be THAT girl who inspires…

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And then she found her hero staring right back at her in her reflection…

Tj

As I reflect on my year there are a few lessons that I have learned that I want to share with all of you. But before I begin, let’s chat about what your word is for 2022??

2019 my word was Self. This was my year to be selfish and to begin focusing on ME. We have all heard the quote, “you can’t pour from an empty cup”, but do we all really listen to that? Nope. We allow others’ needs to come before our own and it’s exhausting. In 2019, I had a lot of self-growth, but this was not easy at all. The guilt I felt daily was hard but I realized that I needed to make a change so I could show up better in all areas of my life.

2020 my word was Intention. I made it a goal to make decisions based more on willful direction. I became more mindful of my decisions. I intentionally created habits, learned to plan more, and became more intentional with my time. This was not an easy year, we can all attest to that. It was dark, it was hard, it brought on anxiety that a lot of us didn’t know how to deal with. It was also a year where I have never been more grateful for my health and my family time. A year that I realized that I needed to live in the moment and let go of the past.

2021 my word was Action. This past year has been a huge year of growth for me and it never would’ve been that way had I not taken action. Here are a few things I completed this year…

This year I successfully completed the 75Hard; a challenge that I had wanted to do for quite awhile. The best part, I was able to do it with my hubby and we crushed it together. That experience gave me the confidence that I can do whatever I put my mind and soul into.

I promoted to District Manager in my Arbonne business! Who knew sharing my love for the products would lead to me actually creating a new business opportunity for myself. I have been part of this company for years as a customer but it wasn’t until early this year when I went all in using the nutrition products during the 75HARD challenge that I made the decision to start working this business. These products have truly made such a difference in my life and I will continue to share what works for me. It feels so good to see other people’s health thrive after trying our products.

I also completed my Health & Life Coach Certification! Something I had been wanting to do for a couple of years but was too afraid to do it because I was nervous about failing the exams. Test anxiety is a thing. LOL! Well, I can say that I did very well on the exams and I passed with flying colours. I also registered for my Personal Training Certification that I will be starting in January!

Lessons I have learned this year…

  1. Your Health is Your Wealth. We have one body to carry us through this life. Why not do everything we can to keep it in tip top shape! Most of us own a vehicle. Would you put oil in the gas tank? No because we know that it will not run properly! Plus, we can purchase a new car if we ruin the one we have. We can’t just go and purchase a new body, so treat it like the precious Queen it is. We are all going to face challenges in our lives, why not be ready to face them both physically and mentally.
  2. Slow the hell down. If nothing else, the last 2 years have taught me that I need to live in the moment and slow down. Life is not a race that we win. What happens at the end if we haven’t cherished the moments in between. If you are living a life of competition, you are going to miss out on all the good stuff.
  3. Connection is a must. We are built for connection. We need connection. This has been huge for me in my life. Connecting with other’s who push me to be better has kept me going. I appreciate the friendships that I have so much. But the most important relationship I have is with myself. Put yourself first. Fall in love with the person that you are and the person you are becoming.
  4. Love people for who they are and where they are at. No one is perfect. No one is going always agree with one another’s choices but loving them and accepting them allows them to feel seen and that’s what we all want.
  5. You do You. Our family motto for this year. I couldn’t love this more.

I would say that 2021 has definitely been a year of good Action and I am not about to stop. I will be launching my Coaching business this year so stay tuned for that! This year is going to be my year to INSPIRE. Inspire other’s to get healthier, to get stronger, and to realize that they are worthy of what they want. It’s time to focus on YOU because you matter. I want to Thank ALL of you who inspire me Every. Single. Day. Bring on 2022 and let’s get inspired together.

I’d love to hear what your word is for 2022 and some lessons you’ve learned in 2021!

be THAT girl who challenges her choices…

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“You owe it to yourself to challenge your choices”

Tj

Have you ever been in the middle of doing something and you start to wonder why you chose to do it? I was working on an assignment from a class I was taking and I had this thought…..why haven’t I been questioning EVERYTHING??? Why haven’t I been questioning my choices throughout my life? We all start out curious. Why don’t we stay curious?

Throughout most of my life I have not been a curious person. In fact, I found it easier to just go with the flow and not ask questions unless I absolutely had to. You know the saying, “ignorance is bliss”, well that was me. I liked living in this so called bliss….so I thought. Just doing what I was conditioned to do. Believing what I was conditioned to believe. Portraying an image of the perfect daughter, wife, mother, and friend. To me, life just seemed easier that way. I looked for anything to support my way of being and found what I needed to feel good about living in that “bliss”. Little did I know that I would one day have to challenge my choices.

In April of 2016, my beliefs were challenged. (More details are in another post… http://www.bethatgirl.ca/blog/be-that-girl-who-shares-her-story/ ) My comfortable life as I knew it was turned upside down. I had to make a choice that would ultimately change everything, not only for myself but for generations that follow. No pressure. LOL! As I pondered what I was going to do, this thought kept popping running through my head…”figure out what you truly believe”. So, for the first time in my life, I actually started to study (approved church literature) about my religion. Crazy huh….39 years of being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and I never questioned anything about it. I just believed because my family and friends did and I figured it was easier to just keep living what seemed easiest. My testimony was built on the testimony of others. Clearly I didn’t understand what a testimony really was.

Once I started to read more about the prophet who restored the gospel, I knew I couldn’t support that religion any longer. I won’t get into what I read but it was enough for me to know that this was not an organization that I wanted to be a part of anymore. Although this has been one of the hardest choices in my life thus far, I have never regretted the decision I made because I have asked the hard questions. I have challenged my choice. I have found my truth.

My hope is that we all challenge our choices. Ask more questions! I don’t just owe that to myself, but I owe it to my children to question everything. Search for your truth by getting the facts and correct information. We have all heard the quote, “you don’t grow in comfort”. Get uncomfortable and just see what unfolds for you.

be THAT girl who makes discipline her bitch.

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You will NEVER ALWAYS be motivated, so you must learn to be disciplined….

75 Days.

75 Days of progress.

75 Days of dedication.

75 Days of becoming.

75 Days of making me as a priority.

75 Days of growth.

75 Days of discipline.

I don’t actually know if I can put into words exactly what this challenge has done for me. In fact, it’s taken me a few weeks to just sit and reflect on what I just accomplished.

For those of you who didn’t follow my journey on my Instagram story, let me just briefly explain what the 75Hard Challenge is.

75 HARD™ IS A TRANSFORMATIVE MENTAL TOUGHNESS PROGRAM. NOT a fitness program!!! This is a program that can change your life … starting from the inside. Are there physical changes? Yes. But trust me when I say the physical changes you see on the outside are a FRACTION of the results you earn by completing 75 HARD. 

  • Drink 1 gallon of water a day
  • Follow a healthy diet (no cheat meals)
  • No alcohol
  • Read 10 pages of a self-help book a day
  • 2 – 45 minute workouts per day and one has to be outside (even when it’s yucky)
  • Take a progress picture every day

If you miss any one of these things or cheat at all…you start again! 

I want to share more of the mental transformation in another blog post. It’s very personal and will take some time to put into words. For now, I would love to share my results of each of the challenges.

DRINK 1 GALLON OF WATER A DAY….1 freaking gallon of water is a shit ton of water!! I usually struggled to get in half of that in a day, so to go from that to 1 gallon was damn hard. I think one of the other struggles was not being able to add anything to your water. I usually added an Arbonne Fizz stick or Mind Health to begin my day. For the first couple of weeks, I thought I would never get used to drinking all of that fluid BUT eventually my body got used to it and it became easy. Now, will I continue to drink that much water. Maybe some days BUT there will be fizz added! Haha!

FOLLOW A HEALTHY DIET….The choice to follow the Arbonne 30 Days to Healthy Living was a no brainer for me. Recently I had decided that I was going to go all in with my Arbonne business. I have been using the products for years and LOVE, not only the products but what the company stands for. If I am going to part of something, it better be something that I fully support! I had tried the Arbonne 30 previously to this challenge but had not fully committed which turned into me using excuse after excuse to only do what I could fit into my lifestyle. (insert face into palm)

Let me give you a rundown on just what the Arbonne 30 is:

  • Avoid the following as these are foods that are generally not beneficial for overall wellbeing: Artificial sweeteners (e.g. sucralose, aspartame)
  • Alcohol
  • Coffee
  • Dairy
  • Wheat- and gluten-containing foods
  • Soy (however, fermented soy such as organic, non-GMO tempeh is an acceptable vegan protein option)

There is obviously more to this program but I won’t go into detail here. I’ll post a link for you to check it out!

30 Days To Healthy Living

https://www.arbonne.com/ca/en/arb/TJAneca/healthy-living/30-days

NO ALCOHOL…holy moly! Didn’t think I could make it that long BUT it was actually easy. Once I made the decision to go forward with the challenge, it was not an issue.

READ 10 PAGES A DAY OF A SELF-HELP BOOK…I am a lover of ALL self-help books…IF they are on audio!! LOL! I actually surprised myself and finished 3 books and started a 4th while doing the challenge. I have fallen in love with holding an actual book in my hands and reading it. I did discover that I need stronger reading glasses! AHHHHH…I’ve reached that age!

