutdown tv, gaming, facebook/twitter, iPhone apps, radio, texting*, internet*. Their texting rule: if it is a time-savor and/or necessary, then text away. If it's to be sarcastic, silly or inappropriate, then pass. Their internet rule: internet was only to be used when necessary for work purposes. Goodbye to YouTube, ESPN, Hulu, Netflix, Amazon, etc, etc.

Their family spent more time together than ever. What a concept - social interaction vs social media...If anyone has ever read the 5 Love Languages, they would know one of the languages in quality time. I love and truly value quality time. I have lunch/coffee/brunch/dinner dates 2-3x weekly with friends. We've become a culture so absorbed with social media we've lost some of the personal touch of a handwritten letter, a long, leisurely phone conversation, the fun in reading the news paper and getting black fingertips, and sending the children outside to create games in their own backyards. (I was an extreme fort builder, if I do say so myself.)

For those of you that know me well...you know these things - I have a tv (which took me over a year to finally break down and purchase), but I don't have cable. I don't even own a DVD player...I have a computer for that. The first 5 months of living in Birmingham, I didn't even have the internet at my apartment. I buy and sell books on half.com. I love the smell and feel of worn pages. My mom bought be a Kindle for Christmas and I told her Thanks, but no thanks. I have a Twitter account but I don't know what I'm reading half the time. My iPhone is used for texting and phone calls, rarely the internet; I only have one page worth of apps (most of which I never use). I'm old school and listen to CD's in the car. I don't even have an iTunes account.

Could I adhere to the rules of month four...done.

Month Five: Waste. This month was focused on habits for a greener life: gardening, composting, conserving energy/water, recycling, driving only one car, shopping thrift and second-hand, buying only local. Becoming "earthy crunchy" as Jen called it.

I killed my "lucky" bamboo that was guaranteed to live forever. Gardening just aint happen for this chicka...NO green thumbs (or backyard for that matter). Recycling: check. Driving one car - Uum...it's just me, so I can handle that. BUT I drive an SUV...that drinks gallons and gallons of gasoline. Shopping thrift - refer back to month two. I rarely shop, so I'm just going to avoid this one. Buying local...yeah, about that. Walmart sucks everyone dry because it's easy. As we approach this spring season, I'd like to really focus on farmer's markets and local shops for all my needs.

The biggest issue here is not just on a personal level, but on a generational level. The "green" habits we adopt now will effect those that come after us. When I was a practicing interior designer, I took and passed the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Exam. This meant I knew enough to help design a truly "green" building - anything from the efficient mechanical systems, to avoiding drainage run-off during construction, to recycled materials selections, to energy conserving electrical and plumbing fixtures. I like to think that having that LEED certification has helped me to make healthy "green" habits in my normal daily life and then teach others how to pay it forward. We are all searching for a way to reduce our carbon footprint and not leave a destroyed world for our great grandchildren.

Could I adhere to the rules on month five...minus gardening, yes. :)

Month Six: Spending. Jen's family was only allowed to spend money in seven places: Farmer's Market, gas station, online bill pay, kid's school, savings to travel fund, emergency medical and Target (because we know Target has everything you need!!). No restaurants, movie theaters, Chick-Fil-A, drinks from the gas station, no Amazon purchases, no lunch after church, no iTunes.

She writes: "Once upon a time, a girl averaged how many different places per month her little family spent money. She tallied bank statements for the previous year, and they averaged sixty-six vendors a month, not counting repeat expenditures. She wanted to throw up. The end."

Don't we ALL feel like that?!?!?!

This month kind of encompasses a bunch of the other month's concepts. If you aren't spending money in 66 locations...you are eating healthier, purchasing fewer clothes, and saving money on gas from traveling to all of these places. I'm kind of frugal...I hate to spend unwanted money. I have a mental battle every time I have to make a purchase. I don't carry cash for that reason - if I don't have it, I wont spend it. My worst habit is eating out - it's my way to socialize. Quality Time...remember?

Could I adhere to the rules of month six...I suppose. I guess I'd have to start a brunch AND supper club so I can have social time with all my girls.

