Worth the Effort

We have all had this thought one time or another.  And about many different things in life.   We need to remember that everything we do comes with a price.

So are you worth the effort?  You know the excuses we all have, and we all use.  "I just don't have time." or another favorite "It's not gonna mater." or "I'm just not built that way." or "You just don't understand me." or how about this, "I'm to_____."  We can make an excuse for anything and everything.  We try to justify it, but who are we really trying to convince?  Bottom line is you will get out what you put in.

What is it that you are questioning in your life?  Your; health, finances, family, career, friends?  Whatever it is you will get out what you put into it.  Everything we do has some worth to it, and there is always effort involved.  Why ask the question "Is it worth the effort?"  You know the answer you, me, we need to believe "I AM worth the effort."  Something we need to remind ourselves of everyday.

Now I know that's just great but " you just don't understand".   Sure I do, I may not know the particulars that are going on in your life, but I know in my life it's not all rainbows and puppies.  Everyone has something going on in their life.  But that is part of it... LIFE. 

Our lives are filled with "things" that we put effort into, some may be "things" that require little effort.  But what we neglect to see is everything, EVERYTHING in life requires some sort of effort. 

What is it that you are waiting for?  If you think it's too hard or you don't have time, well I bet you can make the time.  Why?  Because YOU are worth it, YOU are Worth the Effort.

Quit doubting your abilities, when you fall down pick yourself back up.  You know you are worth it, and if you work at it you will see the results.  Remember it is YOUR life.  And yes I will wrap it back to this...

OWN YOUR LIFE

"Life is 10% what happens and 90% how you; React, Adapt, Take Action, and Breathe."

It really does apply to everything in life, not just DDPYoga.  Remember it is your life and YOU are Worth the Effort!

Surface Comfort

We all have our comfort levels and what we see on the surface is not always what's on the inside.  To find out what is on the inside we have to be willing to do some work.

We have all heard the saying "You can't judge a book by its cover".  You never know what's inside until you open up the book and dig into it.  Well we all have a story, one that is constantly being written.  But the question is who are you letting write your story?  You can let life happen to you and hope for the best or you can choose to take the pen and write it yourself.  You know... "Own Your Life". 

Now you may not be comfortable with stepping outside of your "comfort zone".  But who made that comfort zone?  Who is the one who put restrictions on what you can and can't do.  More than likely it was you.  We are the ones who choose what we will do when life happens, and it will and does every day.  I know life is not "rainbows and puppies".  But here we go again, back to the cornerstone of what DDP says about life and DDPYoga, "Make it Your Own" and "Live Life at 90%".  Don't let that 10% of life dictate how everything else in your life will be.  YOU are the ONE, the ONE who sets your limits. 

I have had my moments, and some of them I have let dictate what direction my life would go.  But I am the one driving now, why, because I can.  What you see on the surface is still me, but what I am doing on the inside is building a better me, which in turn will make the surface a healthier version.  Every day I get a lil more comfortable, and that's when I have to force myself out of my "Comfort zone". 

So what is on the surface of your life, are you stuck in a "Comfort zone".  You can change anything if you are willing to put in the work.  Sure you may stumble from time to time, you may even fall.  But if you are willing to put in the work you can write your own story.

No matter what's on the SURFACE always know you can find comfort in "Owning Your Life"

Some of the people that have changed their surfaces... DDPYoga transformations and inspirations

Some of the people that are still working on their surfaces...DDPYoga members-under-construction

Dreams to Reality

We all have dreams of what we want or want to be.  Some come to life others just remain dreams.  The difference why some become a reality for some and not for others is the individual and what they did to "make it happen".. 

Dreams take time and they all take effort on our part.  Nothing "just happens", it's not magic that makes things happen.  And for those who believe in magic, well that too takes effort from someone. 