I read:

  • Think Like A Monk by Jay Shetty ….*****
  • Atomic Habits by James Clear….*****
  • GUT by Giulia Enders….*****
  • Mind-Gut Connection by Emeran Mayer (still working on this one)

TWO 45 MINUTE WORKOUTS A DAY, ONE WORKOUT MUST BE OUTSIDE (EVEN IF IT’S YUCKY)...this one was a bit of a challenge. Since we started our challenge in April, we had fairly good weather. A few crazy days but for the most part we were pretty fortunate! One thing I noticed was after 14 day of 2 workouts, my body was screaming for a break. I was used to 1 workout 5 days a week so this was definitely kicked my ass. I remember a friend of mine who had finished the challenge herself, gave me wonderful advice….Tj, you don’t HAVE TO go hard all of the time, you can do two walks. This here saved my body. When I felt like my body wanted to quit, I slowed down and went for 2 walks.

TAKE A PROGRESS PICTURE EVERYDAY…this here was the BEST! I dreaded it everyday BUT I am so happy that I had those pictures to look back on! Even after 14 days, I could see progress and it helped push me through. I didn’t see the changes when I looked at myself everyday but after 75, it was really cool to see how I had made a difference in my body composition.

I learned a lot about myself during those 75 days. Was it life-changing? Yes. Was it worth it? Absolutely. Could I do it again? Yes. Would I do it again? I don’t need to.

be THAT girl that goes all in…

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Stop doubting yourself and just go all in!

tj

I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am!

A little scared. A little anxious. A little over-whelmed. A little nervous. But so ready.

A while ago I came across a podcast where one of the ladies spoke briefly about 75 hard. I was intrigued so I did a bit more research and loved what I found. This resonated with me on a whole new level. I love a good challenge but this one had me fired up. This one is going to stretch me….especially my mental toughness. I have been making excuse after excuse of why it’s not the right time to do this challenge. Well…those excuses are pure bullshit and I need to beTHATgirl, call myself out on it and go all in!! Keeping promises to myself is something that I hold very dear. It means more to me than anything. I know if I can conquer this program then I can do ANYTHING I set my mind to.

THINK OF THIS AS AN IRONMAN FOR YOUR BRAIN ~ andy frisella

So, what is 75Hard? (www.andyfrisella.com)

THIS IS NOT A FITNESS PROGRAM

75 HARD™ IS A TRANSFORMATIVE MENTAL TOUGHNESS PROGRAM. If you’re looking for a new fitness program or challenge, this is not it. This is a program that can change your life … starting from the inside. Are there physical changes? Yes! But trust me when I say the physical changes you see on the outside are a FRACTION of the results you can earn by completing 75 HARD. 

  • Drink 1 gallon of water a day
  • Follow a healthy diet (no cheat meals)
  • No alcohol
  • Read 10 pages of a self-help book a day
  • 2 – 45 minute workouts per day and one has to be outside (even when it’s yucky)
  • Take a progress picture every day

If you miss any one of these things or cheat at all…you start again! YIKES! Now, will anyone know if you’ve cheated or missed something? Probably not but this is where that personal integrity comes in. YOU will know and that’s all that matters! At the end of the day you are responsible for YOU.

For myself, the first step is knowing my “why”. So here it is…life is too fucking short to sit back and admire from the sidelines. Trust me on this one, it’s time to start living like each day is a gift. It’s time to get uncomfortable and start stepping into my fears and my limiting beliefs and start using them to fuel me. It’s time for me to take control of my mental toughness because that is what is going to help me throughout my entire life.

Second…”what” do I hope to get out of all of this?

  • SELF-CONFIDENCE
  • SELF-WORTH
  • SELF-ESTEEM
  • SELF-GROWTH
  • SELF-LOVE

There is NOTHING more rewarding than achieving something that you have worked your ass off for. Challenging myself has been pivotal in building my confidence these last few years. Every time I completed one of my self-made challenges the more I started to realize that I can do hard things. Did I always complete them? Nope. I had more failures than wins sometimes but I learned to dig in a little deeper the next time and do better.

I know that this program is going to test me in ways that I probably don’t even realize. It may even push me to the point where I am going to want to give up. I can’t and I won’t. This is for ME and I am going to prove to myself just how much I value ME, love ME, appreciate ME. I am worthy of everything I have ever needed or need and maybe even a few wants!

If you are interested in joining a few of us beginning Monday, April 5th, then let me know so we can cheer each other on! You can follow my journey on my Instagram story! bethatgirl_tjaneca

be THAT girl who sits with it….

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sit with it

sit with it

sit with it

Even though you want to run. Even though it’s heavy and difficult. Even though you’re not quite sure of the way through. Healing happens by feeling.

Sit with it. Feel it. Heal it.

I want it to be over.

I want to feel normal again. And not the “new normal” because this is NOT FUCKING NORMAL!!

I want to hug my friends in public and not feel judged.

I want to let my kids go hang out with their friends without guilt.

I want my kids to go to school and experience actual school.

I want my toddler to know that wearing a mask isn’t normal.

I want to go shopping and be able to smile at people.

I want to be able to hug my brother and his family!!!

These thoughts have taken over my mind and my body these past few months and I know that I’m not alone in feeling this way. I’ve been feeling sad. Lonely in a way that I’ve never felt….ever. I’ve lost hope that we will never get out of this state of emergency. I feel like I am carrying boulders on my shoulders. Everything has felt hard and heavy. Most of the time I don’t even know why I’m upset but I cry. I hear people say, “Things could be way worse”, and I want to throat punch them so they stop talking. No shit sherlock…we all know that but don’t downplay what is happening. It’s hard!!

I know that I am not alone in feeling this way. Many of my friends and family have expressed that similar thoughts and feelings have shown up in their lives as well. This pandemic is a lot to process. None of us have ever had to navigate life through, what seems like a never-ending pandemic! This is tough. And I think we all need to acknowledge that. We need to sit with our shit! We need to give ourselves permission to feel all the feelings that are happening because this situation we are in IS SO NOT NORMAL!

With that being said, this is not a place where I really want to stay. It’s not comfortable nor does it support the kind of life I want for myself and my family. I remember reading something by Tony Robbins where he talks about changing your state of mind. “State of Mind” is defined as the quality of one’s consciousness as it relates to the outside world, as well as the perception of their inner thoughts and emotions. He states, when you’re in control of your state of mind, you’re the master of your emotions and you understand that life is happening for you, not to you. THIS right here….hit me like a ton of bricks! I do not have to stay stuck! I do not have to allow a constant stream of negativity into my thoughts! I do not have to accept that my emotions are out of my control!

I have been trying to really hard the last few weeks to take my power back and change my state of mind. I’m not saying this is the answer for everyone. Our mental health is so so important and if you are suffering from depression and or anxiety, you should go see a health care professional and seek medical help. I just wanted to share what has been working for me.

  1. MEDITATION: I used to think that this was for weirdos. Not sure why, but I did. Needless to say, I guess I am one of those weirdos because I LOVE it!! First, I downloaded the “Insight Timer” app on my phone. I love this app because you can choose the length of meditation you’d like to do and it gives you many options. There are a lot of free ones on there to try. As soon as I open my eyes I grab my phone, get comfy and put on my morning meditation. Meditation is a great way to begin your day because it has been found to release feel-good chemicals such as endorphins and serotonin.
  2. GRATITUDES: By journaling what you are grateful for each day, it starts your day on a positive note! You can start with one or ten things you are grateful for, it is up to you. As soon as I am finished my morning meditation I grab my journal beside my bed and get writing.
  3. READING: I have never been a huge reader but I do love to read. My preferred books include self-growth and biographies. I recommend choosing books that bring you joy and happiness! Even 5 minutes of reading a day can help change your state!
  4. MOVEMENT: Any type of movement can change your state. Even sitting up straight with your shoulders back can improve your state. Just move! Make it a goal to start with just 5 minutes and then add a minute everyday. I promise that you will feel better! I hated…like hated working out but I made it a goal to do it at least 5 days a week starting with just a few minutes a day and now it is such a habit that I crave it even on my “rest” days. My body loves the rush of endorphins it gets from a good sweat sesh!

These are just a few suggestions that have been working for me. If you have a routine of what works for you then keep doing it and share it with others! I know I’d love to hear what works for you!

I want each and every one of you to know that we are all in this together. The more we talk about how we are feeling, the more we realize that we are not alone. I’m going to reiterate that this nightmare we are all living right now is NOT NORMAL nor will it ever be normal. This is merely a chapter in our own novel and we are the authors! We may not be able to control what is happening but we can definitely control US.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

WE CARE ABOUT YOU.

YOU ARE LOVED.

YOU MATTER.

YOU ARE STRONG.

YOU ARE AMAZING.

YOU ARE WONDERFUL.

Take your power back and change your state of mind. If you can change your state of mind, you can change your life.

be THAT girl who prepares for this moment…

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You have prepared for this moment. You can do hard things if you surrender to your WILL.

Tj Aneca

I began writing this post back in the fall when Ryan was diagnosed with Stage 4 T-Cell Lymphoma but I just couldn’t finish it without turning into a sobbing mess. My thoughts were all over the place and it didn’t feel right , so I paused. The last few weeks I have been thinking a lot about this chapter in Ryan’s story. Friends, there is not a doubt in my mind that we are preparing for certain moments in our lives where our strength will be tested on a scale that we cannot comprehend. Where, we ourselves, will wonder if this is worth the fight. I say this because I have watched my brother, my hero, our warrior, take on the biggest fight of his life. I recall sitting in his bonus room with him, watching a movie as he waited to see what the doctors would say about his diagnosis. To me, he looked a bit lethargic, tired, and stressed. The hardest part was watching him breath. It was so labored! As we chatted about the “what ifs”, I remember him saying, “I don’t care what it is, but if it’s cancer then let’s just get this show on the road and get it done”. From the second he said that, I knew he was prepared for his “moment”. Although his moment was unknown, he had the WILL.

