Resolve or Commit

So this entry may go all over the place.  But it is what it is...

To start out with I was curious and wanted to share the definition of "Resolution".

res·o·lu·tion

noun

1. a firm decision to do or not to do something.

2. the action of solving a problem, dispute, or contentious matter

So now that I got that out of the way.  Many will make the so called "resolution" tonight or tomorrow.  but why not make a commitment to yourself.  We are worth a commitment, we are worth the effort that goes along with a commitment.  Sure I could direct this towards our health and fitness, and I could say don't waste your money on a gym membership and instead go with DDPYoga since it is more than "just" a workout it's a lifestyle.  But instead I am going to take this in multiple directions. 

We need to make commitments to make our lives better, and the lives around us better.  I know I have said it before everything leads to something else, and all it takes is one step in a direction to change everything.   We know that everything in life is connected in one way or another.  It all depends on how we choose to deal with life and what we do when life events happen to us.  You know the 4 lil things that apply to everything... "React, Adapt, Take Action, Breathe".

So I'm not going to recap this past year, there were a lot of things that happened in my life and the lives around me this year.  There were happy times and sad times, there were losses and gains, a few stumbles, and a few leaps.  But 2013 is in the past and I will look forward to the future, but I will not over look the now.  We are all where we are right now to led us to where we are going. 

Now what??  Where do we go from here?  That is a choice we each have to make, a commitment, a decision that only we can make for ourselves. 

For me it is time to make my list, what I like to call a "Master Plan".  Then from that I will break it down into sections.  There are many examples of how others have made it to where they are and how they got there.  But the one example that matters the most to you is YOU.

Make a choice now, are you going to "try" or are you going to "do it", are you going to "OWN IT".

Whatever it is that you want  in life you need to write it down and make it achievable. 

You are the ONE that can make your life what you want it to be.

Responsibility of Choices

We all have choices that we make everyday.  Each choice we make we have to be able to live with.  We also have to take responsibility for those choices.

So why do I bring this up this time of year?  Well many of us, me included have made choices to do something.  Then when it doesn't turn out the way we wanted we are quick to blame something or someone.  But we need to take the responsibility for the choices we make.  As we are the ones that make them. 

Our lives are full of choices that have led us to where we are today.  So what are the choices you will make to lead you to your next step in your life?  How can you change the choices you have made in the past to redirect your future?  Remember every choice leads us to another, and every choice is one that we must take responsibility for.   

Believe in who you are.  Believe in the choices you make.  Believe in YOU.

Once you believe, then you CAN accomplish anything.

The simplest and most important choice you can make is to "Own Your Life".

Want VS Need

 Ya I know timing is everything and this time of year there are many "wants" and there are many "needs".  The difference between the two is figuring out which is which.

So here is my lil spin on it and I may stay on track, and knowing me I may go way off track, but I always seem to tie it up with a bow.

So where do I start...uhmm... Some things kinda fall into both categories, want/need.  We all Want good health, we all need good health.  But it depends on what we are willing to do to get it.  Now some are dealt cards that they have to deal with to get to where they want to be, and it may take a bit more effort for them to get there.  But they deal with what they have and keep moving forward.  Now there are others, (yes I was one of these people (key word "was")) that will want it but will never do anything about it, or should I say make an attempt but do so without a plan.  Or (this one I love) think there is some magic in a bottle that will make everything better. 

Reality Check.... We get what we put into life.  There is no magic pill.

Yep that was me...but I did find what I needed and it wasn't in a bottle and there was no magic pill.  But something I did not expect to find along the way was me again.  Who would ever thing that life on a yoga matt instructed by a former 3 time World heavyweight Champion wrestler-DDP whose catchphrase is "Feel the BANG", doing not yoga, but DDPYoga one could find what they need and want.  BUT for it to all work the matt needs to be rolled out with you on it.

Ok before I go to deep with this I will keep it in this realm.  We all know what we have, what we want, and what we need.  And we all know that each of us could do a lil bit more to help out others with what they need. 

(warning hard left turn)

SO.... food this holiday season. Ya I'm going there.  Now I am no dietician, and no where even close to a partial expert so I will not preach what is right and what is bad.  We all know that, and if you don't you need to take a look at what you are really eating.  It ain't the stuff Grandma and Grandpa use to fix.  Sure there is going to be some stuff that we "knibble" on that may not be the best for us.  For those that are living a modified eating plan, weather it is GF or dairy free, or whatever.  If you do "induldge" remember it is NOT the end of the world.  You will not spontaneously combust.  Just enjoy it and keep moving forward.  Remember what we "Want VS Need", just something to think about as you are enjoying the holidays.  Remember you didn't get to where you are over night.

I would challenge EVERYONE to write down their "wants" and their "needs" before the end of the year, and then see which one is more valuable come this time next year.

I could go on, and on and on.  But I will simply close it out here.  We all know where we need to be and we all know where we want to be.  The trick is knowing the difference and doing something about it.

Don't wait for something to happen, don't wait for tomorrow to begin.  We have this moment right now to do something, we never know what tomorrow may bring.  

SO make your choice and live your life... 

OWN YOUR LIFE!

See told ya I would end it with a bow!
Have a Great Holiday... Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and all the rest!

Remember at the end of the day be HAPPY!

Have a great day, Today & Tomorrow

No one is perfect

So where do I go with this one today?  We are all going to stumble from time to time, I know I have over this last year (hell I have stumbled from time to time my whole life).  But one thing I can say is that I have gotten back up every time.

