Tag: God

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Spiritual Health

The Wondrous Power Of 40

Wondrous 40

I am currently traveling back from my a long weekend with my entire family to celebrate my parents 40th wedding anniversary in Breckenridge, CO!   What an honor it is to be the daughter of such a loving and committed couple, it is truly a gift from them I could never repay.  It has been invaluable to my life.

They met when my mom, Kathi, was 15 and my dad, Ralph, was 18.  They were married just 5-years later and have remained faithful and committed to their love these 40-years later.  What I love the most, is not just that they have been married for this long, but they have actually been happily married and have showcased this affection and love to my siblings and I throughout. 

For some, they might look at this 40-year success as a “miracle” in today’s society, but for our family, we know it is not some magical act of luck that has kept them thriving in marriage, but the workmanship of God. 

It has been part of God’s Purpose for them to find each other, marry and grow in Him as they grew in their love.  My parents simply made the decision to continue to stay Faithful to His purpose and promises in their life.  They will tell us it has not always been easy to thrive in a loving marriage and family of 5.   

They have had their definite challenges in the differences in personality (my mom can be a back-seat driver, my dad can be impatient) and the difficult circumstances they have faced (my mom’s breast cancer, my dad’s business closing) and at times they questioned God’s plan, like we all do.  

But, they still made the decision to remain Faithful to their commitment, because they knew that God would stay Faithful to His.

As I was reflecting on their 40-years and the wonder of God’s love that has allowed them to endure and thrive, I started to focus on the symbolism of that number 40.   It is so POWERFUL!

Did you know that the Bible mentions this number 146 times?  It is a very powerful and prominent symbol that represents the God’s intentional periods of testing and waiting as well as the fulfillment of God’s love and promises. 
 
For example:)

  • Moses went through three, 40-year phases in his life:  40-years as the son of Pharaoh in Egypt, then 40-years wandering the desert, then 40-years leading God’s people to Israel.
  • Moses received the 10-Commandments from God after a 40-day fast up on Mount Sinai.
  • In the book of Exodus, God’s People of Israel were freed from Egypt and on their way to the Promised Land which was a trek that should have taken just a few weeks by foot, but God tested them and made them wait 40-years before they could enter to their rightful home! 
  • Jesus did a 40-day prayer fast right before His crucifixion where we was tempted by Satan to set Himself free from His destiny of death.  Jesus thankfully overpowered Satan’s tempting which gives us our freedom from Sin today.
  • The Bible itself is actually written by 40 different authors and yet all relay the same truth and the consistent character of God.

The number 40 is a big deal in the eyes of God and, as with everything in the Bible, we should pay attention and apply it to our lives. 

For this reason, I choose to engage in 40-day intentions annually.  I have for the last 10-years practiced the self-sacrifice period of Lent which is the 40-days leading up to Easter Sunday, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. 

As I have grown in my relationship with God more recently, I have decided 40-days is the perfect amount of time to really focus on health intentions too.  I believe that if we want to truly secure new, healthier habits into our lives, a 40-day commitment is usually the least amount of time required before the act because truly habitual and less difficult. 

For this reason, at A. Wright Fit I will be offering several health intention plans and products that will focus around this 40-day blessed period. 

The first, is my 40-days Radical Acceptance daily devotional series which starts TOMORROW, July 21.  This is a simple daily reading with the intention of Radically Accepting some of the harder things in our Spiritual lives.

To be sure you are signed up, click this link HERE.<—   

Since this is my first 40-day Spiritual Health product I’m offering,  I have decided I wanted to offer it for FREE before I add it to a exercise and nutrition sequence that will be for sale! 

But to get your chance of reading it for FREE, be sure you sign up for the email sequence as well as CONFIRM your email to the be officially added. Again,   —> LINK IS HERE<—

I am looking forward to what 40-Days of Radical Acceptance looks like for me!  I invite you along for the journey too! 

Radical Acceptance (4)

 

Categories
Spiritual Health

4 Steps to Shift Out of Shame

What is your greatest fear?

“I know everyone spouts statistics about the fear of public speaking and of spiders and all that, but in my 30+ years of experience in working with people from all walks of life, what I have come to learn is the greatest fear that people face today is the fear of losing control.”

These were the words of the famed Rick Warren, Pastor and inspirational author of the super selling, The Purpose Driven Life, as he was delivering a sermon that I regularly listen to on podcast.

 

For some, it might be the fear of losing their temper and letting their anger take them out of control. For others, it might be losing control over their family or safety and not being able to protect everyone. For yet others, it’s the fear of losing one’s “cool” and allowing their anxiety and nerves to take control.

 

For me, for the majority of my life, my number one fear has been the fear of losing control over my eating. I genuinely fear not being able to stop eating and letting my cravings rule my life, and of course gaining a ton of weight from it. His words are absolutely true for me.

 

The thing about our “worst fears” is that they always seem to pull us toward them. Like a magnet, the more we fear doing something, the more likely we are to do it.

So yes, I have struggled with a large appetite for my whole life and yes, especially when it comes to my “trigger foods” which are sugary, rich foods, like desserts, I can spiral out of control pretty fast.

This consequently leads to what I consider one of the most prevalent and worst feelings we can ever feel….SHAME.

 

I vividly remember the depth of this fear and shame in college as I was on a weekend getaway with my best girlfriends up at one of the girl’s parent’s home in Newport Beach. It was someone’s birthday and they had my number one trigger food out for us to eat…..birthday cake.

So, it started with a few bites with all of us surrounding the cake….

All my friends pulled away after a few bites….but not me.

I would sit down for a little, trying to take a break but all my brain would focus on was more cake. Then as though my legs and hands were acting in complete resistance to what my panicking brain was telling them to do, I would be back up, taking a few more bites.

It was then, that I heard one of my friends whisper, “Why does she keep eating that cake??!”

I. was. mortified. Not only was I already tormenting myself, but on top of it, I now had someone pointing it out!

 

Having no coping skills at this time, I shut down, stopped talking much. Then after obsessively beating myself up all that night, I got up early before anyone else and went and ran 7 miles on the beach, trying desperately to counteract my shame by “working it off.”

 

Well, this was over 10 years ago now. So in 10 years, I’ve obviously learned a ton more about the extreme addictive properties of food (sugar has been proven to be more addictive than cocaine!), cravings, and the psychology of eating.

 

Not to mention, I now have a much greater relationship with God and have SURREND’hered my health and these struggles to Him and have found such a reprieve from my old destructive fears, guilt and shame.

 

So, I guess I’m healed right? Fear free and shame free? Ha! Yeah. Right.

 

Just this week offered me another humbling example….

Last week, we were blessed to be in the foodie town of Portland, OR and then onto one of my all-time favorites, London, England and I was on track to having possibly the greatest trip of my life in the fact that I was really focused on living and eating as I always do: Eating nutrient based, getting in great workouts, not stressing about food, getting enough protein, and overall really focused on enjoying the moments and the food I got to experience.

Until 2 little words would cause my greatest fear to rear its ugly little head….”HIGH. TEA.”

 

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High Tea is a wonderful English tradition that includes a 3-tiered plated presentation of deliciousness: little sandwiches, pastries, desserts, and English scones served with clotted cream (a fancy butter) and fresh raspberry preserves. On top of that, after this is all done, they give you a large piece of…..you guesed it…CAKE!

Having had the chance to try it before, I knew I would be indulging in this one meal as my treat meal of the week guilt free, so I planned for it with great success.

High TeaThe problem was, the vacation was not over that day. The next day, we found ourselves with not much to do in the afternoon and wanted to watch some of the Wimbledon Tennis at the hotel with…another High Tea! Gah, it was so good!

So, I survived two days of my favorite thing ever and was happy to be on a plane home the next day. We had the privilege of getting to fly Virgin Atlantic Airlines for the first time and it was a really cool experience. But just when I was all set to come back to reality of normal eating life….these darling, red-suit wearing and smiling Flight Attendants came at me again with ANOTHER High Tea….on the airplane!! What the whatttt?!

At this point, I was consciously playing the role of the yo-yo dieter, the over eater, the “I’ll get back on track on Monday” girl and I was spiraling down the hole of shame once again. I reverted back to the exact girl I teach my clients to SURREND’her away from and chose True Health.

 

It is so frustrating to know better and to not be able to do better.   As silly as they may sound for anyone that has ever overindulged on a vacation, because I get that all of us have done it, the frustration I felt in myself was deeper because of this great fear that I have—this fear of losing control and overeating. So when I did it again I spiraled down in to the feeling of shame and helplessness.

 

So at this point, you’re probably wondering, “Well that’s a downer of a story Amanda. You’re telling me that you still struggle with the same fears you’ve always had? In spite of having all this knowledge and in spite of your relationship with God, nothing really changed?”

 

The answer is, of course not!

 

In spite of the similar experiences, in spite of the similar emotions and the fears and shame emerging their raging little heads again, I AM definitely different now than I was 10+ years ago.

 

Because now, even though I can admit that I felt HELPLESS, the difference is I am not HOPELESS.

 

All the work I’ve been doing to become WISE’her and SURREND’her my health UP did not prevent me from my old destructive ways completely. But, it completely changes my RECOVERY from it.

 

I took 4 critical steps to change how I processed these feelings and they made all the difference in how I was able to SHIFT OUT OF SHAME.

