I just completed my Vision board for 2016. I have done them every year since 2013 and absolutely believe in the value that having a visual representation of the “God-sized” and specific dreams for your life and what it can do to your subconscious psyche.

You can check out my “business” vision board here….

(there are a lot of words in my “vision”…because I’m a “words” kind of girl!).

But you know what I see when I look at this board with my big bold and audacious dreams?

Sacrifice.

That’s right, when I look at this board, I see that for every big, bold, audacious dream I want to achieve in this year, which include dreams for my business, dreams for my health, dreams for my income and my servant heart, I am ONLY going to find success in these dreams by making the right CHOICES that will allow these to be fulfilled.

Contrary to what you might think that dreams are, and especially what a lot of people think GOD DOES FOR YOUR LIFE, is that it’s not about “wishing” for things to be better. God is not a genie where you rub his lamp and he appears to just grant you all the things you want and the “good feelings” you desire.

No. God is after your HEART and He is after your SPIRIT and He deserves it wholeheartedly. God wants you to be with Him forever in Heaven which REQUIRES that you make some sacrifices in your life here on earth. Love is a sacrifice.

You see for every list of things that I desire to achieve this year and in my lifetime, is an equally long (if not longer) list of things that I WON’T do.

So today, I am challenging myself and I am challenging you to get real with what it is you say you want out of life so you can discern not only those things that you WANT out of this year, but also those things that you will have to be willing to SACRIFICE. Consider it some “Unapologetically SURREND’hered” tough love that we all need in the New Year….

You say you want to be healthy…..

…..but are you willing to commit to some health changes, for say… ever? I know you might be thinking that you are totally sacrificing when you go on those 21, 30, or even 90-day cleanses and willpower challenges, but those are NOT actually sacrifices that will serve your health in the long run, nor are they what God requires of you.

Paul writes,

“..give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and HOLY sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.” (Romans 12:1 NLT)

I didn’t notice him saying, “Give your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice for 30 days….” did you? So why would we think that our health is something we go “on” and “off” of too? We are not called to “diet” we are called to achieve HEALTH.

A much greater sacrifice, and the type of sacrifice that will get you what you want—TRUE HEALTH— is to make a lifestyle change with one bold step at a time, what I call in my new program, the her Health Lounge, the “Next Best Step Action Plan.”

The discipline required to go at the slow, steady pace of real fat loss is a sacrifice for our “immediate gratification” flesh.

The self-control required to monitor your impulse eating and assess your actual hunger means that you will sacrifice your cravings and emotional eating habits.

The patience and self-love it takes to actually give yourself some REST instead of just pushing HARDER and HARDER at the gym or by over-dieting is a sacrifice to our guilt-driven, overly worrisome, fleshy tendencies.

If you say that you want TRUE Health—LASTING health– then you will have to sacrifice your TIME, ENERGY, RESOURCES and MINDSET to figuring out and dealing with the LIES that you are believing right now that are preventing you from the TRUTH. The truth of how God sees you and what God desires for your health and for your life.

If you are unwilling to sacrifice and invest in those practices that help you get deeply rooted in WHY you deserve to be healthy and HOW you are going to do that in a way that serves you SPIRITUALLY as much as it serves you PHYSICALLY, then you are not yet ready to actually attain or maintain TRUE HEALTH.

You will not find True Health unless you are willing to go DEEP enough to uncover it. This is a sacrifice of our ego.

You say you want to be happy….

…but are you willing to sacrifice doing those things and exposing yourself to those environments that do not serve your joy? You will only find true joy when you immerse yourself in joyful and love-giving environments on a regular basis.

Are you willing to sacrifice all the time you spend following people on Facebook and social media that gossip, slander, complain and criticize? Are you willing to sacrifice the secret love you have of watching reality TV shows and “keeping up with” all those celebrities that will either make you envy them and their perceived looks or “success,” or make you feel superior and prideful because you love to hate them?

Are you willing to sacrifice watching the news or the political pundits that just over-analyze and tell you why the world is “going to hell in a hand-basket?”

Maybe the world isn’t the “Promised Land” that God designed it to be, but you are not contributing to that dream and promise of God by watching these obsessive shows who’s only platform is to just CRITICIZE everyone.

Are you willing to GO FIRST?

You say you want to be happy, but are you willing to take a stand and GO FIRST in showcasing the ways of true joy? Are you willing to tell people that it’s because of God’s love and the sacrifice of Jesus that you are even capable of feeling the fruits of the spirit like Love, Joy and Peace?

Are you willing to sacrifice your reputation and the fear of “what other people think about you” by being authentic, honest and forthright? To “be the change you wish to see in the world” first, without waiting for another courageous person to do it and you follow?

You say you want God’s blessing….

…but are you living a life that shows that you really BELIEVE in Him? It’s not enough to just have a head knowledge that God exists, but you must have a HEART knowledge that is only showcased in how you live your life.

As Rick Warren states, “Believing there is a God and believing that Jesus died on the cross is not enough to get into heaven. Because the devil believes in God, and the devil believes in Jesus, but it doesn’t mean that the devil is going to be in heaven.”

