As a teen, my relationship with my body was not so great. Despite being active and on my feet, I was never slim in my opinion.
As you may remember, this relationship with my body started in 6th grade (see that blog here). It is only natural that I wished my body looked like that of my peers. I hated my thigh size the most.
I was a size large when most of my age group was a size small or a medium. Adding spandex to the mix did not leave me feeling the best when it came to dressing for performances in school.
I allowed this frustration to lead me down the path of dieting and trying to “spot correct” my body. You know those thighmaster tools you used to see on info-mercials? Yea...I had one!
The positive in all of this frustration is that it did lead me to taking action. I tried and failed and kept at it.
While it did take me a lot of time to stumble, fall, and get back up, I kept redirecting. Including figuring out that I had PCOS was key in realizing that unlike most of my peers, this journey to feel good in my body was not going to be so simple.
I was going to have to change some of my perspectives as well as give myself some grace. In my youth, giving myself grace was not easy. Especially when I was comparing myself to others.
Having my PCOS diagnosis led me to a rabbit hole of figuring out what would work best for me. I was able to put myself on a fair playing ground. One that is much more complex than I first realized, but it helped being in a group of women that were more like myself.
As you go on a similar path, you will gather resources, people, and opportunities. Two mistakes many people make is we go for the “quick and easy but short term” result or we keep building up the pile of resources because we want it to be a perfect journey.
Imperfect, over time, action is necessary to utilize frustration and resentment to your benefit! Your journey will neither be perfect or quick and easy...real changes rarely are.
To create this action, we are naturally directed to utilize a tool called SMART. If you are not familiar it refers to Specific, Measurable, Accountable, Realistic, and Timely.
If I am real honest, the acronym makes me want to roll my eyes. For one, it does not always work. For two, it is so overused. For three, sometimes we do not always utilize it in a way that is most beneficial.
These loopholes and challenges can make you wonder why people set things up in this structure in the first place. Making lifestyle changes is not so ridge. So in this video, I run you through some tips and tricks to allow this format to be of service instead of frustration for you.
As you can see, making changes for a lifetime is more of a journey instead of a boxed acronym. Sometimes we forget these tools are guidelines instead of a strict method.
What we set to achieve does not have to be set in stone, but does require some inspiration, support, grace, and motivation. That is what gets us through the hard times. This is what gets us back up, opens the door to pivots and adjustments.
If reading this resonates with you and you would like to speed up your learning curve on thriving in your health, come join us in the Thriving with PCOS community. We have trainings in the guide section that will help you take action in determining which lifestyle adjustments will serve you best.
Though no matter what you decided about joining us, I wish you all a healing journey well traveled.
Terra
No I am not talking about how a counselor or psychiatrist would handle life...so get that out of your head. What I am talking about is how a Physical Therapist, Occupational Therapist, or an Athletic Trainer would handle an injury.
It is similar to life in a way. Trust me as a practicing Athletic Trainer for almost 20 years, injuries are a lot like life. I have always wondered why more of the medical community does not seem to take the time to function more like this model.
For every ACL (a ligament in the knee) that is torn, it is like running a specific play in football. You make sure the team is executing all the pieces together to make sure the play works and to have a positive outcome. For an ACL surgery that is anywhere between 6 to 12 months.
Though it is not as easy as just saying you are all better in 6 to 12 months. There is work involved. That work comes in stages. Each stage has specific steps of action to take.
Maybe you are following this and maybe you are not, so I will just let the elephant out...goal setting!
As I progress a patient (athlete or non-athlete) through rehab, there are certain things I need to help the patient work towards. Our action steps are based on our goals. Also our goals are based on where we are at in the process of things. I cannot have someone running at two-weeks post surgery because of tissue healing. That would be like asking someone who just started eating better for two weeks to lose 20 pounds….though I believe many of us would love it if we could reduce our weight that quickly.
So what does goal setting look like?
Here is a video to help you out with that:
While we set our goals a bit differently when it comes to the game of life versus injuries, sometimes we look for the quick fix. That magic that will jump us ahead of the game.
I hate to pull this out on you, slow and steady wins the race. Or if you need a sports reference, the long game wins out.
Sometimes I think we would like to forget this. It is easy to do so in this day in age. Everything is at our fingertips. Life with instant access. Our food is fast, our TV now on demand, quick text messages, seeing friends from the comfort of our phone screens.