SEPTEMBER 3, 2020

The last few weeks have been a complete whirlwind for our family. Ryan, one of my younger brothers, was diagnosed with Stage 4 T-Cell Lymphoma. Now, I’m not gonna lie, but when I hear cancer my mind goes to a dark place. A scary place. A place where hope doesn’t really exist. I cried…because that’s what I do to release what I’m feeling. I am angry. Angry that it is him. Angry that I can’t fix this. Angry that his family will also have to endure this as well.

My brother, although younger by 15 months, has always been my protector. He’s been more of my big brother for many reasons. I remember him teaching me how to ride a dirt bike when we were teenagers. You see, there was a boy that I was trying to impress, so I asked Ry to show me how to do it. He gave me a quick 2 minute lesson and I was on my way down the dirt road. Of course, I stalled it because I failed to listen to the part where he was trying to tell me to gear down when coming to a stop. So, here I am yelling down the road for Ry to come help me but at that point I was a km away. I could see Ry start to run towards me. As I’m waiting for him in the hot sun, cute boy that I was trying to impress drives by. Yup…complete embarrassment as he stops to ask me if I need help. Of course I say the most logical thing that my brain could think of….”oh no, I’m fine. Just stopped for a minute. I’ll see you down at the lake later” He then drove off as I waited for Ry to rescue me. He’s rescued me on several occasions…probably more than I’d like to admit. He also tried to teach me not to go too fast on gravel roads…ya, I didn’t listen and well, let’s just say that I learned my lesson. I also remember when my Grandma Takahashi passed away and I was having a hard night. I needed to just get in the car and drive. I ended up driving to Ry. I walked in his front door and he just held me as I sobbed. My brother is not an emotional guy or does he share his feelings with anyone but you just know that he loves you and that he would be there to rescue you no questions asked.

SEPTEMBER 6, 2020

I was able to be at the hospital with Ry this evening. I was so nervous. I was worried I would upset him with my tears. I know him and I knew that he would feel bad for me seeing him in the state that he was in. Again, him trying to protect me because that’s what he does. As I approached his room, he was sitting in his recliner with no shirt on and his blanket from home draped over his lap. I could see that he was swollen, way less than the pictures I had seen, but still not his strong physique I was used to. He seemed tired but he was trying to be a good host. I kept reminding him that he could go to sleep if he was tired but he wouldn’t. We had a good laugh when I brought one of our favourite childhood movies with me for us to watch together. “Back to the Beach”. We still knew some of the words to the songs! We laughed at how we used to record all of the music from the VHS to my tape player so we could sing the songs. When it was time to settle for the night I could see his anxiety set in. I had never seen that side of him, which was partly from the medication he was on, but once again, he tried to protect me from witnessing that and told me I could go. Of course I declined because if I could get more time with him then I was going to take it. After he settled and he fell asleep, I left. Leaving was hard. I sat in my car and cried for a while and then made my way home. Thankful for the time I got to spend with him.

JANUARY 29, 2021

Phone Ringing…

“Hello.”

“Teej, it’s Dad. We just got the best news. Ryan’s numbers are climbing!”

This brother of mine is an absolute beast! He is such an inspiration to not only me but to so many other’s. I don’t want to share his journey (plus, it’s far from over) because that is his story to tell but what I can tell you is, that he didn’t know it but he had been preparing for this moment all along. For those of you that know him and have followed his body building chapter, you know that he made a promise to himself to build up his strength and nothing was going to stop him. And believe me, we tried to tempt him just for funsies! But, being the man that he is, he kept that promise to himself and did what he set out to do. I believe THAT core value is why he is still with us today. In one of Brandi’s posts, in the “Raise it for Ry” Facebook group, she shared that on one of the “rocky” days where he wasn’t feeling great at all, he got up and began to ride his stationary bike. She told him that it was okay to rest that day but he replied with, “I made a promise to myself that I would ride everyday and you’re only as good as your word”, so he was getting on that damn bike even if it was a short ride. If we all share that same WILL and DETERMINATION, then we will all be prepared for our moment….whatever that looks like.

“THERE IS NO WEAPON MORE DEADLY THAN THE WILL”

Bruce Lee

For anyone wanting to donate to Ryan and his family at this time, please click on the link below and let’s “Raise it for Ry”!

https://ca.gofundme.com/f/raise-it-for-ry

be THAT girl who enjoys the journey…

~ admin ~ 2 Comments

Find Joy In The Journey.

It has been a few minutes since I have hit these keys….well I’m back.

The other night we had a family movie night and watched “Soul” on Disney Plus. What a great show! Have you seen it yet? If not, you should. That night, I was up late having a fabulous discussion within my own head while everyone else was fast asleep. Haha! Do any of you do that or is it just me? Those are some of the best conversations I’ve ever had! As I lay there discussing the movie with Tj, I had so many thoughts swirling around in my head. Unfortunately, I didn’t want to wake up the fam so I made mental notes…which did not stick like I wanted them to because I’m getting old and my mind is not what it used to be when it comes to remembering anything!

The next morning, my girls and I ran some errands together which gave us time in the car to discuss the movie! I love car rides with kids…it is the best time for chats! They each shared what they thought the movie was about. At first we were all confused thinking that this movie was going to be about music and how you feel it in your soul but we were so wrong! It was more than that. Their take-away from the film was that you need to LIVE everyday and through living you will find your purpose. Can you imagine how beautiful life would be if we allowed ourselves to do that? To live in each moment of each day.

We have all heard the quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Life is a journey, not a destination”….correct? But have you accepted that? I believe we set certain “destinations” as the finish line but when we get there, we discover that making it didn’t fill the void we thought it would fill. How may of us say to ourselves…when I do “_____”, I will be happy? When I make this much money, I will be happy. You will feel a brief moment of joy but will it last? Maybe, but I’m going to guess probably not. So, what will bring us joy and happiness? For myself, it’s the journey. Living each day with intention. If we are genuinely valuing ourselves, valuing others, and adding value to each other’s lives then I truly believe we will create a purpose for ourselves. Get living and your purpose will show up.

I love this part of the film….

Dorothea: What’s wrong teach?
Joe (Main Character): It’s just I’ve been waiting on this day for my entire life. I thought I’d feel different.
Dorothea: I heard this story about a fish. He swims up to this older fish and says, “I’m trying to find this thing they call the ocean.” “The ocean?,” says the older fish, “that’s what you’re in right now.” “This?” says the younger fish, “This is water. What I want is the ocean.”

Sometimes we take our days for granted. What you are searching for is right where you are. So, open your eyes and enjoy the journey my friends.

be THAT girl who inspires others women to connect

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CONNECTION is why we’re here; it is what gives us purpose and meaning to our lives

~ brene brown ~
Carrie Doll ~ The Inner Circle Community on Facebook

Today has been one of those days where things are feeling extremely heavy on my heart. I can’t really explain why or even exactly what it is….but they just are. I know I am not alone in feeling this way. A friend of mine suggested that it could be “pandemic burnout” which really resonated with me. I do feel like it could be just that.

Is anyone else feeling this way?

If there is any one thing that I have learned about myself over the last 8 months, is that I need CONNECTION. It was amazing being quarantined with my family for 2 months. What a great time to reconnect and just get to enjoy each other but I needed more. I felt like I needed to connect with other like-minded women that I could draw inspiration from. We were, and still are, going through a lot. Most of us are carrying loads that we have never had to bear. Losing sleep, losing jobs, losing direction, losing loved ones, losing purpose and sadly…losing hope.

This morning I was fortunate enough to get to listen to a live interview between Carrie Doll & Ashley Mielke that was literally all about Hope. It was exactly what I needed today. I have been part of an amazing community that I want to share with all of you. Carrie Doll, who you will all recognize as being one of CTV’s former news anchors here in Edmonton, wanted to create a space for women to connect, network, share ideas, learn, educate and empower. And that is exactly what she did. She created “The Inner Circle Community” on Facebook. I have to tell you that this community has been a game changer for me. I have met so many amazing women that I can honestly say are my friends. We have laughed, we have cried, we have shared and we have healed. We hold space for one another to be courageous and vulnerable. But it is also a space where we can have a lot of fun! Our Friday Virtual Happy Hours were awesome during quarantine. We were introduced to a lot of great restaurants and chefs that taught us how to create some fun dishes, appetizers and of course some fun drinks! We have also met some kick-ass women who are killin it in business. Their interviews have been so inspiring! The stories they have shared with us are incredible. I have to say that my absolute favourite part of being part of this community has been learning that we all have a story to tell and when we share that story with others, it is not only inspiring for the receiver but it is healing for the person sharing it. Fortunately, I was able to be one of those people. With Carrie guiding me, I was able to share a life-changing part of my story. I’m not going to lie….I wanted to shit myself thinking about using my voice. I’ve never felt so nervous, anxious, and vulnerable in my life. But as we chatted, Carrie and the Inner Circle Community wrapped their virtual arms around me and I felt peace come over me….a peace that I had been searching for. I felt free. I felt brave and most importantly, I felt heard.

Friends, if you are looking for a place where you can feel connection with like-minded amazing women then this is the perfect place for you. I share this because I truly believe that being part of this community has helped me grow in so many ways and I want this for you as well. Right now, life is hard and it is heavy but together we can lift each other and help each other thrive. HUGS to all of you today.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/InnerCircleWithCarrieDoll

Carrie also has an amazing podcast with so many more stories. Do yourself a favour and go give it a listen. You will LOVE it. So many inspiring humans!!

