Month: July 2016

The Road of Discomfort

Published on by Christine3 Comments

In my last post, I talked about my quest to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

This week has carried with it a whole lot of uncomfortable. From long runs along golden fields of canola to finding my voice when I normally keep silent. I tackled tasks I have put off because of the pain involved within remembering a life that was. I opted to sit in the pain and work through it.

The day after I decided to embrace uncomfortable, I set out on a run. I have focussed on strength training lately and not cardio, so I decided this week I would focus on cardio (which I find to be very uncomfortable). Given my long break from steady state cardio and an old IT Band injury, as I laced up my runners I thought to myself: “I bet I can’t run 10K anymore”.  Immediately I was annoyed with myself as I knew I had to do it.

Now, the only way to ensure you will run 10K, is to run 5K away. You have no choice but to run back. 😉  I decided to take an unfamiliar route and seek solace within the childhood memories of gravel roads, fields of gold, and the quiet of the country.

So I set out on the road of discomfort with motivational speeches setting my pace. Click here if you are interested in some motivation for your day.

The first 5K was no big thing but a chicken wing. It was on kilometre 7 when the familiar IT Band ache set in. It was +30 and I could see round balls of bugs hovering in the heat wave of dust over the road. But still, there was no turning back, either way I had to get home. I decided to just slow down to a walk when I needed to and to take that time to think about my goals. What are the facets of my life that are holding me back from reaching them?

In those last 3 KM’s I found more clarity than in recent memory. I was (and am) the only thing that will prevent me from reaching my goals. Change is required within the mind before it translates to action.

It’s time to go to work.

Leave the past behind with the respect it deserves, and focus on rebuilding my authentic life.

I will use this precious gift of time wisely and to my advantage.

I will focus on the good, the positive, the uplifting.  Faith.

The only thing within my control is my attitude and perceptions. My perception is in fact my reality.

I choose to look at my bad days as a chance to build character and live within grace and gratitude.

I choose to move forward down this road of discomfort with courage, perseverance, and unyielding tenacity.

I will use my God-given abilities for good with the respect of my purpose on this beautiful earth.

I will let go of control where there is none.

It’s funny how uncomfortable can manifest beautiful certainty. I will remember that run for all of my days. It may have been slow going, but I did it!

I learned more about the strength of my spirit in that one hour than I have in months. What a gift, and one that I wouldn’t have experienced had I not taken the road of discomfort.

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When you find yourself at a cross-road, I urge you to take the more challenging route. You never know what you’ll discover.

From my heart to yours,

Christine

Get Comfortable with being Uncomfortable

Published on by Christine4 Comments

As I started my Miracle Monday Morning at 5:30 a.m., I had a revelation! Ooooh, don’t you love it when that happens?!

You see, as long as I can remember, I have lived within some sort of fear. When I was a kid, I feared managing a bank account and paying bills. When I was a teenager, I feared driving in Edmonton. In my early 20’s when I held my first baby Ty close to my heart as we left the hospital, I feared I wouldn’t know how to take care of him properly. I remember thinking “Really? You are just going to let me leave with this tiny human?”

Like most fears, they were unfounded when I was forced to do them. I have a balanced bank account, my bills get paid, I drive around Edmonton (and only sometimes get lost), and my son Ty who’s now 19…well he’s a stellar human. Kind, giving, loyal, and determined.

This morning I was thinking about how many things I avoid doing because I don’t want to be uncomfortable. That can be physically: stopping in a circuit because I’m feeling the beginnings of fatigue…or emotionally: not getting to know someone on a deeper level because my introverted nature begs for recharging isolation at times.

But what if I lived within discomfort often?

How would that change my level of fears?

What would I learn about myself and others?

So my goal this week (and as I move forward through this beautiful life) is to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. This will require courage of spirit and focus of the mind.

As soon as something feels uncomfortable ~ a workout, talking to a stranger, exploring new places, taking an unfamiliar route, sharing my opinion with those I know have an opposing view, getting to know others beyond the surface, not covering up silence with pointless noise, running a little longer or further, photographing something I don’t find beauty within but searching for it, completing tasks I put off, embracing the pain of trials, speaking up when my mind wants to retreat ~ I’m going to stay within that discomfort for a little while. As long as I stick with it a little longer than my mind/spirit/body wants to, then to me that’s success.

I already know how to do this to a degree within fitness…I have to forge through physical discomfort often; however, I want to take that one step further to push through my comfort zone daily in other areas of my life. Because comfort feeds complacency.  And that’s not the life I’m creating my friends.

How much of this one amazing life am I missing out on just because I want to be comfortable?

What opportunities am I missing?

What lessons am I keeping within simply because there’s vulnerability within sharing with others beyond the surface? And what lessons do others have to teach me too?

There’s so many questions…all of which have answers if I simply push myself out of my comfort zone.