  1. REST:

    My shame wanted me to get up early work off my overeating in a double session at the gym.   My shame wanted me to do an all day fast or a juice cleanse to “punish” my body back to healthy eating. Luckily, through prayer, I recognized these negative thoughts as my own and not from God.   When I quieted my heart and gave this shame UP, I heard the need for REST to connect better to Him and steer away from doing things “my way.”

    Every week we really do need to take a Sabbath day—a full day of rest.   This is not a request from God; this is one of His commandments! It is imperative that we take a day to worship Him and rest our minds and bodies. After traveling and working all day on Sunday, my typical Sabbath day, I knew I needed a real Sabbath. So I was obedient to this calling.

    I spent the day venting my frustration to Him, crying some, praying a lot, reading a lot, and then napping, walking and recovering.

    {I realize working for myself and not having children full-time gives me this luxury, but if you’re caught in the same position where you are deep in some negative emotions like shame, I do suggest these times to be a perfect “personal day” off of work or at least taking 1-2 hours of time to yourself away and with God. Do you best in finding a way to listen to what God desires for you.}

  2.  REPENT:

    One of the things I’ve come to learn is that God uses PAIN in our life not as punishment but as a pointer to shift our thinking to what is True. The pain I face when I do over eat is tied to the sin that it is. I’m not trying to sugar coat this for myself. But constantly over indulging and treating food as these intense rewards that I lose myself for is gluttony and it is food idolatry.

    “When you sit to dine with a ruler, note well what is before you, and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony. Do not crave his delicacies for that food is deceptive.” (Proverbs 23: 1-2 NLT).

In spite of my sin, I realized God was not shaming me for my wrong, I was shaming myself–an incredibly important distinction.   It was not God that caused my shame; that is not how God works. God is ever loving and ever giving of Light of Peace and Love. God will give us Conviction of our wrongs, but we make it into shame and distance ourselves from God as we do this. God hates the sin but never hates the sinner.

Confessing this to God and praying for forgiveness and believing, in Faith, that God will forgive these sins was the key to me being able to turn back to God and move forward, walking in His Light again.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9 NIV)

  1. REACH OUT:

If it appears that I was naturally able to rise above the pit of shame I found myself in, I can assure you I was not. Shame is a heavy cloud that envelops one’s soul without recoil. So many of us have lived in shame for our whole lives, sometimes caused by others without our conscious consent. Giving this emotion a name, giving it awareness, was key in overcoming the negative emotion. But then I needed someone to help me too.

So, I reached out to my prayer partner and one of my best friends, Jennifer, for our weekly call. It is invaluable to have just one person we can be vulnerable with, that we can talk about our deepest fears and needs and they will not just console us, but to remind us of God’s love and pray for us.

Jennifer at first kinda laughed and knew the “guilt” of overeating that we all can have, especially on vacation. But as I explained the depth of the shame that can wave over me from these acts, she listened sincerely.

Then she said, “I understand completely. But remember, you have prayed for forgiveness and God has granted it for you and He has wiped it clean. You must now walk in that forgiveness and move forward.”

Simple, yet, so profound. So often we will feel the trap of our shame that just keeps us dwelling on the guilt for so long. Yet, God promises to forget our sins, “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” (Heb 8:12). I needed that reminder from Jennifer to help me move forward in that moment.

Find that person, your person, that you can trust that when you reach out, they will help you stand and walk out of your shame. If you are having a hard time finding that person to trust for you, try to be that person for someone else first. Helping others can be an incredible way to help yourself. Over time, you teach them how to reciprocate.

 

  1. REFOCUS:

As I needed to walk out of my shame, I needed to refocus my heart and my attention on “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Phil 4: 8-9 NIV).

So, I took the time to refocus away from the shame onto my fruits of the Spirit that God promises us. I listed out all 9 fruits and wrote out all the ways that I feel and show those emotions. This reminded me that I was Good and I was a child of God.

 

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22 NIV)

From this refocused position, I became the real me again.

Shame is not who we are, no matter how long we may have suffered in its existence.  Some things we have done in our life might cause a sense of shame that runs much deeper than something as trivial, even though it is serious for me, as overeating.  But these four steps can be your way to SHIFT out of any SHAME.  There is not allotted time limit it might take you, but work through each step fervently, giving yourself as much grace and love as possible, and sure even, you’ll SHIFT out of your SHAME too!

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Food & Nutrition Health Coaching Spiritual Health

{July 4th} 4 Keys to Living F.R.E.E. in True Health

4 KEYS TO LIVING F.R.E.E. In TRUE HEALTH

It’s a little ironic, but I will celebrating this 4th of July across the pond on the “losing” side of the Revolutionary War keeping my eye out for any Red Coats in action. They clearly aren’t celebrating this war the same way we do.  Would it be too much to sport a American Flag t-shirt that read #winner??  🙂

But as we celebrate our Nations FREEDOM with a bunch more F’s (Family, Friends, Food and Fireworks!), I can’t help but wonder how many of us are truly living the “Big F” of FREE these days?

Now, I know the good ol’ USA likes to define “Freedom” by the terms of our State and Federal Rights.  As we saw just last week, we can rely on these “laws” to protect and uphold us and can become unreasonably attached to idea that the great laws of our nation can actually force people to be “saved”.  

But, when I speak about True Freedom, I am referencing our original freedom gifted to us by God upon the creation of mankind in the Garden of Eden.  It is there that we were given the freedom of choice, and it is there that the first humans screwed it up—and we have been screwing it up ever since!    

It is the freedom of CHOICE within our SOUL that matters the most, not the rules that we might follow in our worldly life.

So no “Federal law,”  no “Religious law,” heck no “Dietary law” that people want to place on us will actually get to the heart of the matter and make us good.  Our goodness is a spiritual choice—-a FREEDOM. 

If we choose to accept God in our heart, we receive His great empowerment to make better choices that will lead to greater blessings.  But we are never going to be perfect and we are never going to be sinless, no matter what laws we try earnestly to follow.

When it comes to our HEALTH, what I see in myself as well as when I work with the women through my years of training and now with my SURREND’hered Health Transformation health coaching is that many of us think we are FREE but actually are still prisoners of our own making. 

I know for sure for me, public enemy #1 when it comes to my True Health (meaning healthy Body, Mind AND Soul) is——> ME.   In all likelihood, public enemy #1 when it comes to your health is YOU. 

So when I’m talking about becoming FREE I mean setting myself FREE from ME. 

We become prisoners of self-doubt, body shame and unworthiness.  Prisoners of emotional eating, lethargy, and lazyness.  Prisoners of food/substance addictions, food obsession, and self-comparison.  Prisoners of FEAR.   

While some of us feel the weight and exhaustion of being imprisoned by these negative thoughts and emotions and continue to unsuccessfully willpower our way out,  there are also some of us don’t actually realize we are in prison! 

That’s when it’s really scary.  When the negative emotions of worry, fear and obsession have become such close companions that we have no desire to set ourselves FREE because it feels like we would be losing a part of ourself.

SO HOW DO SET OURSELVES FREE?

Much to our own dismay, our freedom from ourselves doesn’t come from “trying harder” or the willpower we’ve been trying to muster our entire life. We can’t actually “earn” our freedom to live a life in True Health.  We can’t count calories, macronutrients or “diet” our way to True Health.  It. Won’t. Last.

The only path to True Health is by first creating a strong, healthy Spirit.  We cannot get strong in Spirit until we invite He who IS power, God, to live in our Spirit.  We cannot “earn” God into our heart by following Religious rules either.  We simply must SURREND’her our life, including our health, to Him and He will hand us the key to the Freedom from our self imprisonment. 

It sounds incredibly simple as I type it out, and in a lot of ways it is much simpler than we make it out to be, but the truth is, even a life-long-church-goer has not *gotten* it for 99% of my life. 

It has been only recently that I started putting into practice the art of SURREND’her and living for True Health. While I’m still a work in progress and will never be perfect (reminder to self!), I am grateful that as I reflect on all that I have learned, I can share with you….

4 KEYS TO LIVING F.R.E.E. IN YOUR HEALTH:

F:  Faith

The ability to SURREND’her your health to God takes Great Faith.  I have been so used to relying on “experts” and “research” and every diet book known to man for what I “should” be doing.  When I finally started reaching out to God for my answers,  I realized I had to unlearn a lot of things.  This was not easy. 

It took a great amount of Faith to walk away from practices I was so attached to and even today,  still find great temptation to resort back to, even though I have completely proven to myself that these methods of “health” don’t work.

But because I have Faith I have this ability to Refocus my attention from my Body to my Greater Purpose and to the will that God has for my life.  In Faith, I am capable of Freeing myself from the burdens of negative assumptions and can walk in the Light of Life with God.   

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Photo Cred: @Martinadashi instragram

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift from God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

R:  Radical Acceptance

This one I’m still working through but so much of my freedom to live in True Health has come from practicing radically accepting my body and who I am. 

This means accepting my body shape.  It means accepting the fact that I’m naturally endomorphic and will gain weight very fast.  It means accepting the fact that certain foods and too much alcohol just won’t work for my body and I can’t consume them very often.  Accepting the responsiblity to take care of my body but not seeing my body as the “end goal” but as the means to BE the person I am called to BE.   I’ve had to accept my body as the vessel it is to be used to serve and glorify God.

It’s about being CONTENT which is not permission to be lazy, overindulge in the moment, or to stop trying.  Being content is an active, healthy state.  It is simply embracing and accepting myself in every stage knowing that every moment in this life presents an opportunity for growth and an opportunity to connect with God and serve my Greater Purpose. 