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-inner-circle-with-carrie-doll/id1438898194

be THAT girl who shares her story…

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When someone shares with you a piece of their story, they’re giving you a gift.

Tj Aneca

“Babe, I need to talk to you about something”…

Not the words I wanted to hear in that moment that night. I remember it like a broken record in my head. Those 9 words changed my life in ways I could never have imagined. Thirty-nine years, living a life that was working and with that one sentence my whole world flipped. Not how I saw my life playing out at all.

Thinking that he needed to talk to me about the kids, as we lay side by side in the dark as we usually do right before we fall asleep, I asked him “what’s up?” “Teej, I can’t do this anymore.” Silence. “I can’t continue to help lead a congregation when I don’t truly believe that this religion is true.” Silence. “I am leaving the church.” Tears. “If you and the kids decide you want to continue to go, I will support you and go with you but just know that my heart is not there.” More tears.

So many thoughts were swirling around in my head but none of my words would come out. Just tears. I don’t think either of us really slept much that night. You could feel the sad tension between us. In my mind I played out every scenario. We continue to go and I ask him to join us. The kids and I continue to go without him with us. I take the kids and leave. I kick him out. We get a divorce. Weeks went by where we continued to go and put on our brave face. I could see how miserable he was which broke my heart. So, I did what I had taught my young women to do, I questioned.

Now questioning beliefs within some religions is not exactly welcomed. I never had because I was the girl that believed what her parents, friends and leaders said was truth. I just trusted that they knew and that was good enough but those 9 words challenged me. They made me dig deep and go somewhere I had never even considered going.

I remember I was alone that day. I had several hours where I would have absolutely no interruptions. As I sat on my bed with my phone in my hand, I put my hand on my growing belly and made a promise to my baby that I would try to make the best decision I could, not only for him but for the rest of us. I landed on the official church website. As I pondered what to search, I thought about one of the many topics that I had always felt uncomfortable with but was too afraid to question. I’m not going to get into specifics about WHAT I read but what happened next brought me to tears. As I read, I actually couldn’t believe what I was reading. My heart broke. In fact, I think a piece of it actually died. I just sat there in silence, tears streaming down my face. I remember actually saying a prayer out loud pleading for an answer. Asking for a sign to help me in my decision. Looking back, I knew. I knew that that aching feeling in my soul was telling me exactly what I needed to know. In that moment, I knew that this religion was not for us anymore.

I could not imagine life without my best friend in the whole world. The one who holds me when I need holding, the one who humbly corrects me when I’m wrong, the one who has seen me at my worst yet still seems to love me, the one who supports my crazy whims and ideas. The fact that I entertained the idea of letting go of that amazing human definitely opened my eyes. I need to question EVERYTHING! I may not always find the answer. Sometimes I just need to trust ME. Trust my own intuition because most of the time my gut feeling is right. The beauty of it all….this is a gift we all hold. We all know “that feeling” that we try to ignore. Maybe try giving it a chance. You just might find the next chapter in your story.

There is so much more to my story and I plan on sharing it over time. One day, this will be a book. A book titled, “Free To Be That Girl”. A story for my children about my journey and how I discovered my authentic self and my true purpose . This is not easy to write about because I fear hurting people I love but those that truly know me and my heart know that this comes from a place of healing. If there is one thing that I have learned thus far is that I have a gift to share and by allowing myself grace and kindness, I can help others find their true purpose.

be THAT girl who tries to understands racism…

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You Don’t Fight Racism With Racism. You Fight Racism With Unity….

As I sit here pondering how to put into words about how I feel about the brutality of George Floyd’s death….my heart breaks. I feel ashamed. Ashamed that I too have become ignorant to the reality of racism. I have been hesitant to post anything about the situation for I fear I will say the wrong thing.

I was living in Edmonton in a townhouse on the west end with my husband and a few of our children. I had been at the church attending an activity for the women. It was probably around 9:30pm when I came to a 4-way stop close to our house. When I pulled up to the stop, I was signalling to turn left. There was a car straight across from me who was also signalling to turn left. So, I proceeded to pull forward and turn but just as I did, the car facing me, who was signalling to go left changed his mind and decided to go straight therefore resulting in me cutting him off. As I headed in the direction of my home, I noticed that someone was following me very close. This made me very uncomfortable and extremely nervous. As I pulled into our parking lot, I noticed that same car park right behind me. I sat in my car for what seemed like forever to see if that car would get out of the way but it didn’t. It just sat there. I got out of my car, and as I did, I heard a man get out of the car behind me. He started to yell at me for cutting him off. I froze. I couldn’t move or say a word. I forced myself to walk toward the house and as I did, I turned around to look at him. As I looked at him he says to me….”oh…that makes sense. Why don’t you learn how to drive or go back to your own country!!”. He then got in his car and sped away. I walked into the house and I began to sob.

I had experienced name calling as a child but that was the first time I felt like an outsider as an adult. It immediately brought me back to the days where I hated the colour of my skin and the slant of my eyes. I just wanted to look white so no one would say shit like that to me.

I want to be clear that I am not saying that my experiences are the same as any black individuals. I’ve been on the receiving end of racism but I am also guilty of being on the racist end as well. Going to school in a predominantly white and indigenous community, I stuck out as different. A half Japanese girl that didn’t really look like either or. I had good friends of both of those races that treated me as an equal and I to them. There were also those that were so insecure about themselves that they had to focus the attention on others which is easier to do that when that person looks different. Because of the name calling when I walked down the hallways of the schools, I noticed the one’s who did this were white and indigenous which caused me to have some pretty negative feelings towards their race and who they were as individuals. That was not fair. Not fair to their culture and to their history of injustice. That was not right and I do apologize. I do believe that as a human race we do need to acknowledge any and all racist acts in order for us to educate each other and ourselves. We need to each take responsibility for our own actions and become more aware of the injustices that go on. You know the saying outta sight outta mind….well that shouldn’t be a thing. We may not notice it happening right in front of us but that doesn’t mean it isn’t happening!! It is 100% happening and right in front of us. We are just choosing not to look, listen or learn about it. That is ignorance.

So I ask you to decide today. At this very moment. For yourself.

Will you commit to help stop the injustices that are going on?

BE THE CHANGE!

I believe Garth Brooks says it best in his song “We Shall Be Free”…

When the last thing we notice is the color of the skin,

And the first thing we look for is the beauty within;

When the skies and the oceans are clean again,

Then we shall be free.

We shall be free, we shall be free.

Stand straight, walk proud,

‘Cause we shall be free.

When we’re free to love anyone we choose,

When this world’s big enough for all different views,

When we all can worship from our own kind of pew,

Then we shall be free.

We shall be free

be THAT girl who knows her weight is not her worth….

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I am an absolute fucking babe and my weight does not define me

Real talk today….

Hands up if you have ever felt fat! {insert my hand going up}

How many of you have tried a “quick fix diet”? {insert my hand going up}

How many of you have tried throwing up? {insert my hand going up}

How many of you skip meals in hopes that you will lose the weight? {insert my hand going up}

How may of you feel this way right now?

I am going to get real with you all today. Most people don’t know that these are things that I have struggled with. I know you are thinking….as if, you are so skinny. My skin crawls when I hear those words. Just because a person look skinny to someone does not mean they automatically feel that way. The reality is, no matter how thin or curvy we are, we all have our insecurities and struggles. No one is immune to it friends! We are bombarded by it on the daily by media telling us that we need to look a certain way to be attractive.

I was probably in grade 9 when I really started to feel like I was not enough. My acne was horrible, to the point where kids would ask me what was on my face, I was getting my “mature” body in all the wrong places and I had heard from a friend that some boy was grossed out by my back acne. All the fun things! When I hit high school I quit my sports and started partying with my friends on weekends. I remember being told that people could tell I was gaining weight because I was partying so much. So, I decided to try throwing up so that I could still party with my friends on the weekend but not gain weight. Made perfect sense to me. I couldn’t actually make myself do it. I tried and it never worked. I ended up slowing down my partying and I maintained my weight. Still didn’t change the way I started to feel about myself. I felt ugly. I felt fat. I felt worthless.

Fast forward several years….I had babies and my weight fluctuated like a pin ball machine. Obviously to be expected when creating and growing tiny humans in your body. When I hit 30, I had a plan to get in shape and get control of my weight. That would happen every so often when I would feel guilty for eating crap that I knew wasn’t good for me. I wanted to try every fast weight loss pill there was! None worked. As soon as you stop taking them, weight comes back. I would start working out and then stop because I didn’t have enough time. I had 5 kids you know and they took up every waking minute of my day and even some of the sleeping hours. I was just too exhausted. That’s the lie I would tell myself anyways. I could basically talk myself out of anything. The reason I wasn’t invested in my health like I should’ve been was because I didn’t love myself enough to make time for the things that really mattered. I was more concerned that my kids got to do all the things. I put everyone elses’ needs before my own because that is what I was taught. Serve others and worry about yourself last…at least that was the message I was receiving.

Yesterday, I sat down and made a list of what my body does for me:

  • allows me to breathe
  • allows me to create life
  • allows me to be a MOM
  • allows me to think thoughts
  • allows me to walk
  • allows me to speak
  • allows me to sing
  • allows me to dance
  • allows me to see
  • allows me to touch
  • allows me physical activity
  • allows me to feel

I know that this is not everything but seriously…LOOK at what our body can do for us! Now think of this…if your best friend in the whole wide world, gave you these gifts, what would you do for them? I want you to picture one of your very best friends and think about this.