Sure we all know that life happens and that is an easy excuse to fall back to.  But with every obstacle we encounter there lays an opportunity.  Sometimes it takes a lil more effort to get back up and get going.  As long as we get back up we are never defeated.  Do not dwell on your stumbles, acknowledge them and keep moving.  If you have heard DDP speak then you have heard him say (as well as others)  "Acknowledge the negative and focus on the positive."  We know that we give power to whatever it is we are focusing on.  And if we spend all our time focusing on the negatives in our lives, then we will never get to where we need to be.

So OK, I know this is not confession, and if you have followed me here or on FB you know what has happened in my lil world this year.  But there are other things that I have not publicized, some may be lil things, you know the day to day stuff.  But that's ok, because I know what I have and have not done.  I know where my focus is.  Sure my lil world did take a hit this year, and it has taken me a lil longer than I even would have realized to fully get back up.  But ya know what I never stopped moving forward, I never quit.  I may have slowed down a bit, but I adjusted to the 10% of life that happened, and I dealt with the 90%.  There were a few people that I leaned on from time to time, to those THANK YOU. 

The key to anything is consistency.  Map out a plan and do the work.  No one is perfect in ANYTHING they do.  Some may like to think they are but the reality is that we all will fall, we all will modify, we all have to adjust.  If you're looking for the "perfect life", the "perfect body", or the "perfect relationship", well I am no bubble buster, but in this case I may be.  There is none.

What is "Perfect"

1. having all the required or desirable elements, qualities, or characteristics; as good as it is possible to be.

2.absolute; complete (used for emphasis).

See even the definition itself says it... "as good as it is possible to be".  So why would we ever settle on trying to be "perfect"?  Our possibilities are only limited by us.  Our lives are not perfect, we all have flaws, but it is those flaws that make us who we are and show us that we CAN do better.

So whatever it is you are working on keep working at it.  One day everything else will fit together as it should.  But ONLY if you are willing to put in the work, yep it comes back to us.  We do not live in a fantasy world where things "just happen".  And we should never strive to be "perfect", because we know that our possibilities are only limited by us.

So I may have gone a lil to the left and a lil to the right in this.  But ya know what I know I am not "perfect".  I have and continue to modify and adjust along my life journey, and my DDPYoga journey, and somehow they have joined and I am moving forward with both.  Do I know where life will take me?  Nope, but I do know that I am moving forward and I am Owning MY Life, One Moment One Day at a time.

Here is a lil formula I thought of this mornin, and it fits for everything and everyone...

Never Give Up + Keep Moving forward + One Moment One Day at a time =

"Own Your Life"

Embrace your life, change it, or...

We have choices, we can either embrace our lives just as they are, or change them.  But there is a third choice...

Now I'm not saying we need to just flush everything and rebuild, though sometimes that's what it takes.  But we need to appreciate what we have in life, as there are many who are not as fortunate as we are.  We take for granted many of the people and things in our lives.  In the same breath though sometimes we need to take a step back and re-evaluate where we are and who is in our lives.  We become what we surround ourselves with.  

So let's see where this takes me today...

Time to break things down a bit....

(Definitions courtesy of Google)

Embrace:

verb

1. hold (someone) closely in one's arms, esp. as a sign of affection.

2. accept or support (a belief, theory, or change) willingly and enthusiastically.

3. include or contain (something) as a constituent part.

noun

noun: embrace; plural noun: embraces

1.  an act of holding someone closely in one's arms.

2. an act of accepting or supporting something willingly or enthusiastically.

Change:

verb

1. make or become different.

2. take or use another instead of.

noun

noun: change; plural noun: changes; noun: Change; plural noun: Changes

1. the act or instance of making or becoming different.

2. coins as opposed to paper currency.

So now that we know what they mean it is up to us to do something. 

Sometimes we don't really embrace where we are in life, we just get stuck or content.  Not saying that's right or wrong, but we all know we could do better. 

I know I get there from time to time.  I get on a roll and then WHAM... Life happens and then I just let it happen and it continues to just happen, with me not doing anything about it.  Sometimes I see it happen and I see what I am doing, or not doing.  Even though I can see what is happening, making that next step can be the hardest step of all.  We all have been to that point from time to time. 

This is when we need to do a little combining... "Embracing Change" also known as Living Life at 90%. 

I know here he goes again with the DDPYoga philosophy.  But it is more than that it is about us and how we move thru our everyday lives.  Everything we do is interconnected.  The one thing they have in common is us.  You know Me, You... Us.  Everything around us happens because we are there to either accept it or witness it.  But if we do nothing about it then we have no one to blame but ourselves. 

So where are you today?  Where is your life today?  What are you doing in your life that you could change  for the better?  Who could benefit from the changes you might make? 

Everything we do has an effect on our lives,  but it also has an effect on many other lives we may not even know about.

So no matter where you are in your life.... EMBRACE it, you are where you are for a reason.  There is always something we could CHANGE in our lives for the better.  But if we would just take the time to appreciate where we are and look to see where we are going then maybe, just maybe we could  avoid something and do something about it, before it happens.

Some things in life are put in front of us for a reason, though we may not understand why at the time.  It is up to us to deal with them the best we can so that maybe it may help someone else along the way.

Believe in who you are, Live your life "One Moment, One Day" at a time, and "Own YOUR Life"

Have a GREAT Day...Today & Tomorrow