Tag: personal development

Two Words That Can Motivate You To Exercise

 

Words that can motivate you to exercise

The words we use matter.  They can lift others up toward success or they can tear people down in a hot second.

The words we choose when we speak to others are incredibly important.  However, how we talk about ourselves and our own life is equally as important.  Words can create either a positive or negative perspective. The subconscious does not know right from wrong.  It simply records information, so it’s up to us to wire it for success.  Sometimes that includes changing old habits.

Years ago, a a life coach helped me change a habit that can hold you back from accomplishing your goals.  At the time, I was using  the phrase “have to” way to often.  We all have things we believe we “have to” do like taxes, cleaning out the garage, organizing the sock drawer, and for some people,  exercising.  The problem with approaching any of these tasks from the perspective of “have to”, is it comes from a negative place.  The phrase “have to” suggests to your subconscious that the task is an obligation and that it is required.  As humans we are wired to seek the positive.  If you are trying to operate from a negative point of view, it puts you in direct conflict with your subconscious.  This can cause procrastination, stress, overwhelm, and flat out rebellion.

The phrase “have to” is one that can subtly creep into our vocabulary without us even realizing it.  The truth is, there’s not much in life that we HAVE TO do but there is a lot in life that we GET TO do.  When you use the phrase “get to” you are coming from a place of gratitude and appreciation. It’s positive.

For example:

  • The house I have to clean is really the house I get to clean because I have a roof over my head.
  • The dog walk I have to do is really the exercise I get to do because I am healthy and have wonderful dogs.
  • The work I have to do is really work I get to do because I am blessed to have clients that want to work with me.

When I began looking at each task from a place of gratitude, I became way more productive, my follow through improved, and I was able to find the joy in the task.  Talk about a total mind shift!

Exercise is something we “get to” do and I recommend you pick movement that you enjoy.  However, even a routine that’s fun can seem like a chore if we look at it as an obligation rather than  a choice.  Next time you tell someone (or yourself) it’s time for you to exercise, remember to say I “get to” exercise today and see how your perspective begins to shift.

Life is a precious gift, a gift that is much more enjoyable when we choose to see it that way.

Here’s to a week filled with things you “get to” do!

Shared with love,

Jennifer

 

Tis The Season To Be Good To Yourself

ledford0416-7746 - Be Good To Yourself This Holiday Season

One of the things I love so much about the holiday season is that it focuses on giving.  This season, I recommend giving yourself a gift and that’s the gift of grace.

All too often, we criticize ourselves for being less than perfect.  Thoughts like “I should have mailed the Christmas cards earlier,” “I should have been more patient with my spouse and/or children,” or “I should be exercising instead of watching dog videos on Facebook” not only rear their ugly heads during the holiday season they can follow us into the new year.

Guilty thoughts that attempt to beat us up usually come from a desire to be perfect.  And, even though most of us know that perfection is impossible, much of the”professional” advertising we see focuses on displaying perfection as a form of happiness or acceptance.  Thank goodness for social media!  Live raw video helps to remind us that nobody is perfect and to give ourselves a break.

Be Good To Yourself this holiday season

No matter how good you get at fending off the guilty voices that like to haunt all of us, they will show up from time to time.  When a guilty thought enters your mind I recommend taking a moment to ask yourself where it’s coming from.  If it’s a habit you know that you need to change, forgive yourself and tell yourself you’ll do better next time.  If you’re feeling guilty about something that is based on society’s opinion of you, it may be something you need to shake off and tell yourself you don’t give a flip what others think.  For example, you just ate a chocolate chip cookie full of gluten and loved it!  There should never be guilt attached to food.  Period.  🙂

I’ve made plenty of mistakes in my life and Lord knows, I’ll make more.  One of the most valuable things I’ve learned from people older and wiser than me is that no matter how many times you beat yourself up, you can’t change the past.  Most of the time the issue causing the guilt is no big deal.  If it’s something that involves others and you need to apologize then I recommend doing so.  If your mistake or failure was a doozy (and I’ve had a few of those) then learn from the mistake and do better next time.

What’s important to remember at all times is that no one is perfect and that if you are doing your very best to be a good person and move forward in your life each day, that is good enough.

Here’s to a wonderful and guilt-free holiday season and new year!

Shared with love,
Jennifer