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PhotoCred: @andrewjgolesch Instagram

“Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.  I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound.  In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.  I can do all things thought Him who strengthens me.”  Phil 4:11-13

E:  Energy

I do not have always a choice in the energy that surrounds me all the time, but I do have a choice in the energy that I put out into the world.  Exercising my True Health Freedom means that I make a choice in the energy that I want to share with the world.   As the Spirit Junkie author, Gabrielle Bernstein, wrote on a recent article, “Vibes Speak Louder Than Words.”   

We can all attest that there is a distinct energy difference between love and loathe; between encouragement and envy; between elegance and arrogance. 

The energy I bring to a room emanates from my heart outward.  I either share with the world the LIGHT energy that comes from being Free or I share the DARK energy that comes from my cell of self imprisonment. 

I have found that I create this positive energy by eating the best foods for my body, eating enough food for my body, NOT being overly restrictive, exercising/moving my body every week and getting the necessary rest and sleep for my body.   These choices in my health give me the Freedom to showcase the energy of self love for my body and my True Health. 

E:  Every. Single. Day.

The last key that I have to use to remain Free in my True Health is to remember that every day counts. I have this choice every day to be a woman of True Health, relying on God’s power OR a woman of True HELLth (see what I did there? ;-)) relying on the power of self.

So, by living in FREEDOM, and choosing to live in the Light of God, I dare to be great.  I dare to  transform my life and live out my True Health by becoming STRONG’her, WISE’her and live SURREND’hered to God. 

It is not always easy, but it’s always worth it.

So, this weekend as you celebrate the FREEDOM of living in the land of opportunity, may you also take a moment to pause and give thanks for the FREEDOM of choice that are given as humans.  May you not take this FREEDOM for granted and choose instead to make the choices in your life and in your health to live in the LIGHT of God–living a life of FREEDOM in your True Health

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PhotoCred: @scottborrero Instagram

“Surrender your heart to God, turn to Him in prayer and give up your sins—even those you do in secret.  Then you won’t be ashamed; you will be confident and fearless.”  Job 11:13-18 CEV

Categories
Goal Development Health Coaching Spiritual Health Uncategorized

The Best Kind of Weight Loss

So I just got off the phone with one of my new clients and I am so inspired that I am actually going to botch the entire blog that I’ve been working on for the last couple of weeks to share this story with you today!

This client and I have only been working together for a couple of weeks so far, but she hired me describing feeling being at “an all-time low point with her health”.  She knew she needed to drastically change her health and knew she needed someone to help coach, guide and support her in some significant changes she was ready to make.  I am so lucky she chose me. 

I told her, as I tell all my clients, that I learn just as much from them as they do from me.  It is an absolute honor and priveledge that I get to be a support system for any woman willing to face her fears, overcome obstacles and set herself back on the path that God has created for her.  To witness such transformations with her, changes my soul and teaches me much more than I could ever learn on my own and through my own experiences. 

So, as I do with all clients, the first step that we take together is to decide and write down what her goals are going to be.  I whole-heartedly believe that choosing the (W)right goal for yourself is the most important step in becoming STRONG’her, WISE’her, andSURREND’her your life UP and should not be a rushed decision. 

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If you are truly ready for some real change in your life and in your health, you must get the SURREND’her part down first.  That means, choosing the kind of health goal that GOD wants you to choose, not that you and your fears or lack-based tendencies are pressuring you to choose. 

 (By the way, I have combined all 7-steps into an ebook that can be downloaded when you subscribe to my emails newsletters HERE.)

As we discussed her goals over the course of the first couple of phone calls, the tone of her voice sounded unsure, embarrassed, discouraged, and soft. 

The tone of her voice when we just spoke today?  Completely different.  It sounded light, free, upbeat, and confident.

So what had changed? 

Well, she shifted her thinking and shifted her search for her goals!  Her story was so awe inspriing, I wanted to share with you here today.     

When she first contacted me she had told me her measurable goal was to lose X number of pounds.  This is extremely common and not at all a “bad” goal.  In fact, I highly encourage measurable goals to help motivate, track and stay accountable.    

However, there are a million ways to measure your goals, so I encouraged her to take some time and truly reflect on whether or not this was the right goal for her and was indeed what God wanted her to focus on.

After this conversation, she told me she kept seeing messages about spiritual fasting popping-up in her world and she decided to do an incredibly brave thing——she listened. 

She decided the signs were pointing her to do a spiritual fast and see if she could find some clarity about this health process.  So for a almost a full week, she only ate vegetables and fruit and spent the time she would have spent eating, praying and reflecting more with God. 

(NOTE: This is a highly effective practice for anyone spiritually mature enough to make it about connecting with God to answer a prayer and not about doing a “cleanse” to help you lose weight.  Your heart posture matters!  If you would like more information about this, I’m happy to help answer or guide you, just email me!)

As God promises us in the Bible, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matt. 7:7)  When she sought clarity from God, He gave it to her.

During this fasting period, she came across a book that just seemed to pop-off the shelf to her.  It was called “One Thousand Gifts” by Ann Vosakamp.   The story resonated with her on such a deep level she devoured it in about 2 hours flat and had her new measureable health goal from it.    

Today, with her voice full of courage, hope and a new depth of Faith, she announced her new goal to me:   She is going to seek and find her 1,000 gifts. 

One Thousand Gifts

Every day, she is going to seek out the gifts of her life and write them all down.  She will set her her intention on finding all that is good in her life and will spend her time looking for that, not just seeing her life through the lens of self pressure or busyness.     

Her choice of a goal actually went hand-in-hand with a morning devotion that I had happened to read just this morning from the book, Nearer to Jesus by Sarah Young, which read:

“As you go through this day, look for tiny treasures strategically placed along the way. I lovingly go before you and plant little pleasures to brighten your day.  Look carefully for them and pluck them one by one.  When you reach the end of the day, you will have gathered a lovely bouquet.  Offer it up to Me with a grateful heart.  Receive My Peace as you lie down to sleep, with thankful thoughts plying a lullaby in your mind.” 

It is of no coincidence that she and I had received similar messages of seeking out the smGod Winkall treasures from God on the very same day.  These are the “God winks” that we can all experience every day that we have our eyes opened and willing to receive it. 

The best part of the phone call was the next part she told me…. 

She said that naturally Monday morning she decided to weigh herself to see if her weight had dropped after doing a week of fasting.   It did…..but only 2 pounds. 

She was fighting the natural instinct to be disappointed that after so much “restriction” she did not see more physical weight loss.

I reminded her however, that she had actually lost a significant amount of weight, it just wasn’t the kind of weight that we know how to measure.

You see, this past weekend after the fasting, she described how she had been able to go to her favorite Mexican food restaurant and felt satisfied after eating only 20% of her favorite meal. 

She went to a baby shower and was able to resist the unhealthy food choices and cupcakes, and made the best decision she could with the options she had (chicken salad and some fresh vegetables and fruit) and felt good and satisfied by it.    

The weight she lost was not physical weight.  It was the lifting of the MENTAL burden that she had been bearing for the past several years regarding food, cravings and overall energy.   I could tell she had lost such weight simply by the lightness of her voice.    

Weight gain is very rarely about actual “weight.”  90%+ of the time, our weight is determined more by our thoughts than anything else. 

  • Having a dieters mentality is a heavy burden. 
  • Being unhappy and discouraged by your body all the time wears you down.
  • Always feeling stressed to eat the right foods and to do the right exercises is a heavy load to bear.

All of these things are much “heavier” than the actual weight we may need to lose. 

Being able to lighten the burden of of our thoughts is MUCH MORE REWARDING than losing a few more pounds in one week. 

She was able to fight the temptation of disappointment and stay on this path of greater understanding, joy and peace because she was able to instead focus her life on the gifts of her day. 

From here, she will be able to now move forward toward an healthier body with a much lighter mental burden that will allow her to find True Health and success that no “diet” would have.

This is SURREND’hering.

I encourage anyone reading this to take the following steps to transform your MIND as well by asking yourself these 3 things.

  1. Are my current health goals really what God wants me to focus on or am I creating goals to fill some sort of void I have in my heart that only He can fill?

    If you find that you are not focusing on the right goals, take the time to pray and change them.  God will empower you and guide you if you ask Him.

  2. What are the small gifts that I encountered today that I can pick like a fresh flower bouquet? 

    Even if you’ve had a really crappy day so far, is there 1 or 2 things you can find that were unexpected gifts?  Perhaps you can start a journal too to see if you can get to 1,000 gifts?!

  3. What kind of mental weight am I bearing on my body that I need to lose before I can lose any physical weight?  Am I putting unrealistic expectations on myself?  Am I living only for others approval?  Am I taking on others burdens as my own? 

    Pray that God will show you how to unburden and share the “yoke” with Him so that you do not bear the weight all alone.

    SurrenderisInstersection

Final reminders that if any of you would like to also work with me for 1:1 Health Coaching, I have just a couple more spots available in my current roster.  You can check out the new 6-Part Module forum I’m offering in my 12-Week SURREND’her Health Transformation in this link HERE.  Feel free to reach out and contact me via email at amanda@amandawrightfit.com and I can answer any more questions you have!
  

Categories
Health Coaching

#1 Way to Stay Consistent!

We have all heard the saying, when it comes to seeing success in a health plan, “Consistency is King.”