Would you look at them and tell them that they are fat? Would you tell them they are ugly? Would you look at them and tell them they are disgusting? Would you tell them that they need to stop eating the things that make them happy because it makes them look gross?

NEVER EVER EVER!!!!!!

So, why do you tell yourself that? Why do you treat your body, your best friend, that way?

I was listening to an interview between Jen Hatmaker and Hillary McBride, where Hillary had the best suggestion. When we speak about our body as an it, we are objectifying it. When we speak about our body as a Her, we are turning Her into an actual subject. Now, think about that for a minute. If you name your body, it literally changes the way you start thinking about Her. We are wired for connection, give your body a name and connect with Her. Become Her friend! Speak to Her as if she is your bestie.

This past 9 months I have promised myself that I would get healthy. I have been loving my journey. It has not been easy and I have wanted to quit so many times but I know that if I want to be around to see my kids have kids and maybe even their kids have kids, than I need to take control of myself. Over the years I have taken many “before” pictures so I could see the change that I was going to make when I committed to my latest diet and exercise regime. Want to know where they are….I deleted each and every one of them. I never wanted anyone to see how “fat” I was. Ya. Sounds crazy but that’s how I was feeling at the time. Yes sometimes I wish I had them but it is a reminder that in all actuality, those pictures don’t matter. I know how far I’ve come and that’s what matters.

I have ONE life, ONE body, and ONE mind. It is up to ME to make sure I am fueling Her properly! Most days, I do something for my mental health, my physical health and for my nutritional health. What that looks like for me may be different for you but I can tell you that these have helped me become a much happier, stronger, and positive human. I no longer rely on the number on my scale to define who I am and how happy I get to be. I will continue my journey to become even stronger in all areas of my life. I believe my purpose is to help others to see that they are unique and beautiful regardless of size, shape, race, or sexual orientation. Take back your control. Let yourself decide who you are meant to be! Get comfortable in your skin. It is completely up to YOU!

On a side note…I have created an accountability group on Facebook for the ladies if you need a little direction on where to start! It is a great group to help encourage, empower and inspire you to get started and take control of your life. If you have any questions, you can shoot me a message through Messenger or Email, tj@aneca.ca. Always happy to help you!

be THAT girl that loves her Mama…

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EVERYTHING I AM, YOU HELPED ME BECOME…

Where do I even begin when it comes to sharing how special my Mom is. I’m sure most of us feel the same way right? Or maybe I’m one of the lucky ones? Being a Mom myself now, I realize just how patient, kind, and selfless she actually is. My Mama is such a great example of how to be a Mother! What I love most about her though is her capacity to love. She has the biggest heart when it comes to loving unconditionally. Let me explain….

Quite a few years ago, my Grandma Takahashi was diagnosed with cancer. After years of treatment, my Grandpa couldn’t take care of Grandma so my Mom, as well as some of her other siblings, would go help them out when they could. Eventually they needed someone there 24/7. My Grandpa was deteriorating from old age and Grandma from her cancer. Mom lived with them 6 days a week for a long time. Eventually they both passed away. This was not only taxing on my Mom but my Dad basically was a bachelor most of that time. They got through it…they have the most incredible marriage…but what an act of selflessness on my Mom’s part. She doesn’t regret those years of helping them out. She was able to spend those years getting to know her parents better and was able to be there when both of them passed. How beautiful is that.

About 4 years ago we went through a huge change and made a life decision that rocked all of us. It was not an easy decision but one we felt was best for us. I remember calling my Mom and bawling to her. She just listened while I tried to form words between my sobs. I remember her saying to me, “you do what you need to do….we will still love you and support you”. In that moment I knew that regardless of whether or not they thought we were making the right decision, that her and my dad would not shame us or make us feel like we we had to follow the herd to be loved. And they have continued to do just that.

My Mom has been a huge part of who I am becoming. She continues to push me to be a better version of myself….not by what she tells me but by what she models. Her determination is one that cannot be reviled. My Mom is 68 and is in the best shape of her life. I believe it was after her parents passed she decided to take up body building and man has she ever impressed me with her discipline. 5 to 6 days a week she is in the gym working out, eating healthy and drinking all her water plus more I’m sure because she always has to do a little bit more than what is expected. LOL! I don’t know a more talented human. Whatever she wants to learn or do she does it 110%! Almost a fault….when she learns something she makes 500 of them instead of just a few.

Mom…I sure love and appreciate you and who you are. You have the ability to make EVERYONE feel like they matter. I know that there are many people that have had the opportunity to feel that unconditional love you give. My hope is that one day I can be at least half the incredible human you are for my family and friends.

Happy Mother’s Day Mama!!

be THAT girl who gets to know her parents a little bit better…

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The Greatest Legacy We Can Leave Our Children Is More Happy Memories.

Well….it’s been over a month in quarantine, how is everyone doing? I can honestly say that I have had some good days and some really hard days. I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling this way. We all crave connection! It is totally normal and it is a necessity. I hope we are all connecting with our loved ones as often as we can whether it be in our own home, 6 feet away or through some sort of social media.

I wanted to share with you, an evening we planned as a family to interview my parents. I knew some things about their story but I sure didn’t know as much as I thought I did. There are only 3 of us siblings in my family so it is a little easier to coordinate than some of the larger families that I know. We asked our kids to each come up with some questions that they had for their Grandparents. With 18 grandkids that’s quite a few questions. I also found lists of questions off of pinterest that work as well. Once we had that organized, I sent the list of questions to my folks so they could review them before we all sat down together.

We set up our call on an evening that we could all just hang out together through zoom. It was nice to see all of each other’s faces and be able to connect with one another. I sure do miss my family!! Once we all settled in, we started to ask Grandma & Grandpa questions about their life. It was fun to hear how they each grew up, how they met, who’s their favourite kid (obviously ME) (wink, wink). We got to ask additional questions as they would come up. They kept saying…”ask us anything”. The kids did and they loved hearing about their stories. It was a really nice way to spend an evening connecting.

One of my favourite questions was….”What is the most important lesson you have learnt during your life?”

Just love people for who they are and where they are at.

Grandpa & Grandma Harris

Best advice EVER!! There is so much wisdom in this statement. We just need to love humans regardless of their race, religion, or sexual preference. I think sometimes we forget that we are all here just walking each other home (thank you Dr. Jody Carrington for the daily reminder). We are all in this together. This is not a competition or a race where there is only one winner. This is a marathon where the journey is the only thing that matters.

Thank You Mom & Dad for being those humans for us. You have always showed up for us and given us grace when we’ve needed it. You have loved us and supported us even when it has been hard. You are both shining examples to each and every one of us. You are definitely doing your best to help walk each of us home. Love you guys!

be THAT girl that is socially aware

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i’m not in this world to live up to your expectations and your’re not in this world to live up to mine

BRUCE LEE

Day 21 of quarantine….how are you all holding up? For myself, I am okay. I am trying to keep some sort of routine just to help me stay sane. I am so impressed with the amazing teachers out there that have had to readjust to fit the new “curriculum”. Gosh…how lucky are we to have these humans to help hold our littles’ in a time of such chaos. HUGS to all of you doing your very best. I think I can speak for most….THANK YOU SO MUCH! We love and appreciate you all.

Our next lesson for our C.A.L.M Class is on Social Awareness and Social Management. Again…this is an add on once we have become aware of our purpose, our core values, our character, our feelings, and taking responsibility for our behavior and well-being .

SOCIAL AWARENESS is the ability to understand and respond well to the needs of others. This is something that is going to be used everyday in our lives whether it be at work, at school, at a party, at a family function, even social media….we need to be able to “read the room” as some might say. Being able to notice other’s emotions and respond empathically will help us become more aware of what others need or want from us. One thing that I have been working on is learning to manage my expectations of individuals or situations so that I don’t get offended or become disppointed.

I have been noticing, on social media or even when I go to the grocery store, people becoming very defensive and some just down right ass holes to each other! Where there is crisis, there are scared feelings which a lot of the time are presented as anger. This is the time that we all need to be socially aware of what each of us is feeling and try to give each other some grace. Some of us need to make sense of it all. Some of us can’t make sense of it all because it causes too much stress and anxiety! Let us all be aware that we do not think or feel alike so BE KIND! You do not know or understand everyone’s mental state right now. We are all in this together just trying to navigate through this experience. In the words of Ram Dass…”We are all just walking each other home.”

Let’s be the positive influence to and for each other while we manage through this. When we are socially aware of each other’s needs then we can begin to manage ourselves socially and become a positive force to be the change!

Be the change you want to see in the world

Gandhi

be THAT girl who is self-aware

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the start of all growth is the introduction of higher states of conscious awareness…

Leo Tolstoy

Something I’ve learned on my own journey of self-growth is that in order to begin we need to understand what it means to be self-aware. That self-awareness allows us to pivot onto a path of self discovery that we should all be working towards.

Yesterday’s lesson and today’s lesson go hand in hand so I wanted to make sure I had covered both topics before I posted about each one of them. Yesterday we discussed self-awareness and today we built upon that and discussed self-management.

