Standards

When you believe that you are doing your best, yet it feels as if you're not living up to the world standards..... You're probably not. You see, the world doesn't have standards, it is a place that offers life to live. Where water flows and food grows. It is a place for animals to roam. The word standard represents a rule or principle that is used as a basis for judgment created by the minds of humans. So, the next time your stomach clinches in pain or your head is about to explode from the stress of someone else's forced standards upon you....remember it's all bullshit.

Self Absorbed

Some people are so self absorbed they don't care about the well being of anyone else. The only thing they care about is if it will directly affect them. They feel hurt and pain, and call out the victim card. What makes someone great? Someone who sees past their own skin and embraces others. When we as humans get stuck in our own world, we only cause more suffering and abuse. That is where we choose to be. We may think "I didn't do this! How did I create this? I didn't ask for cancer, I didn't ask for financial struggle, or how did I ask to be abused by my parents or spouse????" It boils down to our thoughts, our way of thinking, not the outcome. I've caught myself saying "well, I knew that would happen." When something unpleasant occurs, what is your reaction? When someone mistreats you, do you respond with pure love or are there thoughts that want revenge and justice? Stepping outside of ourselves to understand why people select an unhealthy, negative emotion that will inflict hurt or create conflict is a start to evolving as the human race. Growth, it can be painful, yet it is necessary for change, for healing, and any form of success. There is so much more depth to someone's trained behavior. Digging deep, peeling off the layers (with compassion) to get to the root cause of another's hostility, bitterness, negativity, or physical pain is HOW we can be able to not only tolerate others with these issues, yet learn how to respond and be around them. The easy response would be to say "choose love." It is waaaaay more difficult than that, we must re-program our minds. We must become self aware to transition from self absorbency into selflessness. Reaching out to others, being compassionate and understanding....being the change we want to see in the world. There are 1000's of steps to do this, but for right now I need to finish making these homemade pancakes for the kiddos. Another blog or book for another day....

Snapchat....

As a mother of 4 at 40 years old, people tend to ask me what I eat and do to stay fit and healthy. I use my Snapchat account to show my daily intake of food, some moments at the gym and of course how to LOVE life! Silly moments are captured, pertaining to my humor or what nots, so if you want the scoop of how this momma does life.....snap me. Hapi Balance or yogakara, I seem to have forgotten my username at this moment. Cheers!

Priceless moments

My daughter turned 10 a few weeks ago, she wanted to sing karaoke, so she did. In front of a huge room full of people, she stood on that stage alone and put all her heart into the song "Bet on it" from High School Musical. That moment, I never want to forget, when the passion in her voice had the whole room hanging on her every word and then cheering so loud at the crescendo part. She was more than brave, she was a professional bad-ass. I was in awe of her follow through, it was as if fear no longer lived in her.

FOOD

I love food, never can get enough! That is why eating every 2 hours and getting enough doses of protein, fiber, carbs, etc. to spur that metabolism is super easy for me. It's what I do, what I've always done. As a personal trainer, licensed massage therapist, 500 hour yoga teacher, and basically focusing on a healthy lifestyle over the past 20 years is a part of who I am. Food, to me, is like medicine for our bodies on so many levels....physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, financially(yes, even in that department), and spiritually. People usually want an easy fix when it comes to anything in life, yet the truth is- there is no easy fix, just work. We work toward goals and then comes the maintenance. Maintaining what we achieved, just ask the athletes that worked so hard to become a part of the Olympics. Cars need maintenance, houses need it, our bodies need it. Connecting the dots to get there is key. It isn't just about the physical, there is more, the surface is just the beginning. We must dig deep if we want to have lasting and lifetime results of what ever goals we may be hosting within us. I can help with that. I seem to have this unique gift of helping people discover their goals and finding solutions to make them happen, as well as motivating them to do more than they ever thought possible. It's part of being a teacher, we bring out the best in our students.....allowing the student to far surpass the teacher. It has never been about the self being the best at everything, it has always been about how can we share the gift we have been given to see an explosion of excellence that travels beyond the self, the family, the community, and into the world. How is that for food for thought?

What I'm learning...

Do you know that YOU have enough love in your heart to heal the world. We all have the capability to become another Mother Teresa or Hitler. The choice lies within, continue to create your world. Love yourself, be the change you want to see.

How can it be?

You love me, how can this be? I am so amazed, I am so in love. I am yours. All along you were there, all along you carried me. You equip me to stand on my feet and not be tossed to the left or the right. I stand my ground where hope can be found. Thank you for making it right, for giving me life. Such deep love and beyond this cry you hold me steady. Strength has been constructed within me once and for all. I am letting you be, as I lay it down. As you never give up on me, be lifted higher.

Honesty

Honesty, that is all I know. I am completely human and searching for what excites me the most. Yesterday, I discovered something. When I pulled up to a gas station to hobble (sprained both my ankles) out of my car to pump gas I saw someone I knew. I asked them how they were and they pointed to their car mentioning how their wife had an accident and gave the car a new look. I said "That's not good, but it is just a car. Worse things happen and a car is just temporary." It really helped me put things into perspective, how blessed we really are. Sure, I could be crying(already did yesterday morning) over not being able to walk, work out, and be in constant pain. I could be complaining(already did yesterday) over how my yard looks like a jungle, my new broken lawn mower, and not working for a few days. I'm totally fine with my car making new noises when I just spent over a thousand dollars to fix it, as my computer crashed, and my phone decided to quit on me.....leaving me with no communication for days because I made the healthiest decision to temporarily cut social media out of my life for 30 days. These are just a few issues I've been facing in the physical realm, I won't drag you into the drama of my personal life...saving that juice for the book. It amazes me how much I love people, how much I want to help others, solve problems, and see lives improved, yet sometimes we must figure out that we individually need to work on ourselves. God has funny ways of pointing that out as well, hence the sprained ankles and non-communication. I have had to ASK others to help me. Some not hapi about it and others that don't mind. Its so humbling to be in a state where you can't do anything on your own. I don't like how I'm learning ALL my weaknesses, ego, and where I have placed my value. The negative thoughts like: "I'm not good enough", "failure", "I'll never amount to anything", manifest from a much deeper place. This is a painful place to be but, I am growing and growth is not easy, just watch a lotus flower stem up through the mud and mire. Sometimes we have to search much deeper within rather than the way things appear. I long to make things easier for others, yet must I continue to suffer or shall I choose the path of joy and take time out to heal(addressing the underlying wounds that eventually cause more damage than good).....just like my ankles that require Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. RICE is for everyone: mentally, spiritually, emotionally, physically, and financially. That is another blog for another day! It all boils down to this- Healing brings growth, growth brings restoration, restoration brings health, and health offers a place where we can live in joy. Ever notice how health host the word heal? Take time to heal, so that you can be the best and strongest version of yourself possible. Asking for help along the way is a GOOD thing(I keep telling myself this).