Did you catch that?!

He referenced, James 2:19 “You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror!”

The word “believe” is actually translated as “pisteuo” in Greek. It means to “trust in, to cling to, to rely on, to adhere to and to commit to.”

Are you willing to do ALL OF THOSE things for God?

(For more on this, listen to Rick Warren’s great Daily Hope podcast HERE.)

Let me be clear, all this is not to say that you “earn” God’s blessing, as we know that we can never EARN God’s love. It is freely given. Your HEART must come to the understanding of the GOSPEL which can be boiled down to one simple phrase, “His grace is sufficient for me…” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

But, this is about how you having daring Faith that will move God to not only bless you more richly here on earth, but the ultimate and true gift of rich and wonderful blessings in Eternity.

Are you willing to sacrifice and SURREND’her ALL of your life to Him, even those things you do in secret?

Are you willing to give Him reign over your life and take up your cross DAILY (not just on Sundays), sacrificing the desires of your flesh?

Are you willing to die to yourself and your innate and selfish ways for the greater good and to be of service to others?

Are you willing to endure through some uncomfortable times and do the things you fear the most because you know that this is God’s dream for your life?

Are you willing to sacrifice your time to connect with Him daily and to study His word so you can have a deeper, more meaningful relationship?

Are you willing to give up the “RULE-FOLLOWING” of religion that makes you think you can just follow a “checklist” to Heaven in exchange for a real, authentic, and a completely unique relationship with God?

You say you want love…..

….but are you willing to sacrifice for it?

If you want to truly LOVE your life, then you must sacrifice for it.

Love is not just following “good emotions.” Real love is a SACRIFICE.

Mother’s who love their child sacrifice their sleep, their time, and their needs for their children. Husbands who love their wives sacrifice their fidelity, their selfish, lustful desires and are called to work, provide and submit to her. Wives who love their husbands sacrifice their nagging desires, their controlling tendencies and are called to provide, respect and submit to their husband. These are all a sacrifice to our innate, selfish tendencies.

And God, who so richly loves YOU, sacrificed “His one and only Son so that whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16). <——— THAT is real sacrifice. Do you BELIEVE THAT?

So when you dream up these God sized dreams for your life and you have high hopes of accomplishing everything you can in 2016 and beyond, remember that it is LOVE that moves mountains and ultimately LOVE is a sacrifice.

Having said all that….

I invite you on this CHALLENGE with me in radically shifting your health to be able to achieve the things you say you want from your HEALTH and your LIFE and join me in the “her Health Lounge” coaching program. I am only offering this program 2 x per year, so if you don’t snag the chance NOW, you won’t have another opportunity until SEPTEMBER.

It is a 6-month journey, delivered in an online portal, that will require a sacrifice and investment of your time and your resources, but you will be blessed with a rich harvest of rewards for your body, mindset and spirit.

Your LIFE, not just your HEALTH will be transformed by this journey when you commit to it wholeheartedly!

her Health Lounge starts on Monday January 11 and goes through July 9. All 26-weeks are mapped out for you on the Sales Page.

But, if you enroll with me NOW through January 7 (at Midnight), you will get 3 MEGA BONUSES, that include:

Access the the Lounge for a FULL YEAR instead of just 6 months.
“her Worthy Time” spiral planner and daily devotional along with a video training on the best Time Management Practices for balance and productivity.
“Nutrient Based Food Prep for busy lives” printable guide and video training.

ALL FOR FREE!

Until Midnight Tonight!

Also, if you desire to have a more hands on, 1:1 coaching experience, I am offering only 10 spots in my Platinum Membership that comes with weekly phone calls and custom nutrition and exercise plans. You can set up a FREE consultation call with me by reserving a spot with me HERE and we can discover if we’re a “right fit” for each other!

Join Today!

http://herhealthlounge.awrightfit.com/

An Epiphany….

We all see them and they make us cringe. They are the people that are so caught up in their own beliefs, whether whole-heartedly with an established religion or whole-heartedly against established religion, that they start pushing their beliefs on everyone they know and questioning anyone in their way.

With the advent of social media, we’ve seen this interaction on the rise. People have more courage to be a-holes when they are typing their responses instead of saying them. Plus, things get lost in the text and translation and it’s a slippery slope to a non-stop loop of slander and defense.

All of this has made a strong case for society now telling us “keep your Faith and your political beliefs to yourself!”

So, deciding to take courage to ignore said opinions and put my Faith into my business that is built for the online space is something that is pretty scary to do! I’ve opened up a few times regarding these fears that I’ve been able to overcome.

And yet, at the same time, writing about my Faith is also kind of a “safe” way to be open about it. I have the protection of my screen blocking me from any riffraff. I can choose to read comments and respond or hit delete and move on!

Alas, this past weekend when I had the opportunity to do some face-to-face interaction and opening up about my business and the Fit and Faith movement, I was nervous. I was among 80+ other health and fitness female entrepreneurs attending the Best of You Coaching Club fitness retreat all the way in Asheville, NC. I have been in this group all year, but as it is a virtual coaching club with the majority of our interaction via Facebook, I had met only very few of the women in attendance before that day.