And finally...Month Seven: Stress. God created the earth in six days and on the 7th day he rested. We work 6 days a week and then rest of the 7th. So, why not work hard at ridding yourself of the excess in your life for six months and then rest on the 7th? Month seven, Jen's family devoted to having time of pause and prayer seven times a day: midnight, dawn, midmorning, noon, midafternoon, early evening, and bedtime. Each pause had a focus with scripture that was read each day. They also observed their own form of a Sabbath - Saturday night would be family time and Sunday's would be dedicated to church and rest. Perfect weekend.

But in most of our typical, crazy, circus lives, it's hard to shut down on the weekends. We are all a bunch of clowns, running around like idiots, cramming into cars, diving in circles and getting nowhere. It's exhausting and everyone, EVERYONE needs time to breathe and pray and learn to be still and rest.

Jen set 7 alarms a day to remind her to pray. She writes: "God is inviting me into this spiritual clout seven times a day - seven times the power, seven times the influence, seven times the effect. I'm frustrated I ruined the first week with legalism, missing the exquisite opportunity to join God in the work of redemption. I knew Jesus was offering something wonderful, but my drift into legalistic entropy is strong, people." Jen's words are a friendly reminder that we often times go searching for God through prayer when we NEED him, not just because. We let life get in the way of our prayers...well, last time I checked, God created our lives - seems pretty important that we recognize that as often as possible.

Could I adhere to the rules of month seven...this will forever be a work in progress.

Now...here is THE MOST IRONIC PART OF ALL OF THIS...which I just realized while blogging today...and of course cried and caught myself saying out loud alone in my apartment: "God. You. Are. Good."

I've lived in Birmingham for 6 months. 6 months I've worked hard at two jobs, had a career change, worn a 1/10 of my clothes, not made a single purchase on "fun" clothes, not had cable/washer,dryer/dishwasher, worked my ass off in my training, driven hundreds of miles up and down 280, prayed and prayed and prayed, invested time with friends, recycled, eaten paleo (as much as possible), hand written cards, and grown amazingly close to God and to really understanding myself.

Guess what happens on month 7? I become a head coach at ITF.

God was not ready for me full-time at ITF until now. He has done His work in me for the past 6 months and now I'm ready. Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end. Let the journey begin. And may God continue to teach me, mold me, use me and guide me. Words cannot express how grateful I am for what I'm learning in my life.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4.

Paleo Almond Pumpkin Muffins

I work with two pretty awesome guys - Richard and Clint. They both had birthday's this week. Instead of making them a sugary, non-paleo treat...I baked them paleo almond pumpkin muffins. The muffins disappeared THAT day. Thought I'd share this awesome recipe!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup almond flour (I buy a bag of almonds and grind them in my coffee grinder)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp nutmeg
1 can of organic pumpkin
1 mashed banana
2 tbsp Agave OR raw honey
4 tsp cinnamon
3 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tbsp almond butter

Optional:
1 cup raisins
2 tbsp shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Beat eggs. Add the eggs to all other wet ingredients. In a separate bowl mix together the almond flour, baking soda and baking powder. Add the wet and dry ingredients together then add the optional ingredients. Stir. Grease the muffin pan with coconut oil spray (they sell this at Whole Foods). Divide evenly into MINI muffin pan. (This is important - if you use this recipe to make large muffins, it's too dense. Use the mini pans.) Bake for 18 minutes. This recipe should make 48 mini muffins.

Store in the refrigerator for longer lasting muffins.

ENJOY!! :)

Kisses from Katie

I'm mid-way through book number 9 of the year - "Kisses from Katie...A story of Relentless Love and Redemption" and absolutely have to share Katie's story with other's. Yes...I know most of my blog posts recently have been about the books I'm reading - nerdy, I know - but I cannot seem to put this one down. I'm captivated, I'm humbled, I'm reminded that my life is NOT that hard, my faith has been shaken and strengthened, I've been convicted and most of all I've experienced God's love for the world - ALL of us having a purpose and a Grand Plan.

Katie Davis came to Brookhills a few months ago to share her life's crazy journey with our congregation. Katie, who was born and raised in Brentwood, TN left over Christmas break of her senior year of high school for a short mission trip to Uganda and her life was turned completely inside out. She found herself so moved by the people of Uganda and the needs she saw that she knew her calling was to return and care for them. At 22 years old, she purchased a one way ticket back to Uganda and now resides there permanently. Katie is in the process of adopting fourteen (!!) children in Uganda and has established a ministry, Amazima, that feeds and sends hundreds more children to school while teaching them the Word of Jesus Christ.