Comfort zones

Will you take this challenge with me? Let’s get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Share your stories of discomfort and what you learned through it, I’d love to hear from you.

From my heart to yours,

Christine

 

Magic Hour

Published on by Christine4 Comments

These past few months, I have been patiently (and anxiously) “waiting” to feel myself…whole again…within the growing and rebuilding of my life.

As my dear friend Clint reminded me the other day: “I’m starting to think that the moments that are the most screwed up in life when we forget who we are…are the middle parts of letting our old selves go and embracing then new. Much like a snake skin. It’s a life of transition we all forget we need to go through.” Did I mention Clint is brilliant? 😉

It got me thinking about living with grace and patience within the “in-between” times of life. I have the power and the ability to view circumstances, events, and moments in this beautiful life with new eyes. I can actually transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Perhaps not even new eyes, but open eyes.

I see, but do I really SEE?

Every single day there is a sunrise and a sunset. I’ve missed seeing many of them as I knew there would be another one the next day. I have, at times, become numb to the extraordinary and have viewed it as ordinary.  But there’s magic there. That’s why in the photography world it’s called “Magic Hour”.  It’s that time of day when the sun dips down or up beyond the horizon and the world is lit up in the most magical way.

Shapes come alive…

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Silhouetted trees dance against amber skies…

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Clouds float along a vast canvas of pinks and blues…

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Morning dew sits delicately on soft leaves of green…

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You can actually see individual rays of the golden sun…

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Spider webs sparkle like tiny diamonds

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There’s beauty in the every day…

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And within nature’s remarkable: lunar eclipses, northern lights, and blood moons…

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Am I opening my eyes to all of the beauty around me? Are you?

Maybe there is magic within the transition.

The in between.

The breakdown.

The rebuilding.

The letting go.

The moving forward.

The average.

The scars.

The healing.

The right this second.

Eyes wide open.

It’s also why I love people. It’s fascinating the stories people have locked away in their hearts. Stories of wisdom, strength, unrelenting determination. Are we sharing those with others walking similar paths of struggle/victory? Are we hearing those who can teach us something if we simply stop talking and listen with intent? Move beyond the surface with those who cross your path in life. There’s a reason for it.

I hope you see life a little differently this morning. Slowing down at times does not equate to lazy.  It’s about honouring this very stage of life you are in right now and going one step further…celebrating it. Letting go of control and just be. We are all perfectly imperfect people who have grown into who we are today as a result of our ups and downs. Both are equally deserving of respect.

I want to encourage you today to open your eyes, ears and heart to things you may have missed by viewing them as ordinary. Oh no my friends…there is extraordinary in this very moment.

Have a magical day. From my heart to yours,

Christine

P.S. I am inspired to start picking up my camera again for personal projects. To be continued…

 

Time: Our Most Precious Commodity

Published on by Christine3 Comments

As I was journalling today, I got to thinking about the concept of Time.  The paradoxical truth of time’s vastness and it’s fleeting quality. We all have no idea how much time we will be gifted in life.

So what do you want to do with your time?

Who do you want to spend it with?

How much time is wasted or not treated with respect within your life?

I know you have goals, as do I…how much time are we willing to spend on a dream without action?

Right this moment, you are gifting me your time by reading this post. Thank you 🙂  With that said, I want to use your time wisely and perhaps get you thinking a little…

We have 24 hours in a day, much of our time is spent sleeping.  How will you use the rest to get the best out of this one precious life you’ve been given?

Quality over Quantity

There have been stages in my life when I was very good at managing my time and packed a whole lot of quality within it.  But then the momentum of mundane seeps in, and there’s a pull to avoid and procrastinate, putting too much importance on tomorrow. I’ve found much value in changing my perception. A wake up call for the mind, reminding myself that today is important. Right now is important. Get up off that couch and live. Do something outside of my comfort zone. Meet new people. Share even when it feels uncomfortable.

Create your own Fun

Let’s all agree, that there’s a lot of annoying in life.  Bills to be paid, lines to wait in, coughing waiting rooms to sit in, and bathrooms that don’t clean themselves.

I was out for lunch once with a friend, and there was a couple sitting beside us.  It was a beautiful, sit on a patio in the warm sun kinda day. Laughter floating on the breeze between friends who haven’t seen one another in awhile. Yet this couple…sat together in misery. Once the woman received her food, the order was wrong.  She said nothing to the waitress, but rather waited for a few minutes of angry eyes staring at this horrible wrongly placed food until she started muttering to her man. Oh the horror!  WRONG FOOD! THIS DAY IS THE WORST!  At that moment, I was struck by the absurdity of it all. That one wrong meal could affect someone so much…obviously not about the meal. I was thinking in my head, this couple was gifted with time together on a perfect day on a patio. How are they OK with living a life of disappointment, entitlement, anger? Life can be fun if you change your perception.