So where does that leave us?  Well you've heard of "vision boards".  Now don't run away, I am not saying to go out and make a "vision board" (unless you want to, and that's OK too) but if you want something or have a goal a destination or a dream, WRITE IT DOWN.  And not in a notebook that can get tucked away.  Somewhere it will be in front of you so you know what and why you are working towards.  It doesn't matter what it is.

·        Health

·        Fitness

·        Finances

·        Organization

·        Things to do

·        Things you want

Yes you are making a "To do list".  You may have a couple of them and there is nothing wrong with that.  If you don't write it down then you will get side tracked and poof it will never happen.  As (yes you know who) DDP says "Ink it, don't just think it".

As long as we are "Always Be Moving Forward" ((ABMF) Slim that one's for you) we will get to where we need and are suppose to be.  Remember not every "Dream" is meant to be a reality, but if you are willing to put in the effort then you can "Make it happen".  But again it rolls back to YOU. 

Now if you're going to use the excuse but I didn't get the opportunity so-and-so got, well that is just an excuse.  If you want it, then YOU need to make it happen.

So what am I working on, well it's no secret, yes I know I am excessively vocal  about DDPYoga, but that is the vehicle that I came across (Thankfully) that is helping me get to where I want and need to be.  But again it is a tool.  DDPyoga does not work by itself, unless I put in the work.  I have made the choice to take ownership and take the responsibility of MY life back.  Where it will go is yet to be determined.  But I am learning more about myself in this journey and that is due to DDPYoga, the people that make up TeamDDPYoga and yes (him again) Diamond Dallas Page.

There is plenty more of me that needs work, and I can "see the forest for the trees".  But I am not missing what is right in front of me, because I am moving forward and Living Life "One Moment One Day" at a time. 

I CAN, I WILL, and I am so there is NO reason I won't...

Turning your dreams into your reality is simple, but it's up to you... all you gotta do is "SMACK DOWN" with DDPYOGA and Diamond Dallas Page

S pecific
M easurable
A chievable goals
C ompatible
K eep it Going

D o it
O wn it
W rite it
N ever Quit

Whatever "it" is, YOU can do it, everything is connected and one thing leads to another. 

So why not start with the beginning...YOU  

  

Modify

So I was thinking about this the other day as I was doing my DDPYoga workout, and yes I was modifying a move.  Well, not really modifying, rather "Making it My Own".  Then as I continued on with my workout (I think I was on my second RHC) my mind went to the other things in my life that I modify, and to the things that I just stopped doing for one excuse or another.

We all have things in our lives that we have to modify to get to where we are going, and there is NOTHING wrong with modifying.  But the problem comes in when we just avoid stuff all together.   Now I am just as guilty as the next person.  There are many things that I have avoided because it was too hard, or I had fallen before and instead of getting back up and trying again, I just turned and avoided it all together.  Is that wrong, no not always.  But what am I missing out on?  Why did I do it, was there a reason or was it just an excuse? 

We make excuses all the time and try to justify them to ourselves as a "good reason".  But who are we really hurting?  Who is the one missing out?  What does it matter? 

Over this past year, as I have been on my DDPYoga journey, I have been reawakening so much inside of me.  Stuff that I had buried away, because I didn't feel like I was worth it.  Now I'm not saying that I ignored life.  I continued with the day to day things, and maintained a good front, you know acting like life was all rainbows and puppies.  But I knew inside I was not happy, but I kept pushing thru.  Doing what needed to be done, staying "professional".  Now I could go back and point to different events that happened or try and "justify" the why.  But that will not accomplish anything.  Just as DDP has said, "acknowledge the negative and focus on the positive", well in this case I will modify that and "make it my own"... acknowledge the past, and focus on the future.

Life is full of modifications, we are always having to adjust and keep working on one thing or another.  The one thing we all need to keep in mind is to "Never Give Up".  And that wraps back around to "Living Life at 90%".  You know that simple little phrase has meant so much to me this last year, and I know that I lean on it, but I don't think that's a bad thing... "That's a GOOD thing".