Is that ever true?! I’ve seen friends and clients lose weight on a wide variety of approaches: High carb and low carb diets; High fat and low fat; High cardio and no cardio; Heavy weight training and yoga; Paleo diet and Vegan diets, some have even lost weight through becoming very flexible via yoga and increasing their libido to burn extra calories.

How do they do it?! You think it’s “just genetics?”-WRONG. Reseach indicates that our genetics only account for about 5% of our metabolic rate (the rate of which we burn our calories for energy).

Well, studies now confirm that the best diet to lose weight, is simply the one you’ll stick to. That’s right! It’s CONSISTENCY.

From where I stand, I know that for TRUE HEALTH it is not just about being consistent in your diet and exercise (i.e. your BODY) to be healthy, you must also be consistently strengthening your MIND and SPIRIT too!

For example, we cannot “fix” all of our negative thoughts that lead to negative actions by just one good day of mindful and positive thinking. We need to CONSISTENTLY give to this practice and build this “mental” muscle up to garner true health in this area.

Also, our relationship with God and our Spiritual strength must be nourished and strengthened on a consistent basis to truly unlock our Spiritual Power. It is not enough to say a prayer one day, accepting God into our hearts, and then do NOTHING for the rest of our lives. Consistently building our relationship with God is the only way to become Spiritually Strong. Period. End of story.

Well, as we know full well, as humans we struggle with consistency. We grow impatient for results and we resort back to the old bad habits that offer immediate gratification but also weaken our body, minds and souls to the sin they may serve.

So, today, I wanted to offer you the somewhat obvious, but often overlooked, tool that will help you stay CONSISTENT the MOST!

The often overlooked valuable tool for staying CONSISTENT is:

—->ACCOUNTABILITY<-----

Accountability is that person, procedure, or tool that helps you build the habit of consistency.

I have implemented several effective tools that helped to hold me accountable to my goals and therefore stay CONSISTENT with them. Since I want to make sure I am finding my TRUE HEALTH, not just my body’s health, I have implemented effective strategies for my BODY, MIND and SOUL.

Here are my best ways that I hold my self ACCOUNTABLE to stay CONSISTENT in these areas!

1. Body:

  • -Food Logs (My Fitness Pal, Food Journal etc)
  • -Personal Trainers
  • -Workout Buddies (Group Fitness Friends)
  • -Nutritionists
  • -Goal Tracking Strategies

I have hired and used all of the above in some capacity for years and years. For exercise, I will say the most effective and motivating accountability components are those that involve a COMMUNITY. I love doing things with others. It makes me feel like I belong a little more, pushing me to be stronger, and allows me to give back to others by pushing them.

I also love when another person gives me a workout to do, this way I’m pushed to do more than if I were to try to do my own. It really works for me, even as a trainer myself.

For NUTRITION, which we know is a solid 75-80% of your weight loss success, this one is more self-reliant so I have to hold myself more accountable with some tracking tools. Now, I’ve gone through phases with tracking and counting calories.

Logging our food doesn’t always work to our benefits and can often cause psychological distress. But if I simultaneously implement strong MENTAL andSPIRITUAL practices to keep me grounded, I really value the feedback and accountability that tracking can offer.

MyFitnessPal is my go-to app, but I’ve also been a fan of implementing my own on Google Drive so that I can make notes on hunger, cravings, emotions and food feelings too. This gives me much more to analyze and see areas for progress.

2. MIND:

  • -Journaling
  • -Mentorship
  • -Classes/Education Courses
  • -Reading
  • -Counseling/Therapy

This year, for accountability in learning and gaining WISDOM for my health I have signed up for a course and mentorship. I am part of a 11-month group of women called the “Best of You” coaching club led by the Fitness and Mindset guru, Jill Coleman from Jillfit.com. She teaches and mentors about 50 of us women who have started or want to start a online business in Fitness industry.

Paying money for, and engaging in a learning “COMMUNITY” again is very powerful in its motivation and accountability! This program was pretty expensive but worth it. The fact that I have paid for this service also really makes me USE this service. Have you ever noticed that tendency?

In the same way, I have also sought years of therapy and counseling from Licensed Therapists that can help me tackle some of my mental blocks from my past and present that I can’t see myself. I book appointments to attend and pay money for people that can help me think better. There should be absolutely no shame EVER for seeking greater understanding of your mind and hiring those people that can help you do that!

3. SOUL

  • -Findinga a Home Church
  • -Bible Study/Small Group
  • -Prayer Partner
  • -Online Prayer Support Groups

This year, I went out on a limb and reached out to a fellow Christian girlfriend to see if she would want to be my Prayer Partner (or what we call Prayer Warriors ;-)). I am so glad that I did because this relationship has been SO POWERFUL in keeping me spiritually strong. Having a sister in Christ to pray with and share your hopes and fears and all the tremendous ways that God is impacting our lives is so incredibly rewarding and empowering.

Historically however, the most life changing Spiritual events have usually happened at church and in fellowship with a COMMUNITY again. So stepping out, and making time for your Spiritual growth by sharing it in community with others is part of how God works in our souls! I physically feel God the most when I am praying with or around others at church or other small gatherings.

“For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.” Matthew 18:20

Well, while these options might seem like a giant check list of all the new accountability strategies you should now implement, I actually really just want to make things easier on you!

I privileged that I have an option that might just be your BEST SOLUTION to hold yourself accountable in ALL 3 areas: Mind, Body & Soul! –> It’s ME!

You see, I have been a personal trainer, group fitness instructor and nutritionist for years and (as you all know by now) have given up those wonderful careers in an effort to BE MORE for people and to help more in the REAL changes that need to occur for long-lasting weight loss to occur.

I love trainers and gyms and everything involved, but those accountability partners usually only cover those BODY goals. And while they might work to push us and strengthen us, it will come with a pretty expensive price tag ($75-$100/hour) and no guaranteed results! (Again, exercise is just 25% of the issue!)

So, embarking on VIRTUAL HEALTH COACHING venture was risky but has been WORTH IT for both myself and my clients!

I have become a TRIFECTA of Accountability Partners for these women and have pushed them all to gain strength in their BODYS, MINDS and SOULS all at once and am seeing some incredible results!

–Clients that were obsessive about their diets have been able to reign in their fear-based diet approach.
–Clients that were severely out of shape have found the exact steps to get back into shape.
–Clients that thought they needed to be overly restrictive and exercising all the time have found success on doing the least amount required and eating as much as possible!
–Clients that are ready to step out and do big bold things for their health, are conquering their dreams!

Up until now, my health coaching has just included these great services:

  • Weekly 30-60 minute phone call to connect and discuss their weekly goals.
  • A Self Empowered Guided Nutrition Plan
  • Lots of Personalized Strategies for goals
  • Daily Emails and Texts to Check In
  • ADD-On Option: Personalized Workouts

I have GREAT NEWS, right now, I’m offering all the same great services PLUS MORE all for about the same cost!!

Now, I have created a 12-Week SURREND’her HEALTH TRANSFORMATION Module Program that ensures you will LEARN what you need to learn in order to be successful in your health FOREVER.

Every 2-weeks, we will cover a very important topic that will educate you and get you thinking MORE about some important aspects of the BODY, MIND and SOUL that you MUST learn in order to achieve true strength.

I have chosen topics after carefully considering the most COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS and problems I’ve seen with clients as well as those most FREQUENT CONCERNS I have for MYSELF!

The 12-Week SURREND’her HEALTH TRANSFORMATION 6-Modules Include:

  1. SURREND’her Goal Development
  2. METABOLISM 101
  3. NUTRIENT-BASED Body
  4. EMPOW’hered TRAINING
  5. MIND MATTERS – (Patience, Comparing Yourself to Others, Addictions/Cravings etc.)
  6. SURREND’her to your WHY- Greater Purpose Week

So, here’s the deal, in order to be really effective as a Health Coach, I can’t have too many clients at once. It does not work to spread myself too thin. Therefore, I have to limit the number of clients I accept to this program.

Right now, I only have 3 Open Spots left available in my roster.

This will ensure that if you apply and are accepted for the 12-week transformation, you will get the best customer service care I can offer you and you can rest assured that I will be that accountability partner that you need!

I am offering FREE 20-Min phonecalls to anyone that wants to chat and see if we’re a “Wright Fit” for Virtual Coaching. Please email me at amanda@amandawrightfit.com to set that up!

Health Coaching with Amanda Wright

Categories
Food & Nutrition Health Coaching

10-Day #SpiritualDETOX

Do you ever wake up in your life and just feel OFF kilter? Your body feels off, which makes your mind feel off? And when both those are off you can bet your behind that your Spirit is affected too!

Well, continuing on what I call my #blessedlifetour2015, I have just returned from a 13-day trip traveling from where we live in Northern California down to San Diego, up to Los Angeles, back to San Diego, out to Munich, Germany, on to Paris, France and finally back home just last night!

I woke-up today feeling ALL KINDS OF OFF!

I want to first acknowledge some areas where I did really well this trip. As many of you may have read, I recently made some pretty deep changes to my WINE consumption and l am very proud to report that in the last 2 weeks, I only consumed 1.5 total glasses of wine which included only about 3 sips of wine the entire time I was in Europe! #ProgressisProgress

Now mind you, had I chosen to drink wine in Munich or Paris, it would have been great and probably worth it. But before I went on the trip, I made a deal with myself and my usual “vices” (which are sweets and alcohol). I decided I was going to give in to the sweets and desserts and just say no to the wine-o. These are just strategies I implement to help myself from going completely off the tracks!