SELF-AWARENESS is the ability to focus on how our thoughts, emotions and actions align with our core values. If you haven’t had a chance to write down your top 10 core values from most important to you and so on (not that any aren’t important), then refer back to my previous post about that. When we are self-aware, we focus on the reality of our behaviour versus the story we tell ourselves about ourselves. Basically we stop trying to convince ourselves that we are someone we’re not. One way to help become more self-aware is to pretend you are looking at yourself through someone else’s eyes. Really look in the mirror and study what you actually see. We all have our own self-image of ourselves but it is not always the reality of the situation. For example…we might call ourselves OCD when it comes to cleaning our house but in reality, we live in chaos. Don’t be fooled by the image of yourself that you have convinced yourself of being. This is a time to get really honest with ourselves and become better aware of our reality.

Another step to becoming more self-aware is to not ignore our feelings or intuition. The more we ignore that feeling the more anxious and stressed out we become which causes us to feel stuck. I spoke about feeling our feelings a few posts back. If we do not acknowledge those feelings they will not go away. We can learn to repress them but they will resurface at a later time and may become increasingly difficult to deal with causing a major reaction that is hazardous to our health.

We asked our kids to help us list some ways that can help us to become more self-aware

  • Journaling our feelings multiple times a day
    • making sure we journal how we are feeling throughout the day Noticing positive, negative and meh feelings
    • ask yourself, where is this feeling coming from?
  • Recognize when our energy is high, low or meh
    • most likely it will coincide with our feelings and emotions

Once we become more self-aware, we can start to work on our self-management. We begin by taking responsibility of our own behaviour and well-being. One thing that I have learned and live by is, responsibility breeds empowerment. I know we all love that feeling of being empowered to do something. This is why finding balance in my life has been so important to me. Now, when I say find balance that doesn’t mean that each part of my life is going to get equal attention. That is IMPOSSIBLE!! It just simply means that I acknowledge the 4 cornerstones of MY life. Spiritual, Physical, Mental and Social. If I can do one thing a day in each one of these “bubbles” then I feel like I have some balance happening. That is going to look different for all of us.

Again, we asked our kids to give us an example of something that may help them manage themselves….they came up with…

  • Create a Routine
    • having a routine is definitely a key element in helping us create good healthy habits
  • Consistency
    • being consistent is what we, as humans, crave. We are built for boundaries and thrive when we have them.

As much as this situation isn’t ideal, I enjoying the time we have to reconnect with each other. Life get’s so busy and full of “schedules” that sometimes we forget to say NO to things. This has been a great reminder that we could be better at creating a routine where connection is more present.

I hope you are all hanging in there! Keep your heads up and search for the silver lining because there is one friends. Stay safe and Stay home.

be THAT girl that communicates effectively

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the worst distance between two people is misunderstanding…

How many times have we heard, or repeated, that “communication is key”. I find the way that people communicate with each other to be quite fascinating! Quarantining in a home with 8 people for an extended amount of time is going to prove itself challenging if we don’t understand how each one of us communicates and then receives that communication. We are definitely going to have a few misunderstandings if we don’t become better communicators.

Today in our C.A.L.M Class with the parentals, we discussed 7 essential elements of communication skills. We wanted to build upon our topic yesterday of “What is our purpose and what are our core values”. We feel that if we know each other’s core values then that helps us to better understand the WHY in others choices.

So, here is our list of the 7 Essential Elements of communication skills…FYI…we did not make these up. I found them online.

  • Listening
  • Non-Verbal Communication
  • Being Clear
  • Being Concise
  • Being Confident
  • Being Personable
  • Being Patient

Listening is such an important skill when it comes to communication. This is something that I think I do well for the most part but could always do better. There is nothing more frustrating in a conversation than someone who is not 100% present. In order to fully understand someone and what they are conveying, we need to be fully engaged in our conversation. It shows the other person that you respect their time and what they have to say….even if it is not what you want to be talking about.

Non-verbal communication…now according to my kids, I am the master at this one. LOL! Apparently they can quickly tell when I am upset because I am more aggressive when I do my “angry” clean! Who knew?! And let’s be honest, what Mom doesn’t have the “I dare You” stare nailed down. Body language can definitely say a lot through our posture, gestures and our eye movements.

The next two are pretty similar…being clear and being concise. When choosing our words we need to make sure we are choosing the best words to deliver a message that’s easy to understand. That hardest conversations are the one’s where you walk away going, “what did they just ask me or what was it that they are trying to tell me?”

Being Confident. This is something I have struggled with my ENTIRE life. I was painfully shy as a child and into my teen years. I started to come out of my shell a bit when I met Awesome but even then it was only because I trusted him . I felt comfortable and safe. To this day, I still struggle in this department but not even close to where I used to be. I have worked hard on my self-worth through personal growth to get where I am today. I have also surrounded myself with humans that accept me for who I am so it’s easier to be confident when I have their support.

Being Personable. I know we all know THAT person that is super personable in our lives. The one where you just crave being in their presence. The one who greets you with a smile and a happy tone in their voice. The one who exudes light and love. Now, think about how that makes you feel….now go make someone in your household feel that way the next time you see them. Since we are all quarantined with our families, this is a perfect time to practice it. As soon as you get up….give your loved ones a big smile with a friendly tone when you say “GOOD MORNING (insert name)!” I bet you will instantly be able to see their body language change….and if not, it’ll change how you feel for the better anyways so it’s a win-win!

Being Patient. This one can go both ways. So, being patient when listening to a story that you have absolutely no interest in hearing or being patient when trying to convey a message. I find sometimes people can speak too fast because they are nervous which makes it hard to listen to. I even find at times when I get excited and have too many thoughts going through my head that they come out all messed up and then everyone is confused…including myself! Hahaha! It is important to be composed and not rush when you are trying to get your message across for effective communication.

Going through our list and having a discussion about each element was interesting. Each kid had a different story that they could share so that we could understand where the communication break-down took place. What I think I’ve learned from our discussion is that we need to try to do our best by using these key elements to communicate with each other. We need to think about what our intention is behind our message and what result we are trying to create. In saying that….we CANNOT control how that person is going to receive our message and what their reaction is going to be. We can only control OURSELVES.

I hope you are all doing okay! I am definitely missing being able to meet up with friends and family. I love to be social! If you see or know of someone struggling, let them know how much you care and ask what you can do to help them. Zoom coffee calls or zoom dates are a fun way to stay connected without spreading the virus! I encourage you all to hop on and try it.

STAY SAFE!

be THAT girl that knows her purpose & core values…

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it’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are…

I don’t know about you guys but over here in Aneca Lockdown, I’ve come to the realization that this is probably going to go on longer than we all expected SO…I made us a fancy schedule to help us not get stagnant. LOL! Let’s be honest, we all need structure no matter what age we are. Being consistent will help us progress in this time of unsurety. I know for myself, I need routine. I love forming habits that serve me so here we go…wish us luck.

This is a general template for us to follow. Of course things will sometimes have to change but for the most part it gives us a guide. Awesome and I are getting up around 7:30am so we can get our workout in before we start our schedule. This morning was Day one and so far it has gone well. I think C.A.L.M class with us parentals is going to be the best class EVER! With the kids help, we compiled a list of subjects that they would like to learn about that have to do with everyday life. I wish schools offered more in this department. We also made a list of “To Do’s” , with the kids, so that we can help each other get organized around the house. You know…all the things we keep putting off to do literally anything else! Ya…that one. Shit’s gettin done around here now!

This morning’s C.A.L.M class was all about our core values. As a child and into adulthood, I was coached by a religion about what my values were so I never really thought about what values were most important to ME. In the last 4 years of personal growth, I have thought long and hard and tried to figure out what those look like! Once I knew what my core values were, I could make decisions based on those and if my decisions aligned with them. Core values frame our choices….think about that. Have you ever wondered why your children or even your spouse make certain decisions? I sure have…especially in my marriage. A lot of decisions that Awesome makes do not make sense to me but it is because his core values are different than mine! Once we know what each other’s core values are, it better helps us to understand why they made certain choices. Does that make sense?

Another question I asked the kids this morning was…WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE? Again…if we don’t know our purpose than what drives us to even get out of bed in the morning? We have to know this to progress in our lives. For myself, again, I’ve had to redefine my purpose. My purpose is to always be progressing in all areas of my life. I want to be a source of light for others and to help change lives. This is what drives me EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. I’ll share with you my top 10 core values…which I might add were hard to narrow down to only 10. These are the values that help shape my choices.

  • PURPOSE
  • CONNECTION
  • FAMILY
  • INTEGRITY
  • TRUST
  • HONESTY
  • PROGRESS
  • DISCIPLINE
  • PERSONAL GROWTH
  • OPEN-MINDEDNESS

So, with knowing my purpose and knowing my core values, I believe I can make better choices and decisions for myself and for my family. Are they going to always be the “right” decsions? Probably not but I will have a guide to help me with them and so will my kiddos.

Hopefully you find this helpful and feel free to use any of this for yourselves. I will add the list of Brene Brown’s Core Values that we used to choose from. Look friends, I’m not here to preach but I’m going to share what has worked for myself. Thank You to those of you that take time out of your life to read my blog. I appreciate your support.

be THAT human…

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Racism is the refuge for the IGNORANTS

Changing it up today. be THAT human.

I have to address a problem that is happening in our own neck of the woods friends. I spoke with a friend the other day about an incident that happened to her 19 year old daughter while working in a coffee shop….

A gentleman, who really doesn’t deserve this name but that’s what I’ll call him, goes into his regular coffee shop where he orders a coffee made by one of the sweetest young ladies I know. In previous encounters, they have had great conversations but that day he was different. As she hands him his coffee he says to her, “this is all your fucking fault…your people brought this virus into our country” and then proceeded to leave. The young girl is Asian.