As is customary, at the first session, everyone was asked to stand up, give their introduction about their business and tell what they’d like to learn over the weekend. I was nervous of course, because, well, #publicspeaking.

But I was also really nervous because I knew I was going to be “breaking society’s rules” and attempting to do it face-to-face. In fact, my mentor herself has written that she is not a Faith-based person at all, which I totally get! Not everyone is where I am. Talking about Faith among other believers can be awkward enough, but putting it all “out there” to people who don’t share your faith is HARD.

But I knew I needed to stand in my Truth. My Truth is that A. Wright Fit is not just a regular “I want to help women get healthy” kind of business. I know, that ultimately, I am in the life-changing business because I want to use Fitness as a way to help women grow into their Faith and a real relationship with God. Then I want to use their Faith to excel and balance their Fitness!

With married health power-houses, Jade Teta (Metabolic Effect) and Jill Coleman (Jillfit.com and my business mentor) — Me (center) with the married health power-houses, Jade Teta (Metabolic Effect) and Jill Coleman (Jillfit.com and my business mentor).

I stood up smiling and said my piece, “Hi, I’m Amanda Wright, I own A. Wright Fit that is a Fit and Faith based company that I hope to expand and lead a Fit and Faithful movement.” I sat down and my heart was beating audibly in my ears. “Whew, I did it!” I thought. As I listened to all the other women, I realized, we all had different ventures (which is awesome!) but I was the only one that had decided to be combine Faith and Fitness.

What happened was pretty remarkable. Later throughout the day, I had several women come up to me and talk about being Faith-based in this industry and give me such great praise for being the only one there that said anything about their Faith and business together.

One woman told me she was in awe that I was willing to just be bold and say it because she had a hard time admitting to her faith in her business out of fear of isolating some clients.

Another friend said the same thing, while she had one Faith-based component of her business, her main business aspect she wanted to pursue was outside of the Faith realm because she knew that so many people would be “turned off” by it and wouldn’t buy from her.

Another woman said that she was not religious at all (she had had a bad experience growing up) but she really respected the way I went about my Faith and wrote about it too. Such amazing encouragement!

Everyone had very valid points in their concerns! While I do not believe that it is necessary for everyone to make their “business” about their Faith like I feel I am called to do, all this does point the very real fear of breaking “Society’s Rules” that I mentioned before. This can go for ANY belief and stance in life, but specifically, I believe….

…as Christians, we fear the STIGMA that everyone thinks Christians are Self-Righteous A-Holes.

I have admitted on this blog a few times that one of my biggest fears in starting A. Wright Fit was not about standing up to the non-Christians, but about standing up to the CHRISTIANS.

To date, the only person that has ever “ruffled my feathers” over an article I wrote was in fact a Christian guy whom I agreed with on all of his points! But he still felt obligated to post some crazy offensive stories with some very defensive remarks that were pretty unwarranted.

So all this to say, there is some legitimacy to everyone’s claims. There are some of the overly religious, overtly rules-based, sin-pointing, shame-inducing, types that are frankly, 100% WRONG, in how they approach and speak to anyone that does not yet have a relationship with Jesus.

But you know what? Even though there are these extreme types, I want to make a stand and say it. NO! Not ALL Christians are Self-Righteous A-Holes!

In fact, NOT MANY are. I don’t have hardly any Faith-based friends and family that are self-righteous because frankly, why would I be hanging around a person like that?!

I realized that if I am hoping to start a Fit and Faithful MOVEMENT, which will highlight and celebrate everyone that is embracing their Faith in their Fitness, then we need to start the conversation about simply being BRAVE enough to admit to your Faith first!

The reason why so many of my fellow believers don’t admit it is because of the STIGMA that society has given “religious” people. But the STIGMA is NOT TRUE in MOST CASES. Fearing the stigma and shying away from the stigma does not make the stigma going away.

**We must SURREND’her to the STIGMA and stand up for the truth!**

Faith-Based DOES NOT Equal A-Hole.

Faith-Based means humble. Faith-based means kind. Faith-based means loving. Faith-based means passionate, strong, God-powered and centered. Faith-based means you know how screwed up you are, but you just serve a God that’s greater.

To be Faith-based simply means that we are attempting to grow and cultivate our character to be like that of Christ, albeit it quite imperfectly. In case you don’t know, Christ, in the 33-years He was on this Earth wasn’t an A-hole. I know that sentence is not exactly in the scriptures anywhere, but I can read between the lines and that’s what it comes down to. (;-))

If we can get over our FEAR of what everyone is going to think about us, than we can move on to freely do what we are set out and called to do, help those we love find God in their heart. To, as is my Mission Statement and Life Verse says, “Let our light shine before others, so they might see my good deeds and glorify my Father in heaven!” (Matt 5:16).

Matt 5-16

So, to prove my point, I’m going to a second-part of this series on the 5 Distinguishing Things I Did Last Weekend to Avoid Being a Faith-Based A Hole..

Be sure you check it out!