But, what I didn’t have in wine, I definitely made up for in FOOD!

How about this….

German Apple Strudel, Augustiner Klosterwirt
German Apple Strudel

Or maybe even this….

Cafe Laduree legendary Macaroons
Cafe Laduree legendary Macaroons

Annnnnd let’s not forget these happened too…..

Euro Food

If I’m being really honest, some of my desserts didn’t even make it to “picture” status because I had already dove in head first before I had a chance to snap a photo!

Yeah…..I’d say sugar is my “drug of choice!”

I woke up every day with a sugar headache that I would attempt to nurse, along with my jet lag, with copious amounts of caffeine in coffee and tea. I was fully aware of this lose, lose situation I was putting myself in.

This combined with sleep being off, extra rich German and French foods, and 100% of my meals being either packaged goods I brought from home or delicious restaurant richness, I clearly overdid it over the last 2 weeks and my usually clean-eating body feels it!

So, as I do whenever I feel this OFF in my body, I engage in an intentional eating plan for a set amount of time to help myself DETOX some of the chemical addictions wrecking havoc on my bod. In this case I am going to do a 10-Day DETOX.

If you have never tried to rid yourself of your vices, I highly encourage you to give this a shot for 10-days! For most of my clients that do some form of body detox, they often don’t know how bad they feel until they rid themselves of some of the “crud” in their system and feel so amazing!

When you hear the word, DETOX, you might be thinking “Juice Fast” or some sort of extreme starvation strategy out of guilt I have for indulging while away. I know there are a lot of green juice mixes on the market, and my friends live for the ones made in Australia.

But that’s not at all what I mean when I say DETOX.

In fact, what I mean when I say DETOX is actually not only just about food or drink choices. No, no. I make my DETOX about ridding myself of things much more than just food and drinks. Yes, there are some people who find that having a detox can help them with a much needed cleanse. Some even take that extra step further and get a detox machine to help give them that much needed support. Doing research online could help you find the best detox for you, but for me it’s a little different.

Why? Because I know that the reason why my body feels so off is NOT just about the foods that I was putting into it. I know that so much of what I experience as I travel is related to much more than just my BODY, but it is also resorting the old bad habits from my MIND and my SOUL too.

So where many health professionals and holistic practitioners might only focus on what foods to eat and not eat, I am going to make it a 10-DAY SPIRITUAL DETOX to help ALL of those things that I lost as I was away-BODY, MIND and SOUL.

WHAT MAKES MY SPIRITUAL DETOX DIFFERENT THAN OTHER’S?

EASY = EFFECTIVE– I’m not about juicing your own juices or buying all the detox supplements in the world. Eat real food and become more body and mind aware through this 10-days and you’ll feel truly healthy!

BALANCED = BEAUTY-By detoxing out some of the unhealthy body, mind and spiritual habits I will unveil the true beauty within. Those detoxes that advocate just those food/drink/chemical (i.e BODY) related aspects might put a nice bandaid on the wound, but eventually when the 10-days are up, you’re back to bleeding just as you were before. By focusing on the mindset behind those bad habits and the depth of spiritual need beneath it all, you will find true beauty from wounds healing themselves.

FOOD = FUELED-I don’t do the all-liquid type of detoxes for a variety of reasons.
I believe in eating real food, not drastically changing your diet into an all liquid trend. I believe this will make it doable, more rewarding and less punishable all while being just as effective! To maintain your metabolism, you’re going to need to get right amount of protein, carbs and fats in an appropriate amount of calories. Cutting out entire food groups (and textures) will have an adverse consequence on your metabolism!

SPIRITUAL DETOX GUIDE!

BODY DON’TS:

  1. Chemical Stimulants: Caffeine
    Caffeine is the worlds largest chemical stimulant addiction we have. So many of us over consume the recommended amounts (which is 300mg of caffeine a day). Also, metabolically speaking, Caffeine can be a major hormone disruptor that can affect our ability to lose weight. It stimulates a release of Adrenalin and Cortisol (what’s referred to as our Fight or Flight responses) that cause our fat metabolism to slow way down. (Source: Dr. Jade and Keoni Teta, Metabolic Effect). Now, I promise I won’t make you give up Caffeine forever! Once you rid your body of the intense addiction, adding it back in before a workout will be helpful for your metabolism! Green tea is the best!
  2. Chemical Sedative: Alcohol
    Alcohol is high calorie sugar that has a whopping 7 calories per gram which are considered “empty” because of the lack of nutrients. In fact, it actually has “negative” nutrients because it steals Calcium and Magnesium and others from our bodies in order to digest it. Alcohol is another example of a metabolic shut down substance. According to Prevention Magazine, just 2 drinks will shut down our fat metabolism by 73% for the following 4 hours!
  3. Sugar (all forms including honey, raw forms, agave nectar , etc so check every label!)
    Another negative nutrient that steals from our bodies without giving back. Studies have shown that rats became addicted to Sugar much more than even Crack Cocaine! The main affect on sugar, besides the addictiveness, is the insulin surge that comes running in to our systems and then crashes a short time later. Research has shown that much slower forms of carbohydrates have a much more body friendly reaction.
  4. Artificial Sweeteners and Flavors
    These artificial sweeteners are just as addictive as the real stuff but have some horrible consequences if abused. Even if you don’t consume enough to cause the cancer that studies had shown it to cause, your body still may have a negative reaction by triggering an increase in hunger and cravings according to some studies. Also, according to other studies, it might also cause an inflammation response in your lower GI tract which can cause glucose intolerance and digestive issues.
  5. All Dairy:
    Dairy one of those foods that many people actually have a adverse reaction to and some form of intolerance of which they don’t know until they’ve gone without it! Some opinion indicates that adult bodies were not made to need milk like infants do, but it might more commonly be just from a gradual decline in the enzyme lactase that breaks down dairy sugar, lactose, that is the real issue. Give your GI tract a rest in dairy can see some very big changes. (TIP: Add in fortified almond mil or dairy free yogurt to make sure you are still getting your Calcium! )
  6. All Gluten (wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, kamut):
    While a true allergy to gluten is rare (called Celiac Disease) it seems as though gluten intolerance is much more common. While it might be due to the way that the grains are manufactured in America, it is often worth giving up gluten for a while to see if you start to feel less inflamed in the GI tract or joints. Since there are a variety of gluten free grain options out there, this should not be too hard to plan.

BODY DO’S:

  • Eat as many Veggies and Fruits as you want! Shoot for 10+ servings a day.
  • Eat whole, unprocessed foods when you’re hungry and stopping at about 80% full (usually about every 3-5 hours).
  • Eat protein, green vegetables, and colored vegetables at every meal. Add in healthy fats and whole carb sources for most meals too.
  • If you buy something from the store, check the label to make sure it has only real food ingredients and all things you can pronounce.
  • Drink lots of water, herbal tea (not green/white tea or even decaf coffee as they still have some caffeine), coconut water, kombucha (without sugar added), sparkling water (without artificial ingredients added).
  • Eat healthy carb sources like sweet potatoes, gluten free rolled oats, squash, carrots, corn, quinoa, brown/wild rice, beans, beets etc.
  • Eat healthy fat sources like avocado, coconut, olive oil, nuts, fresh nut butters, seeds, etc.

MIND & BODY:

Detox Out the Idolatry of Food: Food becomes an easy idol for us because it’s delicious and gives us immediate gratification senses to our brain. But even though it triggers a “reward” sensation in our brain, does not mean that we should always use it as a reward. In fact, the purpose of detoxing our overly food obsessed parts of ourselves is to rewire our brains to remind us of what a REAL REWARD HEALTH IS! There is no reward like having a healthy body, mind and Spiritual connection to God.

“Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Luke 4:4, Deuteronomy 8:3)

ADD IN: Give this idol (along with all others) to God. Seek God first and you will have no choice but to place all things, including food, after Him. Using prayer, mindful eating and journaling about your meals is a great way to keep it all in perspective.

Detox Out the Busy-ness: So often we run around like chickens with our heads cut off just for the sake of feeling more “worthy” because we think “busy” equates to needed and in high-demand. Well not during this 10-days. We are going to slow it down and stop running so fast. Slowing down allows us to catch onto God’s timing…which is slow, patient and PERFECT.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Mathew 11:28-30 ESV

ADD IN: Cut down your TO-DO list. Pick only those top 3-5 things you have to get done in that day and do them first. Take breaks regularly, rest, go for walks, make time for God, make time for others, and SLOW DOWN. You’ll be pleasantly surprised that your life doesn’t fall apart and your stress levels will fall down too!

Detox Out the People Pleasing: Often times we worry so much about making health changes for ourselves because we don’t want to offend others or are afraid they won’t accept it. Well for 10-days we are going to be intentional about our actions and the motivation behind them. We won’t do things without first examining if this is what God is asking you to do. Are you doing things from a place of love and empowerment? Or are you just saying what others want too hear?

“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10 ESV

ADD IN: Filling yourself up with the love of God will give you His peace and power. Asking God with every step along the way to guide you and help you in your strength. From that space you will no longer seek ways of your insecurity and people pleasing, but you will seek ways to serve God. It will involve loving others, but respecting yourself first.