If your life doesn’t have some fun within it, create it! What do you like to do?  What brings joy into your heart?  Go do it! What are you waiting for?  Do you have people in your life who make you laugh and remind you not to take life so seriously? Go spend time with them!  Catch a comedy at the theatre. Go do something ridiculous like renting one of those scooter thingies in the mall, ride around with the self-created wind in your hair! ha!  Just have fun. Life doesn’t have to be so serious.

Your Perception is your Reality

If you’ve followed my blog, you will understand that this year has been a tough one for me personally; however, I remind myself often that I have the ability to choose my thoughts and perceptions.

No matter what adversity you are dealing with in your life, YOU have the power to control your thoughts and feelings surrounding it. This is where you will truly grow as a person, through the hardship and trials. It’s what forces us out of complacency.

I ask myself this question often through the bad days: how will I use this to grow as a person? How will I use the pain to my advantage? There is wisdom and answers within that pain. Just like through exercise, if you challenge your muscles…push through the uncomfortable…you will grow.

I hope you have a great day and use your time as the gift that it is.

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From my heart to yours,

Christine

 

Your Daily Uplifter!

Published on by Christine2 Comments

Good morning!  I know many of you found your way here from the Global News Interview I did last week. If you haven’t seen it, click HERE.

So welcome to my blog! I have journaled here for over 8 years as I’ve lived in the maintaining world.  There’s been many ups and downs, and writing has always been a very grounding and clarifying medium for me.

Right after the interview aired, I left for a week’s vacation. It turned out to be perfectly timed as it gave me time to sort through the feelings that sharing my story brought forward. I didn’t expect to feel all that I did. You see, as much as I’m quite open in talking about all that I’ve learned through shedding the weight, there’s also a thin veil of shame I feel within that too. I’m not exactly sure why as I’m so grateful for the connections made when two strangers find they have something in common which is deeply personal. So much of that is lost in this digital era; and it’s also not lost to me that I’m sharing this on a digital platform 😉

When Global contacted me to do the television interview, after sharing an online interview version the week before…

…My first feeling was “No! I can’t talk on camera. I can’t share something so personal to me with strangers.” I actually felt panicked at the thought.

And then I was hit with this one truth that I have strived to incorporate into my life for a decade. If you fear something deeply that you know will bring about positive change for another; you have to do it.

My dear friend Darina once told me you can actually convince yourself that fear is a form of excitement. So I decided I was excited to share, and of course I would share openly without walls.

I’m very thankful for the messages and connections made as a result. Simply hearing from one person who benefited from my truth as I lived within my self-inflicted prison makes it all worth it. This is about You, not me.

In the spirit of understanding that this maybe the very first post you read on this blog, Here’s what I want you to know this morning.

You are worthy of creating your perfect dream life; and that has nothing to do with the amount of money in your bank account. It’s within your power! Just think about that for a second…feel the freedom that comes as a result of understanding YOU are in control.  So who do you want to be? Who do you want to surround yourself within in this one precious life you’ve been gifted? Go and be it! Seek out connections; those people who uplift, support, inspire and motivate you.  Be that for them too.

You are stronger than you even realize! We can live an entire lifetime and never understand the true power and strength of the human body and spirit if we choose that. How sad would that be to never understand our true potential.  A waste really.  Would you want that for your children, or those you love most?  Treat yourself just as you treat those you love. And just watch how your life unfolds beautifully when you pour positivity and love into your heart.

Positive OUT, comes before Positive IN. It’s that law of attraction thingy…whatever you present and focus on, is exactly what will come back to you.  Find yourself surrounded by negativity? Be positive. Be the person you wish to see in others. Yup, you can control that too!  Energy is infectious.  You have the ability to change a person’s day just by uplifting them (which in turn uplifts you too). How ridiculously amazing is that?!

Don’t know where to start? Start small. Get up and go for a walk. Even if it’s around the block. Your body is designed to move. One tiny step in a positive direction will incite more tiny steps. Add one more positive change to your life every week…or every month even! Changing everything at once is not only overwhelming; but a prescription for failure because we need to give ourselves the respect of time to blend these changes which will translate into lifelong habits. Remember this is a lifestyle: an amazing style in which you will live for all of your fabulous life. Be gentle with yourself.

Never give up

Order this book…

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Order it HERE from Amazon, it will change your life (It’s not available in book stores). No other book has made more of a positive impact on my life. I have a Miracle Morning every day and I couldn’t imagine starting my day any other way now.

Reach out to others for support, create your supportive loving village.  I will support you! Add a comment, or send me a message.

I hope you have a ridiculously amazing day! I promise to blog more frequently.  I would love nothing more than to uplift your spirits in this small way.

From my heart to yours,

Christine