Tag: vision

Kids are a Reason

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***Kids are a reason***

This what I believe now. But for 18 months I used my kid as an excuse.

“I’m a new mom. I’m back to work in the ad industry. I have an hour and 15 minute commute. I have no time for the gym. It’s too hard to get to the soccer field. I take walks around the neighborhood. Isn’t that enough? I’m breastfeeding…I can eat more, right? A lot more? I’m just too tired. WAY too freakin’ tired. I’m a mom now, so that’s just the way things are. I come last…”

These are just a snippet of the things I used to tell myself…the excuses that ran through my head to make myself feel better. Sure, maybe of them had a touch of validity. Being a new mom was a WHOLE new world, and I did not know WHAT the heck I was doing.

But after 18 months, I finally realized that I WAS important too. And I did not feel like myself anymore. I MISSED myself. I loved being a mom, but I also loved being me, and I wanted to feel healthy again. I wanted to feel athletic again. I wanted to feel comfortable in a bathing suit again. I found coaching at that time, and I have to say it TRULY changed my life and my perspective.

And as I became pregnant with baby #2, I decided that I would not allow my children to become an excuse anymore. Instead they would be my reason. I admit, I originally became a coach for selfish reasons. I wanted to feel good about own self again, and I was out of a job. I needed to bring in more income for my family, and since I had an athletic background, I thought I could make it work.

But I have REMAINED a coach, because not only has this opportunity changed MY life….but I have seen SOOOOO many of my challengers and coaches lives change right before my eyes as well. And I addicted to helping others changed their lives and change the way they ultimately view the world and themselves within it. Seeing the confidence burst through at the seams. Seeing someone scared to start their journey and then feel SO proud about what they have been able to accomplish. It’s addicting.

And all the while, my KIDS and my FAMILY drive me to keep going. I see that by helping others achieve their dreams, I am also going to be able to achieve mine. And I am going to be able to give that kind of life to my children that I have always dreamed of. When I have tough days (because we all have tough days) I keep my vision on the #1 purpose in this life right now which is to create an amazing life for my kids. I am so thankful that I found coaching because it has given me the BELIEF that this is truly possible.

Whatever you are dreaming about right now…know that you are capable. As long as you know your purpose and your why to keep going, you will get there. I am so thankful that coaching allowed me to come to this realization that my kids were no longer going to be my excuse, but instead my reason to live the best life possible. <3 <3 <3

Have a wonderful weekend everyone! TGIF!

XO,

Gina

On This Day…We Will Win

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This year. This team. This moment. This was everything.

 

This was my senior year of high school. Yes, I’m the tiny brown-haired midget in the front, and yes, believe it or not, I actually played basketball…on a championship team no less. While this group was extremely talented, we were not expected to win. We were not favored. Not many believed that it was possible. Except for us.

 

And for us…winning was a decision. We decided that we were good enough. That we could work hard enough. That LOSING WAS NOT AN OPTION. We put in the work. Our coaches pushed us. We pushed harder. We stuck by each other. We did not leave any teammate behind. That year if one person screwed up and had to run sprints…the whole team was running sprints right there alongside that person.

 

We knew that we couldn’t just step onto the court and win the championship. It had to be earned. But we also knew that we were capable of doing so. We took it in small steps. We said before each individual game, “On this day, we will not lose. On this day…WE WILL WIN.” We made the decision. We created the vision. No hiccups, mistakes, or even horrible injuries would get in our way. We would persevere. We would prevail. And we did.

 

And we did it, while LOVING it. I remember walking the halls or through the gym with my teammates smiling or laughing, shouting, “I SAID ‘I LOVE BASKETBALL!’” We were living the dream. And while it was hard work to get there, we loved every minute of it.

 

As a former athlete, I have craved for years to feel that passion again. That feeling that if you work hard enough, you can truly achieve something great. That if you work together, you can do great things. That team bond that you share day in and day out. That sisterhood. That if you just believe in yourself, anything is possible. And the fact that you have a team who also believes in you just builds you up. That if you just DECIDE together that you will do it…you will.

 

It’s difficult to find something in adult life that emulates the feeling you get of playing team sports in high school or college. It’s also difficult to find something that gets you in shape like you once were in those days! Life is not so simple and carefree anymore. Yes there was homework and college applications and boyfriends back then. But in retrospect, that was simple compared to husbands and children, jobs to do and bills to pay. It seems our schedules get busier and busier each year and we have less time to devote to our passions and interests, let alone our health and fitness.

 

I don’t ever know if I will feel that SAME feeling that I once had of being on that high school basketball team. I think it was truly a once in a lifetime experience. However, I do feel that I have come pretty close.

 

I am building a career out of helping others, while at the same time keeping myself accountable for my own journey. I am a part of an INCREDIBLE team of individuals who build me up each and every day. We believe in each other and we believe in ourselves. And I know we won’t be giving up, because once again LOSING IS NOT AN OPTION. We made a decision. We have created our vision. And together we will be building better lives for ourselves and our families while helping others do the same. And the bonus? We truly LOVE it. We wake up each day excited about what’s to come and the potential on the horizon. We are consistent every day. And ON THIS DAY…WE WILL WIN.

XO,

Gina

Vision

Vision.

“a vivid mental image, especially a fanciful one of the future”

We all have vision in some way, shape or form…a view inside our minds of how we want the future to look. We can’t predict the future, but we CAN envision it. Many times our vision can get cloudy. We forget WHY we are doing something or where we want to go. We get distracted by the many things in life pulling us in different directions. Sometimes we aren’t quite sure where we want to go…and we really need to sit down and think about what it is that we want or how it is that we can get there.

This is an exercise that a year ago I would have laughed at if someone told me I should do it. I didn’t really understand the value in it, thought it was a little bit silly, and even a waste of my precious time.  But I have come to appreciate the value in SEEING my vision and putting it down on paper (or on electronic paper in this case…although I do recommend printing it out and putting it where you can see it each day!) By having a physical copy of my vision there is no chance I will forget those goals I have set for myself…no way that I can get lost in the shuffle of the day to day and let my vision get left behind in the fog.

At first it was scary mapping out this vision…even writing this now, I am scared to hit the publish button. Who the hell do I think I am to achieve this? Will people think I’m crazy? Will they laugh at me? Will they think there is no way she will be able to do that in a year? WHAT IF I FAIL????

But the more I think about it…it doesn’t matter what other people think. This is my journey and my life, and I only have one…so why not DREAM BIG and make the most of each moment. And while I will work my tush off to achieve this vision…so what if I don’t quite get there this year? It’s all about the journey and growing as a person at the end of the day right?

So…here goes…(deep breath)…my VISION BOARD for 2016.

2016 Vision Board

May you set out to reach YOUR full potential this year, and may your vision become your reality. Believe in yourself and believe that anything is possible. That’s my motto for this year, and I’m stickin’ to it! 😉

XO,

Gina