Detox Out Self-Serving tendencies: Even though this will be about getting our health in check, we know that a truly Spiritually healthy person is here not just to serve oneself, but to serve God and to serve others. This could also cover our sexual relations. There are many reasons that people have sex, but those who are healthy spiritually don’t have sex just for their own satisfaction.

“Don’t be concerned for your own good but for he good of others.” 1 Corinthians 10:24 NLT

ADD IN: Write a note to someone every day, do random acts of kindness, plan to help a friend or coworker who is in need, do whatever you can do to make your life less self involved. You’ll find when you focus on serving and loving others, you won’t be focusing on your idols and food! As for the sex, add in Tantric sex; this is all about connection and reaching for a type of spiritual enlightenment which will help you to develop a deeper connection with your partner, enhancing your relationship no end.

SO, ARE YOU IN?

You might think this sounds too hard or painful, but I assure you, it is NOT as hard as continuing to live the high-stress, unhealthy, body-inflammed, soul-dampened, manner we are living now. Just 10-Days is all it takes to wake your body, mind and soul UP to a higher level! YOU WILL FEEL AMAZING! And, it’s only 10-Days. Give up your excuses and give UP your HEALTH. With God, all things are possible.

Here’ a cheat sheet that will break it all down for you! For a printable PDF, click HERE.
(Emails are taken just as a measure of counting downloads)

L

Categories
Spiritual Health Uncategorized

The Two Most Powerful Words…

I am

I recently came across a beautiful quote that said, “I Am. The two most powerful words.  For what you put after them shapes your reality.”

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These words, “I Am” are incredibly powerful.  Their meaning has so pervasive into my soul that it has taken on truer depths of meaning as I have thought of them, heard them in passing, and have seen them in written form too.

For those that took part in my 7-Steps to SURREND’her Goal Development Program or have read my ebook on the 7-Steps HERE, know that I drew emphasis on the power of our words in Step # 4 Visualize & Affirm It!

In this step, I stress the importance of using verbal affirmations because of the power that our words have over our subconscious mind!  Since neuro scientists have revealed that our subconscious mind is responsible for 95% of our behavior, I argue that anything we can do to re-wire our subconscious minds in the direction we want to go is the best practice! 

While, I think far too many people, including myself, ‘forget’ that this has been proven, and instead tend to repeat the old phrases in our heads.  The lies that we’ve always believed.

Such was the case from the last blog I wrote the other day.  I was in a world of turmoil for reasons I could not quite determine and I was just spiritually exhausted.  In prayer, I called out to God and asked how I was supposed to manage all of my new roles and callings when “I Am so insecure.”

Those words, “I am” shaped that reality and were a main reason for my turmoil. 

They were another LIE from the devil planted in my head, for who knows how long, that had taken root and was causing destruction in my ability to move forward with my Greater Purpose and calling. 

Do I have remorse for saying those words?  Absolutely not.  Because by saying them to God, HE was able to set me right again and speak the truth into me. 

He told me,  “My Beloved, you are not insecure.  You have just been believing the lie that you are insecure.”

God revealed to me what my truth is. 

“I am empowered.  I am strong.  I am standing.” 

BUT LET’S UNWRAP IT A BIT MORE…..

These words, “I am” will always remind me of God speaking to Moses in Exodus. 

“God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.” (Exodus 3: 14)

For years and years, I have not been able to wrap my head around the sentence, “I AM has sent me to you.”

It has been a philosophical puzzle that I knew I was supposed to understand, but it wasn’t quite sinking to that depth yet….until one day.

Coincidentally, this was during a time where I was practicing the other part of the “Step #4 Visualize & Affirm It!” by doing a self visualization with my prayer.

There are times in my prayer that I get crystal clear on this woman that I picture myself to be.  My ‘future self’ that is living out her Greater Purpose and calling.  I imagine “her”, meaning me of course, in the course of a typical day. 

{This “her” is actually what I hope to inspire all women to focus on becoming and is the “her” I refer to in “STRONG’her, WISE’her and SURREND’her”}

For me, my visualization prayer takes me to this certain place. 

I visualize myself in 20+ years first in the outward appearance:  I visualize what I’m wearing, my body and shape, the type of chair I’m sitting in, the type of food Im snacking on etc. 

Then I visualize the feelings of this future version of myself: her aura and energy, the joy expressed in her face, the calm and peaceful way she talks— she is strong in grace. 

One day, as I was finishing up this visualization prayer, I began thanking God for this vision and for this future version of me.    

Instead of asking Him to guide me to be like her, I did the opposite, I thanked Him for already making it happen.  I am that confident that I will be this woman I envision, that I don’t actually have to ask God to become that woman anymore, I can start thanking God for what I already know will be. 

But as I started to thank Him, I found myself saying these words instead, “Thank you God for the woman that I will beco…(starting to say “become”), for the woman that “I AM.”

And that’s where it hit me.  “I AM”

There is no “future me”, there is just me.  It’s already been done.   Just like there is no future God…He’s already there too.

All the difficulties I will face between now and that woman I envision is already done.  The trials, the difficulties, the sorrows, the pains….already done and already solved.  The joy, the love, the peace and the grace are all already given to me at maximum levels too. 

I AM is now.   

I AM all of those things I dream of being one day, right now. 

The reason why this is true, is because God is in me and God IS ALL THESE THINGS. 

God does not live in space and time.  God is omnipotent. 

God is both the sorrow and the joy. 

God is both the pain and the peace.

He is ALL things because ALL things have their purpose, His Purpose. 

When I was crying on the ground and said the words, “I am insecure,”  God is that TOO.  God is the LIE only because He must be the LIE in order to be the TRUTH.   You cannot have the truth without also having the lie.

This is not to say that God is the cause of all of these things.  I recently heard a sermon by Pastor Rick Warren where He distinguished that our circumstances (including the bad times) can be caused by 4 different sources:

1. God
2. The Devil
3. Ourselves
4. Other People

So while we can sometimes determine if we’ve caused our own pain or if other people have, we often don’t know if our suffering is from God or the Devil. 

But the truth is that it doesn’t matter.  What matters is not the source of the PAIN, but rather how we are going to use it for our Greater Purpose.  Having a relationship with God means that we allow God to use all things to develop our Purpose and Character. 

The truth is, our times of trouble and the difficult times will have a far greater impact on us that the good and happy times.  The LIES we believe have their purpose in their pain.

So while I believe that the devil will continue to plant in my head the lies like, “I am insecure” that I will unknowingly believe for any course of time, I KNOW that God will give purpose and blessing to those lies.   

There is POWER in setting those lies straight.  There is POWER in discovering our TRUTH.

Jesus, who said, “I AM the way, the truth and the light” (John 14:6) will give us our TRUTH as long as we have ears that are open to hear it.

So I encourage you today, to stop, breathe and pray for greater awareness of who you really ARE.  Pray that all lies will be made true again. 

Shape the TRUTH of who you are by using the words, “I AM _______” and start repeating it to yourself every day, several times a day.  Shaping this TRUTH can be just another way that God will be revealed in you. 

“I AM sent me to you.” 

Categories
Spiritual Health

Confessions of an Unburdened Heart

Today, I would just like to share openly with you about some of my real and current struggles—not so that I use you, my beloved reader, as a way to vent my frustration and fears, but rather as a place where I can expose how God is rewiring my mind and soul in real time so that whatever struggle you might be facing right now  might make you feel like you are less alone.  So even if our struggles are not in the same category in life, we can connect in a sisterhood of Divine strength,  knowing that we are not the only ones in this very moment who are having a hard time unwrapping our beautiful hearts from the greedy hands of the devils destruction. 

I am experiencing one of those days that I just can’t stop crying. I am overcome.   But God is speaking to me and I just hope to share what He is telling me now. 

I pray that by unwrapping my heart, I might shine a light on your darkness too.

 Gods love can overwhelm me.  Experiencing a calling to the depth that I am experiencing can be so strong that it almost feels like a burden.

There are so many questions I cannot yet answer.  The mystery of, “What will happen?” builds-up like piles of stones trying to create a mountain blocking the path that God has laid out before me.

Every day, I am challenged to be bigger than my fear.  Every day I am challenged to choose God and choose Faith so that those stones of fear are bulldozed away and my path is made clear, again…..and again. 

I had naively thought that once I overcame my initial fear of starting this business and was willing to be obedient to this calling, that I would overpower all fear. 

I was wrong. 

I battle fears of failure every day.  I battle fears of caring too much about what other people think of me, every day.  I battle fears of unworthiness every. single. day. 

What’s crazy is this epiphany—–>  The closer I get to God, the more my fears can mount up.

It is very clear, that the devil can sense this intimacy I have with God, and he is not happy with it. 

My great Hope lies in this—–>the closer I get to God, the more I use His Power to knock down my fears.  I thank God that His Power is so great. 

The other wave of emotion that I feel is the weight of so many new ROLES all at once.  What I am experiencing through this life shift of SURREND’her is a convergence of many “callings” meeting together at the epicenter, which is my heart.

This should not be surprising, since as I have written several times, our “Calling” or our “Greater Purpose” is not limited to what we “do for a living.”  So while I will often relay that my “calling” is found in this business I have started, A.Wright Fit, the truth is my true Calling and my Greater Purpose is being molded from several roles all at once.  I know I am not alone in these roles.