As an Asian girl myself who grew up in a small community where the Asian population was less than 1%, if that, I know all too well what it feels like to be discriminated against. I remember hating my ethnicity and just wanted to be the same race as the majority. That way I wouldn’t stick out and then no one would tease me about my eyes or the colour of my skin. (As a child that made perfect sense to me) After I graduated and moved forward with my life, I embraced all of me that was different and I was grateful for my heritage.

To me, racist comments like the one that was thrown at my dear friend are considered hate crimes. What was said was uncalled for, hurtful and just downright ignorant. THIS IS NOT OKAY!!! EVER!!! EVER!!! EVER!!! It is not okay to shame an innocent young girl that is just trying to do her job and brighten someone’s day. WE ARE A HUMAN RACE made up of all sorts of colour, shapes, & sizes. Should we not be holding space for everyone? Should we not be showing as much kindness and compassion towards our fellow humans? Should we not be lifting each other during such an uncertain whirlwind of emotions? Should we not be comforting those that truly need it? YES WE SHOULD! These are unprecedented times where we need to all stand together UNITED!!

STOP with the name calling! STOP with the vandalism to businesses because they employ Asians! We all bleed the same colour. We all have a heart. We are all the same species. We are all in this together. I know the anger is fueled by fear. It’s okay to be afraid. I think it’s safe to say that we all feel it. So instead of lashing out and hurting others with your words or your fists, remember that HUMANITY IS OUR RACE.

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.

Barack Obama

Be the change. Be the human that people respect. Be the human that shows acceptance. Be the human that doesn’t see colour. Be the human that your kids can be proud of. Be THAT human.

be THAT girl that feels the feelings

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feel the feeling but don’t become the emotion. acknowledge it, allow it, & release it….

I am writing this on day 4 or quarantine…I’m sure we are all at the point where we have been feeling extremely emotional saying goodbye to our former normal. I know it has been for me and for most of my family & friends. In these uncertain times we start to let our emotions take over which does not serve us, or the people around us, well if we don’t know how to release those emotions. Let’s all be mindful that we need to feel the feelings but becoming the emotion is hazardous to our own health and well-being. Most of us have learned how to suppress our emotions from a very young age. We learn to “get over it” and not deal with that emotion which will absolutely resurface at a later time where we will repeat the same reaction of suppression.

Learning how to process the emotion while feeling the feelings is something that I am still working on. In fact…it’s something that I had to do today. I’m not an expert….let’s just state that fact….but I feel the need to share with my friends what works for me. Take it or leave it. I won’t be offended.

If there is one thing that I have learned over the years…feel your feelings. You hear people say that all the time. What does that mean? To me, it means that whatever feeling arises, I need to honor it and just let it take over my body for a while. Let that feeling come over you like a huge wave and feel it. It will be painful and it will make you ugly cry….well, at least it makes me ugly cry. Like I legit look like an Asian Yoda with tears. And even when I’m all cried out then I look like Hulk Hogan took a few rounds outta me and left me with a very swollen face. (I’m sure you get the picture) When we deny our feelings that can cause us to choose undesired or harmful behavior. Which is never good for any of us.

Once we learn to feel those feelings, we need to acknowledge where those feelings are being stored. For example, some feel tension in our muscles, some feel a sharp pain in an undesired place, some eat, some feel it in the gut and some just feel that “heavy” feeling everywhere. For myself, it us usually a heavy feeling felt in my gut or tension in my muscles. This feeling has caused many sleepless nights. Did you know that motion unwinds emotion? For myself, getting myself in the gym and working out has been the best way for me to unwind. I first started hitting the gym to lose weight but soon realized that it was serving my mental and emotional health far beyond my physical health. Some days when I feel especially emotional, I lay on my yoga mat and meditate after my workout. I turn down the lights, lay on my back comfortably, take really deep breaths and I focus on the inhale and exhale. I think about what emotion I am feeling…I acknowledge it, and then in my mind say…”thank you (emotion…whatever it is) good-bye” and I visualize the word of that emotion actually being blown out with each exhale. I can’t explain the peace I feel after I have let go of those pent up emotions. When we are unbalanced it will cause us to be in a very negative mindset which isn’t good for any of us.

I know this all may sound completely silly but I’m just sharing what works for myself. I’m curious what works for you? Feel free to share your ideas…no judgement on my part but I’d love to hear.

Hang in there friends! I will be posting more and more since I have a little more time on my hands. Haha! We are all in this together.

be THAT girl that doesn’t stress over things she cannot change

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don’t stress yourself out with things you can’t control or change…

Well friends….I don’t know about you but I am still trying to wrap my head around our new normal. I think what is so difficult to process is the fact that this is uncharted territory for everyone. No one really knows how to move forward in the midst of this chaos. That can be a very scary time for all of us. So, here are my thoughts on the whole thing. STAY CALM.

A lot has happened in the last week alone and there is still more change coming. We can choose to lose our damn minds and let our thoughts spiral us into a tailspin of panic and depression OR we can calm the fuck down and process what our new normal is going to look like. I feel like this is the time to settle in…work together as a human race and as indivuduals. We are all in this together. We are more than just ourselves, we are a community that spans the earth. We need to be asking ourselves what we can do for each other. How can we help each other get through this epidemic as best we can? What does that look like to you? We can all play a part in the prevention and spread of this virus.

I read a beautiful statement by Kitty O’Meara that made me really think about how I’m going to handle this situation…..

And the people stayed home. And read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art and played games and learned new ways of being, and were still. And listened more deeply. Some meditated, some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadows. And the people began to think differently.

And the people healed. And, in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless, and heartless ways, the earth began to heal. And when the danger passed, and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses, and made new choices, and dreamed new images, and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully, as they had been healed.

Friends, we cannot change what is happening, but we can sure as hell control our actions moving forward as a human race navigating our new normal. What that looks like is completely up to you. For myself and my family, we will do our part in taking the recommended precautions to help aid in not spreading the virus. We will take this time to connect with each other, to strengthen each other and to support one another. There is strength in UNITY…which begins with U!

be THAT girl that speaks her truth….

~ admin ~ 1 Comment

truth and courage are not always comfortable, but they are never weakness…

~brene brown~

I’m speaking my truth today. Many of you have messaged me about why I have not posted anything for a while. Thank you for your concern. This is not a post for sympathy. It is simply to dissipate any rumors that may come up and inform my lovely friends of my why. I’m not going to lie….this is not easy to share. I don’t mind sharing my story but when it involves someone else’s story, and not mine to share, then I feel like it is not fair to them but in this case I have to share some of their story to help you understand what is happening.

As you all know I have 6 kiddos. 6 kiddos that I adore and would do anything for. Just over a month ago, my oldest walked out the door and we haven’t really heard from him since. There was no fight, he just left with only the clothes on his back. From what I remember, not even a jacket. Since then, I have tried to contact him over and over again and all I have received is a few quick messages that say “I Love You. I’m okay.” Now, maybe to some that’s okay. Not to me. I know I’m not alone when I say that I would go to the ends of the earth to protect my children. I think that most Moms feel that animal instinct kick in when we feel like we need to protect. Maybe that’s part of the problem but for me to sleep at night, which is not really happening, I need to know that I have done everything in my power to help my kiddo.

He has a story. A story that is his to tell. What I will say about it…his choices are not my choices. They are his responsibility but the reason behind the action may not have been his choice. As a parent, teacher, coach, church leader….we also have to take responsibility for our actions as well.

As of right now, I am okay. I don’t sleep well because my mind drifts off to places that I wish it never went to but I have so much love and support around me. I am taking things day by day one foot in front of the other. My heart aches all day everyday not being able to talk to him. Sometimes I’m angry, sometimes I’m sad but mostly I feel fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear that he will never come home. Fear that he will never speak to us again. Fear that he will never see how amazing he is. Fear that he will never know his worth. All I can do is right now is wait. Show up for myself, my other kids and my husband. I need to be the best version of me today so I can be there for everyone else when they need me to.

Don’t feel sorry for me. Just keep doing what you are doing. People go through way worse things than this. To me, this is just another chapter in our story that will eventually turn into another chapter. We all have a journey that helps build us into incredible humans. Keep cheering each other on and ALWAYS….be kind. Remember, (parents, coaches, teachers, leaders),that children will believe what you tell them. Your words can change the course of their lives and not always for the better. They look to us as mentors…BE ONE!

be THAT girl who knows she’s a good mama

~ admin ~ 2 Comments

it’s like no one in my family appreciates that I stayed up all night overthinking them…

This is gonna be a long one friends so get cozy….

We have raised each of these incredible humans basically the same and they are all so very different. They each came with their own personalities which is what I absolutely love about them. Life would be so boring if we were all the same. Because we are not all the same and none of our kiddos came with a user manual, we are not going to know how to raise them the “right” way. We will make mistakes. We will not always know the answer. But one thing is for sure…we will do our very best!

I remember when Awesome and I were dating and we had the discussion about kids…you know…the one where you decide how many kids you want to have. I only wanted 2 kids. Awesome wanted lots. Almost a deal breaker but I was far too attracted to his hot legs to give a shit so I brushed it off and figured I would get my way regardless cause I am the girl. Haha! Soon after we were married and I wanted to start having babies, I quickly changed my mind on how many littles I actually wanted. I loved the thought of a big family, maybe not as big as his but bigger than mine. I don’t think we were ever set on a specific number we just figured we’d just know. Each one of our babes were planned…well, except one but that ended in a miscarriage. That’s another story for another day. I remember having number 5 and thinking to myself…can I do this again? Let me just say…do not decide that right after you pushed that watermelon out of your pinhole with no drugs.