"React, Adapt, Take action, and Breathe"

So modify what you need to, but keep at it, whatever your "it" is.  And one day you will find you are no longer modifying, you are doing it, "Owning It".

It happens to all of us

We all have those moments, days, weeks.  Where we just don't know which way to turn, or really don't care.  Those moments when we wonder why, is it worth it, does it really matter?  You know those times when we see where we are going but can't figure out how to take that next step even though we have the map right in front of us.

That's the time when what we are doing, or should be doing, matter the most.  That's when we either dig deep and demand greatness out of ourselves, or when we need to reach out for a hand.  There is always a way, but you have to see that you have gotten to that point, and then do something about it.

I know I have not been the same since the spring, hell a lot of my life has not been the same as it was, but life never is, as it is constantly changing.  Life does not stop.

So what to do about it.  There are many different things people call it; "buck up", "dig deep", "cowboy up", "focus", "move on", but there is one that resonates in my head "Own Your Life".  Now I know I have said it before, and we have heard others say it all the time.  Sure it sounds easy, but it takes work.  Just like everything, if you want something you have to work at it.

We all will fall down, and we will get up, but once we get up what you do next is key.  Do you turn and walk away, do you keep going in the same direction, do you go around, over or thru?  That is something only you can decide.  Keep moving forward is something decided by the direction we are going in.  But going back to do the same things we have always done is not forward.  If we never learn from our past we will never move forward.  Everything happens for a reason, a lesson, it is part of who you are and where you are.  But what you do decides where you will go.

Something my mentor/friend-DDP says quite often... "you can't fake gravity", well that holds true to everyday life as well.  We are gonna fall, it will happen, and there is nothing we can do to stop it.  But what we do after the fall will make us stronger or weaker.  Never give up, but also don't make the same missteps that led you

to the fall.

We learn a lot about ourselves when we do fall, but there is more to learn when we pick ourselves back up.

So wherever you are GET UP, someone loves you, and believes in you.

Complacent

We all get to this point at different points of our lives, no matter what it is we are doing.  Whether it's with our day to day activities (or lack of), our family or friends, work, our eating habits, or out workout routines.  We all get to the point where we put everything on cruise control.

Here is the definition of the word from merriam-webster.com, just so we are all clear on this...

com·pla·cent

 adjective \kəm-ˈplā-s^ənt\

: satisfied with how things are and not wanting to change them

:  marked by self-satisfaction especially when accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies :  marked by complacency :  self-satisfied <a complacent smile>

Some may even call in laziness, but whatever it is we need to be able to recognize when it happens and do something about it.

It may happen after you have been working really hard and you start to feel a sense of accomplishment, but are you really done?  That is the question you have to ask yourself.  Just because you have made some great leaps, that doesn't mean you're done.

Now have I gotten complacent?  Sure, on many different things, and I know that I need to kick it up again.  Is it my DDPYoga, ya a bit, I can sit here and make excuses for why I slowed down.  But I do not accept excuses, especially from myself.  Life happens all around us every day.  Did I stop, no, did I stumble, ya a bit.  BUT I never stopped moving forward.  Now some other parts of my life I have stopped, and I know I am better than that.  But the key is I have seen it and I am acknowledging it.  Now it's time to do something about the other parts of my life that I have become "Complacent" in.

You know the routine of everyday life.  Don't accept anything less the absolute best.  You wouldn't accept a half cooked meal at a restaurant,  you wouldn't buy one shoe, so why would you be content with where you are, YOU are not FINISHED.

Don't waste the potential you have... Dig deep.

 I DARE you to reach for your inner "DDP" (no not Diamond Dallas Page, though these are three words that describe him pretty well)...

       Drive

       Determination

       Positivity

Remember, ANYTHING is possible, but it all comes down to YOU. 

Have a great Day  and "OWN YOUR LIFE"