For instance:

  • I am called to be Wife.  What an honor this role is.   Wow, is it hard.  Today, as I write this we are officially 7-months married.  Newlyweds ;-).  Borrowing the words of Gabrielle Bernstein as she too was speaking of her fiancé, (now husband),  “He is my greatest assignment and my greatest teacher.”  I moved away from my family and my home in Colorado, and found my new home in my husbands arms, wherever in the world they may be at the time, which is far more traveled than I had expected!
    What I feel so far about being married is that much of what is so difficult about it is that often times I feel as though Howard is really acting as a mirror, reflecting back to me my greatest flaws.  Looking at my flaws in a mirror is BY FAR one of my LEAST favorite activities.  But the lessons I receive daily are abundant and humbling.  Loving harder is a challenge I have not only accepted, but have committed to in the covenant of marriage.  It is all here for a reason and it can all bring me close to God.  But it is a daily choice.
       
  • I am called to be Mother.  As I took my vows to marry, I also took on this new role as step-mom or what they call me, which is simply “Mandi” or specifically, “Mani” for the little one.  This is a role no one can really prepare you for.  There are not the “What to Expect When You’re Not Technically Expecting” books out there, nor did I experience any warm-up to parenting that being pregnant  or raising a child from infancy can provide.  I was thrown into the game as a rookie with both a toddler and a college student.  As a step-mom, I think the greatest gift I have is just a natural sense in navigating the boundaries for all parties involved and growing in love every day.  But I must admit, the fear of overstepping the boundaries are always great and choosing the love is not automatic, which I have guilt even admitting.  I am grateful I have God who teaches me how to choose love.
  • I am called to be Sister.  I am a little sister in the literal sense (and I miss my siblings fervently), but my calling is also now to be a Sister in the Soulful sense.  Starting this business has very little to do with the actual products and programs I offer, and much more about how can I serve as a Sister in Christ.  How can I play a role in helping others find their own paths to health and their Greater Purpose.  How can I help others seek God’s great Power for their life?  It is navigating the terrain and finding the right paths to being in the “right place at the right time” that is challenging.  Connecting with my clients as their health coach and helping women, most of which I’ve never met, find a greater connection to their health and to God is an honor.  It is simply my hope that I might be able to expand in this role and be called to serve on a wider platform. I do not know what lies ahead.
  • I am called to be Child.  I am both the child of the greatest parents in the history of the world, including my mother-in-law, but also and more importantly, the child of God.  I realized I am still in the infancy stages of life in so many ways and I know I am just learning to walk.  Like children often do,  I am learning so much at once!    I realize I must learn first before I can teach—- so I must learn to walk before I can run.

So, as I mentioned in my opening, it is days like this that I feel very overcome by the greatness of these Callings converging on me all at once. 

So I have done the only thing I have left to do, I have asked God the real question on my heart.

“God, why would you give such enormous callings to a girl who has been plagued with such insecurity her whole life?  How can you expect this insecure girl to really manage a head-strong husband, being away from her family and security, the unknown role of step-mothering, the huge leap of faith to lead women as an entrepreneur all while still learning to “walk” as the Child of God?”

God has answered me. 

I was literally bowed down with my head on the ground in the middle of my kitchen and His words came came to me,

“Beloved, you are not insecure.  You have just believed the lie that you are insecure.  I have given these things to you because you can handle them all, “not by works, but by Faith”.  “Put on the armor of God” and become the warrior I have called you to be.  Believe the lie no more and unburden your heart, “for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  You are worthy.”

He reminded me not to misjudge how I measure His love.  To not think that just because some people have found worldly success that they are somehow loved more than me.  He loves us all immeasurably and it cannot be compared.  We do not see the full picture of everyone’s heart and happiness. 

He reminded me that my burdens are not a sign that He does not love me either.  They are more of a sign that I am doing what is right and it is the devil who is afraid.  He reminded me that I can feel His love by his great protection and part of His love is shown in ways I cannot see. 

He reminded me not to miscalculate the size of His hands and Might of His Wings.  That His sovereign strength can bear all things.  That I can “take refuge under His mighty wings” and give Him ALL of my burdens, even those I’m ashamed to admit.  He can take them all and more. 

He reminded me that I’m not alone.

That I’m not insecure.

I am a warrior.

So, I stood up.  And here I shall STAND.

Below, are just some of the verses that came into my mind through my prayerful dialogue with God.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11: 28-30)

“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the power of this dark world and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”  (Ephesians 6: 11-13)

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2: 8-10)

“How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!  People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.” (Psalm 36: 7)

Categories
Goal Development Health Coaching Spiritual Health Uncategorized

3 Ways to Put the PRO in Progress

So “Emily (Blunt)” is the character in my mind that plays the role of my Inner Critic. She’s the hard-driving, perfectionist seeking, real b-word in my head that likes to point out all my weaknesses and tell me how I’m failing at things.

Emily Blunt

I introduced her to you in my last blog that talked more about our recognizing our Inner Self Critics, why we have those voices in our head to begin with, and how to refocus our mind to the only thing that IS perfect in our life (those areas where God dwells). If you missed it, check it out HERE.

no-one-is-perfectIn today’s blog, I want to cover how to adjust your goals and expectations of PERFECTION to a new word that will have much more POWER and much more SUCCESS.

 

—>PROGRESS.

In spite of all this chitter chatter of the “Emily” trying to manipulate my thoughts, I have to say that I have been able to muzzle her voice from my head with greater and greater success in the last several months!

To quiet her barking in my mind, I’ve just had to utter one phrase inside my head and she shuts up.

 

“Progress is Progress.”

PROGRESS is the new PERFECT. And I have developed a true sense of empowerment and motivation in life when I look for and see the ways that I am PROGRESSING instead of only focusing on the ways that I’m not yet perfect.

But you might be wondering – How do I make progress? In order to make progress, you must be proactive in reaching your goals. For example, if you want to lose some of your body fat, you know that what you’re doing currently isn’t working so you need to change something in order to see the progress you want. This could be something as simple as Googling “is DIY cryolipolysis effective” and taking steps to implement it, or it could be as major as totally changing your diet. It doesn’t matter what it is – your goals will be met no matter how slow you go.

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As we all know, I am a big-time believer in writing and setting goals (hence why I wrote an ebook on the 7-Steps To SURREND’hered Goal Development which you can download free right HERE).

Often times however, it is in these very goals that I have so diligently planned out that I start to hear more of “Emily” in my head trying to measure me up to my perfectionist areas.

Let’s take one small, silly example to illustrate:

I made a small goal to be able to improve my time in running the 1.5 mile jog that I try to do as a warm-up in my workouts. Now mind you, there is no real reason why I think I need to improve my time in this effort nor any magic in running 1.5 miles, but it really is just a distance that I thought was a good amount of time and I like to created the mini goal to just push me a little harder!

So, anyway, this week, I was able to do the run 3x in my workouts. BUT, I wasn’t able to improve my time in the last run that I did this week because I was feeling a bit more sore and needed to go slower to start.

You all probably understand that this is really not a big deal. Not life or death. But the EMILY in me, wants to really put me down about it. She wanted me to push through the soreness and just “work harder” and “go faster.”

But, I shut her up. Why? Because….

Progress is Progress.

The fact is that I did this run 3x this week whereas last week I only did it 1x! So I made PROGRESS!!

The progress is what I need to focus on, not the “lack.”

While this kind of example illustrates a small disappointment I experienced this week and may not seem like too big of a deal on it’s own, the truth is our small disappointments build-up over time and can destroy our resolve.

If I let my mind continue to be unnecessarily disappointed in myself for the small stuff, it’s for sure going to be majorly affected for the big stuff. I have to rewire my thinking in small ways if I want to prepare myself to do the same in BIG ways. 1168669_1434345690110125_1841626081_n

Progress doesn’t have to be measured results either! Progress might be that you have mentally shifted away from past destructive behavior. That you are being more gracious, loving, and gentle with yourself. That too is making progress and should be acknowledged!

Let’s take another, more serious example:

Say you want to lose a fairly significant amount of weight (20-30lbs) and you know how hard it is to lose fat when you drink alcohol, but you have a real taste for wine and drink a glass or two 3x per week.

But because you want and need to lose this weight so bad, you set out to give up your wine for 30 days.

One week in, you have an especially stressful day and everything seems to have gone wrong and before you know it, that bottle of wine is opened and you’ve finished it off! Ugh!

So here you are, set-up with a prime opportunity for your own Self Critic to lay into you about how you blew it and probably some bit about how you’re never going to be able to do this and it’s too hard and you might as well quit!

AmIRight??

Luckily for us, we have this new slap in the face to offer our dear Self Critic. We say to her…

“Progress is Progress“!

Because the reality is, you used to drink 3x/week, and then this week you only drank 1x/week!

That, is the proper focus and that is the reality of how changes happen!

REAL, long lasting change usually happens step-by-step, not mile by mile.

REAL, long lasting change modifies your current bad habits just enough to make them better habits.

REAL, long lasting change is gradual and purposeful, not sweeping and bipolar.

THE REAL WAY YOU MAKE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN YOUR LIFE IS TO FOCUS ON MAKING PROGRESS!

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Want to improve in this? I have you covered in just 3 steps!

3 Ways to Put the PRO is PROGRESS:

1. PRO-gram your MIND:

You must learn to mentally shift your mind away from your disappointment in yourself or thinking you’ve “failed” at something and instead see the PROGRESS you’ve made. The easiest way to do this is to verbally (or mentally) affirm it! Anytime you hear your Inner Critic barking at you from within, stop yourself and say “Progress is Progress” and look for the way that you did make progress in your effort.