She had a fabulous life in the States - she was a great student with aspirations of college, drove a sporty yellow convertible, wore the most trendy clothes, had a boyfriend whom she hoped to marry one day, and was abounding in friends and popularity. Katie loved her life and had no intention in changing it - but God had other plans. Being a follower of Christ all her life, Katie knew what it meant to serve others and be obedient to God...but never entertained the thought that the journey of obedience would lead her away from everything that ever made her feel comfortable. Katie says "I was in no way qualified for this, but I was available. I have learned that something happens when one makes herself available to God: He starts moving in ways no one would imagine. God began doing things in me, around me, and through me as I offered myself to Him. I began each day saying, "Okay, Lord, what would you have me do today?........I was walking through life one moment at a time, blown away by what God could do through me if I simply said yes."

Sounds simple, right? Just say yes to God and the plan will unfold.

On the flip side to that, Katie knows her life is not easy. She writes: "I believe that God totally, absolutely, intentionally gives us more than we can handle. Because this is when we surrender to Him and He takes over, proving Himself by doing the impossible in our lives.......I have learned to accept the craziness, even ask for it, this "more than I can handle". Because in these times, God shows himself victorious. He reminds me that all of this life requires more of Him and less of me. He gives us more than we can handle, so that we may have no doubt of who is in control."

So...there was my conviction - staring me in the face. I'm a control freak. I like to plan...everything. I'm not patient. And I have a hard time saying "yes" when I don't know the end result already. I need to take more time to listen obediently to Him.

Psalm 37:4: "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." Katie's response to this passage..."It is not about God making MY dreams come true but about God changing my dreams into HIS dreams for my life."

Alright, Chelsey...gut check. What's been required of your life the past 6 months in Birmingham: patience, waiting, following others' rules, crying, plans falling through, plans changing, being overwhelmed and not always being the leader...BUT also (and more importantly): learning, growing, patience, waiting, smiling, struggling, thriving and rejoicing. I pray that I continue to have (not obstacles) but hurdles in my life that challenge me to stop thinking about MY dreams and what I want to accomplish and what HE ultimately wants me to accomplish. Honestly...I'm not totally sure what THAT is yet...but that's ok. I'm learning patience too. :)

Katie has learned and continues to share with others that ONE person can change the world. When we "change the world" we do not have to effect thousands at once. Touching one person's heart changes the world. So, what does she do? - she slowly reaches out to those around her. She understands the ramifications of the "ripple effect" and knows that a small gesture or random act of kindness when payed forward can indeed touch hundreds. Katie is willing to feed one stomach, educate one mind, and treat one wound. She isn't determined to revolutionize the world all at once; she is satisfied with small changes. One life matters.

So...as I sit here convicted to jump up from this kitchen table and run around like a crazy person - Mother Teresa like and save the world, I'm reminded that my life (JUST as it is) gives me the opportunity to that everyday. I coach hundreds of athletes into healthy lifestyles, I coach teachers who take what I've taught them and apply it to their students, I coach kids whose minds linger on my words, I have meaningful conversations daily with my fellow lemons - who are all striving to bring the world from mediocrity to greatness, and I even have daily conversations with strangers about what makes their lives wonderful. WOW - I am so blessed. And so grateful for the opportunity to change the world. :)

I may not ever visit Uganda, I may not ever visit Africa for that matter, I may not ever adopt children (especially 14), I may not ever start a ministry, I may not ever raise hundreds of thousands of dollars, I may not ever move away from my family and my "comfort zone", I may not ever be able to quote scripture, and I may not ever write as eloquently as Katie Davis. That's all God's plan for Katie. But I do know this...I will live His plan for Chelsey - obediently. Referencing my last blog...I will "Be Chelsey".

If you are ordinary but hungry to obey God, may you find inspiration and encouragement in the pages of Kisses from Katie (or check out her blog: http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/). May you find the strength to say yes and be launched into your very own amazing story.

The Happiness Project

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”.

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.