Now, our number 5 was not an easy baby. In fact, I’m pretty sure I nicknamed him Satan. LOL! He was the worst sleeper EVER!! Picture this, Awesome’s last year of University (his 9th year). I birth a baby. One week later Awesome begins his last year of dental school. I’m up every hour to feed Satan. I have 4 other kiddos that need me all day (Kato had just turned 7, Kami was 5, Mari was 3, Mak was 1 1/2). By the time the hubby got home, I was ready for a nap. I clearly couldn’t keep functioning like this. I was on the verge of a break-down. So, Awesome being his awesome self, he offered to sleep on the couch with Satan every other night so that at least one of us was getting a good night’s sleep and could recharge. Oh….In case you are wondering….I was not nursing. We put a stop to me nursing when I had the first one. It did not work for us. Anyhoo, after about 4 months of “shift work” for us, he finally started to sleep a few hours at a time so we could get back to a “normal” sleeping schedule.

I remember when number 5 was about 3 years old, I begged Awesome for another baby. I knew that we were supposed to have one more. I just never felt complete even though my sleep deprivation could’ve been the one making the decision….who knows. He was a definite “HELL NO!” At about year 7 of bugging him, I finally accepted the fact that we would not adding another little Aneca to the bunch. Plus I started to do the math and figured that I was getting to old to be a mom. Keep in mind, I started at the ripe old age of 22. I was now 36…obviously too old right? (face in palm)

Well, as you all know, number six found his way into our family when I was 39. Ya…a story for another day but just like I knew, we were not complete until our little Daisuke (Dice) joined us. As hard as it all was to wrap our heads around the idea of a baby 10 years later, he has been the biggest blessing we could’ve asked for. He is such a good mix of all of us combined. He is definitely the center of our universe.

We have been through some really significant changes in our home in the last 4 years. We had a baby and left a religion that basically outlined our existence and purpose. No big deal right? LOL! Needless to say, as our family has grown up and moved forward, we have been through some major speed bumps. Through all of this change we have tried to do our very best in parenting our children with a new set of guidelines that we are still navigating. If there is one thing I know, it’s that in every decision and choice we have made, we have done it because we love our crew so fiercely and want them to succeed in life. Are we the perfect parents? NO! Are we fucking up? ABSOLUTELY! Will we continue to make mistakes? YOU KNOW IT! None of us are getting it right…in fact, I would say that it’s basically a crap-shoot.

So mamas….give yourself some grace. Believe that you are doing a good job and keep trying. That’s all you can do. I see you. I understand hard days….trust me I do. I have a teenage adult. I GET IT! I have those days too where I feel like an absolute failure as a mom. I have those days where I wonder where I went wrong. I have those days where I cry and make it about me. But I also have those days when those little shits hug me, text me, write me notes or even just smile at me, where I know I’ve done something right. Relish in those moments. Allow yourself to take some credit for the good things that they do or say. What I’ve learned is that I can’t control their choices but I can control my choices and how I am going to handle each situation that doesn’t go my way. Just like I need them to be patient with me, I need to be patient with them as they make mistakes and grow. Is it painful to watch them do that? ABSO-FREAKIN-LUTELY!! It has brought me to tears on multiple occasions but I keep going back to the fact that I know I’ve done my very best and that’s all I can do.

No judgement here Mamas! You go this.

P.S. Number 5 is no longer Satan….he is the kindest, sweetest, funny and quiet child ever!

be THAT girl that let’s go of shit that doesn’t matter

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Stop getting upset over things that don’t matter with the people that do matter….

I don’t know about you but I know for myself, I am givin all the gratitudes I can to God to the Universe to whoever I need to, to show my appreciation for these people right here. The people in my life that matter. And in case no one has told you today….YOU ALL MATTER, to me, to your family and hopefully to yourself. I’ll tell ya what… I am holdin these people a little closer with the recent tragedy that has rocked our world. One minute they’re here, the next minute they’re gone. It happens that fast.

Trust me when I say….it is not easy to let shit go. These people right here are my why, they are the one’s that fulfill me the most yet these are the one’s that can hurt me the most because I have so much LOVE for each and every one of them. There are days when I’ve said or done things to them, either on purpose or by mistake, that I regret and wish I could take back and vice versa. But, at the end of the day, what really matters? I’ll tell you what matters…YOUR HUMANS, YOUR PEOPLE. You know, the one’s that you would give your life for…like jump in front of a train for. I’ve really been thinking a lot today about how fast my reality could change if something were to happen to any of my humans. Life can change in an instant friends.

So, keep this in mind when they leave your side in the morning….did you hug them? And not a quick little “routine” hug, I’m talking a big ass bear hug. What is the last thing you said to them before they left? Were you upset at each other? Or did you let them know just how much you love them? Or if you didn’t get to see them off, did you text them to tell them how much you appreciate and love them? If not….DO IT!! I always have the best intentions to do this but some days I definitely fall short because I think I have time. Well…I’m wrong. “We have time” is a lie we tell ourselves so we don’t feel the guilt. The only moment we know we have for sure is right now. Don’t waste it holding grudges and getting upset about shit that doesn’t really matter. Let it go and hold those precious moments close with your people. THAT, you will never regret.

be THAT girl who keeps a promise to herself & others

~ admin ~ 4 Comments

People with good intentions make promises, but people with good character keep them…

Oh promises, promises, promises…..I can literally hear my mama saying these words to me. I don’t even remember what I did (probably nothing because I was an absolute angel. wink wink.), but those words stuck with me and now I use those exact same words in the exact same voice to my very own “perfect” teenagers. Uggghhh. I swore I would never make my kids feel the guilt but guess what…I DO! It is the only way to get shit across to them. Am I right? What I do know, which isn’t much, is that I put a lot of value on keeping a promise. Which is why, I am very intentional about the promises I do make. But when I do, you can count on me keeping it. Nothing chaps my ass more than a broken promise and especially by my loved ones (family or friend). I do have to admit, I am a complete sucker though. When people say sorry, I typically believe them over and over and over. I love to give people the benefit of the doubt. Is that the easier route? Yes. Is it taxing on your mental health? Yes. Should I change my ways…probably.

Nothing feels better though, than being able to keep a promise. To actually follow through when you commit to something. Not only when I follow through for others but also when I follow through for myself. Gosh…now THAT is good for the mental health I tell ya! The more we keep those promises we make to ourselves the better we will feel mentally! Friends, it won’t fix our mental health completely but it can definitely help. I definitely feel like I’m moving forward in the right direction.

So, I decided back in September to stop drinking diet colas. Now that may not seem like a big deal to some of you but that was a huge decision on my part. I’m talking 3-4 Diet Dr. Pepper’s a DAY, sometimes more! I don’t think I need to explain just how bad that was for me. I also decided to start exercising at least 30 minutes 4-5 days a week. That in itself was hard AF! I hated physical activity unless it included wine and some booty shakin with my girl gang. Well….I haven’t had even a sip of cola AND I have up’d my game and am now working out 7 days a week! I started January 2nd with healthier eating, exercise everyday, drinking half my body weight in oz. of water, reading and writing for 15 minutes each a day. FRIENDS!!! I have kept this promise to myself for 23 days so far and it feels soooo good! I feel as though my physical health, mental health and gut health are all aligning. Sure I have days where it’s a struggle…in fact…most days are a struggle to get to all the things but it all comes down to how bad do I want to keep that promise to myself. Prove it to yourself that you can!! Give yourself permission to say NO to things that aren’t getting you closer to your goals!

Like our favouite little ginger badass boss Rachel Hollis says….“What if I just don’t break this promise to myself?” And maybe let’s go a little bit farther with that and say, “What if I just don’t break this promise to myself and to the people that I care about?” Value yourself and others enough to show your good character and don’t break your promise.

be THAT girl that lives her life with intentions

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our intentions create our reality

I have been thinking, and working on, living everyday of my life with intentions. This is definitely not easy. I can attest to that. My New Years word for 2020 is INTENTION. My goal is to make decisions based on willful direction. But first things first friends….you have to find your EMOTIONAL WHY. I listened to a great podcast by Ed Mylett, “Unlocking Your Success Code”, where he talks about his emotional why vs. why. He explains that when you attach your why to an emotion, you are more willing to follow through. Anything that is attached to an emotion is going to have a greater impact. So, this really got me thinkin. What is my emotional why for the intentions I have set? Well, my intention for making healthier food choices is wanting to be at all the special life events for each one of my kiddos. P.S….this was Ed’s as well. One of my intentions for daily reading and writing is for my mind…..as I’m aging, I’m noticing that my mind isn’t as sharp and it scares the hell out of me that I may end up with alzheimers and I never want to forget who my family or friends are. It seems silly but that’s just me keepin it real. I have more intentions and emotional why’s but you get what I’m saying right?!

Once you have your emotional why, then set your intentions by writing them down in a planner of some sort. I love a good old fashioned pen and paper planner but you can also use your phone calendar as well. Once you have manifested your intention, DO IT!! I, personally, like the paper copy so I can physically check off each intention. It just fulfills something in me to see what I accomplished that day and that gives me the drive to go another day. Seeing results of my intentions is the inspiration I need to get through those harder days where I struggle to KEEP MOVING FORWARD (all I can picture when I hear this phrase is Lewis off of Meet The Robinson’s).

So stop living on auto-pilot and start living on purpose…with INTENTION.