Repeating things like sayings and affirmations actually reprograms your subconscious mind to believe what you are saying. The more often you say something, the more it becomes true for you and the more you start to live it.

2. PRO-fess the next PROgression:

Once you have acknowledged and recognized the progress you’ve made so far, you want to PRO-fess and decide what the next step or “mini goal” of progress is going to be! There is no time table or pressure to always do more and more, but it also is good to keep progressing! We must always keep learning!

We can and should feel great about only drinking 1x per week when we used to drink 3x per week, but we don’t want to stop short of our real goal and real capability either! We don’t want to be complacent with our efforts and fool ourselves into thinking our half-hearted attempts are “good enough” especially when we know we CAN do more.

So take a minute to mentally, verbally, or in writing decide your next level of progress you wish to make in this goal. Give yourself a *realistic* deadline to make it really stick!

3. PRO-vide the Example for others!

As you start to put less pressure on yourself to be “perfect” you will find that you can start putting less pressure on others to be perfect too. PRO-viding the example for them by acknowledging their progress will be a service you can provide to others that will also come back to you.

After all, you don’t want to be one of those people’s that gives yourself Grace but holds others to some standard of perfection they can’t reach!

 

Overall, I view my relationship with my Self Critic, “Emily Blunt” in my head as a pretty great thing. Recnognizing her comments now, almost laughing at how ridiculous and obsessive she sounds, and taking steps toward God and toward a life seeking PROGRESS in becoming STRONG’her, WISE’her and live SURREND’hered is truly what makes me EMPOW’hered.

 

Here’s to us, with the crazies in our head! Moving on….

 

 

Categories
Health Coaching Spiritual Health Uncategorized

Motherhood Woes and Why Emily Blunt sucks…

Happy belated Mother’s Day to all Mothers, Step Mothers and Adopted Mothers and Grandmothers out there, too. I am blessed to witness some really incredible mom’s in my world.   As I reached out to my Mom, Grandmother, Mother-in-Law, sisters, mother to my step daughter Eden, as well as all the friends I have that are also mothers, I wanted to be sure I fully expressed how much I love them, how in awe of them I am, and how great I think they are doing as a mom because I know, as a mom, you never think you are really doing “good enough.”

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Indeed, from some of these moms, I did get an almost expected reply back to my praise and adoration, saying, “I fail a lot, but thank you!”

It’s such an honest response to how I know most mom’s feel.

I certainly feel like I “fail” a lot as a Step Mom and have intense feelings of guilt trying plague my mind and thoughts.  It can feel defeating.

But, what does that word even mean? FAIL.

To me, this word doesn’t signify an indication of merely the result of an effort made, but is more of an indication of what the goal was to begin with!

If you have ever felt you have FAILED at something, it is likely because your GOAL in this particular area was to be PERFECT.

There are just certain areas of our life where we strive for PERFECTION.

Perfectionism has fooled our minds into thinking that:

  1. There is such thing as perfection;

  2. That we actually have ability to be perfect;

  3. Anything short of perfection is failure.

But, what we may not realize is having a mindset geared toward PERFECTION is a design from God Himself.

“I have planted a longing for perfection in every human heart. This is a good desire, which I alone can fulfill.” —Sarah Young, Nearer to Jesus

But what goes wrong, is we try to fill our hearts with things that are imperfect (hint: anything that is not God is imperfect, so yes, even your children are an example of this). Those areas then become our IDOLS and we suffer more because of it. We burden ourselves with expectations that can never be met and our mindsets suffer from our inner Self Critic pointing out every “failure” along the way.

But there is a way to beat this!  There is a way to feel successful,  full and complete!

 In this 2-Part Blog Series We’re Going to TACKLE this issue of our Mind:

Part 1: Expose our perfectionist thinking by identifying the Self Critic in your Mind

Part 2: Offer the Alternative Goal that will allow for more God, more Grace, and more “Success” (HINT: the key word is PROGRESS).

 

  1. OUR SELF CRITIC SABOTEUR!

WHAT IS OUR SELF CRITIC?

Our inner Self Critic is that voice in our head that is always nagging on us and criticizing us.   It is the voice in our head that tells us we are not “good enough.”

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For simplicity sake, let’s be clear there are 3 facts about our Inner Self Critic:

  1. Our Self Critic is NOT the voice of God telling you you’re not good enough.
  2. Our Self Critic is NOT the “real us” even though it’s a voice that sounds like us.  
  3. Our Self Critic IS a scheme of the Devil himself.

The devil can be so good and so smart that he might have you convinced that this voice in your head is “just the way you are” or it is God who is ashamed of you, but that is simply not the truth.

Being aware of these facts is a source of empowerment.

Discerning this Self Critic voice from God’s voice and your TRUE self is the awareness that you need in order to move beyond the limitations it tries to set upon you.

 CHARACTERIZING OUR SELF CRITIC?

I was first introduced to the term “Self Critic” from the book, Playing Big, by Tara Mohr.

She says, “All women grapple with this voice of self-doubt in one way or another.  For some women, it is most prominent around their professional lives.  For others, it comes up around their sense of competence as mothers or partners.  For others, it speaks mostly about appearance, body image or aging.”

Preach, Tara, preach!

There she invited me to think of my Self Critic in some character format so I might see her as someone other than me. I loved the idea and encourage you to do the same!

I named my self critic “Emily” after the character played by Emily Blunt in the movie The Devil Wears Prada. She’s the “popular girl” type who thinks that no one is ever good enough, pretty enough, smart enough or skinny enough.  Yeah, she sucks.  (Not the real Emily Blunt, but the character she plays in my head.)

Emily Blunt

 

For some of you, your self critic is going to be an older woman/man of authority that barks down orders. For others, your inner self critic might actually take on the character of your mom or dad or another family member that you have historically never felt “good enough” for.

Whatever the voice is, it’s important to recognize it so you can distinguish it.  You can then learn to live with it (because it may never go away) but also ignore it because you recognize this voice for what it is.

Recognize the common phrases your self critic might use. Tara Mohr says our self critics will often speak in extreme phrases so you’re either “awesome” or “pathetic”.  It’s usually harsh, mean and rude. Fear based and mischievous.  Tells you you’re “not ready yet” to embark on a dream.  Irrational, persistent, and seemingly like a “broken record” that just plays and plays.

I know personally, I recognize my self critic when I walk by a mirror and I hear “Ugh.” It may take a while to fully acknowledge, but it’s really important to start to recognize the character and cues that our Self Critics will use.

 THE AREAS OF FOCUS FOR OUR SELF CRITIC:

Our self critic (i.e. the devil) is incredibly smart and knows to prey on those very areas of our mind and hearts that are the most susceptible to sabotage. Our very weakest weaknesses.

In fact, once you think about it, your Self Critic seems to expand in areas on your life that you fall most prey to idolatry. Those areas that you have a tendency to put ahead of God.

Allow me to humbly admit the 3 top ares of my own demise and idolatry:

 First in my RELATIONSHIPS, “Emily” likes to keep me worrying about what everyone is always thinking of me and keeps putting pressure on me to be a “perfect” wife, “perfect” friend, “perfect” step mom, “perfect” health coach and all that.

Then in my WORK, “Emily” has been especially hard driving on me lately to get more done and do everything all at once to make sure that my new business will succeed. She’s been basically yelling into my head with a megaphone on this one.

Then in my HEALTH, “Emily” has been historically a real b-word. She has yelled at me in my head to workout longer, eat more strict, and especially focused on my body’s flaws and how I just must not be “working hard enough” to see quicker changes!

perfection_doesn__t_exist_by_sireysi-d4y8za3I fully admit that in all the three areas, I wake up every day putting unrealistic pressures on myself to strive for a level of perfection that doesn’t exist.

Every. Day.

 But, my power is is recognizing this voice and ignoring it.

THE ANTIDOTE TO OUR SELF CRITIC:

The other day I was listening to a Rick Warren podcast called “Daily Hope” (one I highly recommend for anyone looking for “quickie” Spiritual guidance!) where he mentioned that the antidote to FEAR is to FOCUS ON THE PRESENCE OF GOD.

That same focus applies to this Self Critic since the truth about these “perfectionist” thoughts is FEAR as well.

Transitioning our focus to the one thing that IS PERFECT is the perfect way to overcome this Self Critic voice from the devil.

Recognizing our weaknesses and imperfections and offering them up to God is the only way we can be made perfect in Him.

 “But he said to me, ‘My Grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”   2 Corinthians 12:9

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 We DO have the opportunity for perfection, but it is only found where God dwells in us. So if we seek God and connect with God, we find that perfection we long for.

The Devil will continue to try to tear that away and you will struggle every day, in many different ways, to keep that connection to Christ, but God knows that.

God knows that you have a heart that desires perfection, He created that so you would seek HIM more. This means not once, not twice, not 100 times, but every day, several times a day, you must seek God and find the fulfillment you need.

The more you practice this, the more God will relieve your worrisome mind and rest your fears that you are not “good enough” at motherhood, health, or whatever areas your tend to fret.

This awareness, has been incredibly powerful for me. I have been able to use this GodPower source and He has given me a new word and a new GOAL to strive for.

PROGRESS!

Part II of this series will cover how you too can transition your areas of “Perfectionist” thinking in your pursuits for health and use instead a goal of PROGRESS to keep you motivated and find success and satisfaction!

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