Though if you are really choosing to make a massive impact in your life and the lives of others, goal setting, action steps...they get you there. The journey is not instant or even 5 star/instaperfect. Though the destination is worth it all!
If this message resonated with you on some level and you need help figuring out where in life you need to address some changes and goal setting, go take this quiz. It will help you figure out what areas of your life where you feel the most out of whack.
Looking forward to seeing you reach your destination!
Terra
I talk about living a life of balance, when in fact, my life was not in this place either. I believed in this so much that I even went through great links to become a certified coach to help others.
I finally did it and I did it scared. I ripped off the security blanket that was keeping me safe but unbalanced nonetheless. No wonder my hormones were always unbalanced in a major way. Which is not good for someone working so hard to balance them.
I really thought if I worked on balancing all but one area, I would be alright. Though it was bringing on resentment and frustration for me.
What I did not realize is that to change my life (and my health) I really needed to change my life. If my goal was to inspire others to live a life that fulfilled them, I needed to do the same thing. Inspire by living what you teach.
So how was this done? By dreaming again. Breaking down my dreams into goals. Creating action that makes my goals happen and gets me closer to making that dream a reality.
Does that sound like a fairytale?
I am sure it does, but it does not have to be!
One place to start is to look at it from the view of priorities. We have so many of them. I talk more about priorities and how to simplify them here in this video:
For me, this was the part I was getting conflicted on. I had so many priorities, and I was showing up poorly.
I was resenting my day job because the schedule was ever changing. I resented being a mom (which I wanted to be all of my life) because I needed to make sure he was cared for while I was at work. I never felt like I was doing anything well.
When life gave us a new opportunity, I began doing the normal job search in the traditional setting for my profession.
It was a video that talked about giving up good for great that helped me realize that it was time. Time to work through my fear of losing security.
I came up with the action steps to see if we could live a secure life without throwing life back off balance. We discussed it as a family, it appeared to look like we could pull this off.
I made the steps so clear and created accountability around them, that when I was presented with an opportunity in a non-traditional setting for my profession, I cried. I felt conflicted again.
Luckily, my accountability sources reminded me we would be okay and gave me the blessing I needed from an outside source to create the life of balance I always dreamt of.
If I would have had goals with no clear actions, I would have been on a random road. Nothing to aim for. I would have taken that job. I would have returned to the resentment, it just would have looked different.
So I encourage you, if you are unhappy with where you are at, take a moment to dream. See where that leads you.
It is time to dream again and start living life by your design!
When you are ready to turn those dreams into action, there is a framework out there to help you get there. It comes with an amazing community and support from me and many others.
Looking forward to seeing live by your design,
Terra
By almost every measure, 2020 was not a whole lot of fun.
Aside from the need to plan ahead and be careful, we had to master weird new buzzwords like “social distancing” and “flatten the curve.” Plus, there was an underlying apprehension that simply did not go away.
If fun was on your agenda in 2020, but it got derailed, you can still make plans to inject fun into your life in 2021. For instance:
• If you are working at home, create a fun reward for meeting project deadlines like going for a walk or playing Words With Friends.
• Research new kinds of safe weekend getaways like a cool Airbnb rental at the beach
• Sign up for an online class and study a subject you have always wanted to learn
• Start that travel fund toward a month in Bali for when the world opens up safely again
Fun is a necessary part of life.
In fact, it is one of “The 7 F’s of Oola” that I used to commonly skip out on.
I would put other things above having fun.
Going through a 10 week coaching based on the Oola book series on finding balance in an unbalanced world, helped me to realize how out of balance my fun was.
If you are like me and seeking to find more balance in your unbalanced world, then grab my guide to help you determine if one of Oola’s coaching options is a good fit for you.
If recent events have caused you to re-think your lifestyle, your finances, your health, your relationships and your future, you have a unique opportunity to make 2021 better than the year we have just been through.
Are you ready to have fun again in 2021 while reaching for growth in the major areas of your life?
Go out and create moments of fun.
XO,
Terra
“Choose Happiness”...when I used to see that phrase in my former life, my reaction was so much different than what it is today!
I am curious, does happiness feel like a choice to you? In today’s day and age, it may not always feel that way.
For some, happiness is a mask they wear to hide behind. Some believe happiness is a fake concept. Others...well...they are really just that happy.
It is such an old fashioned concept, happiness. It seems like it is so rarely discussed anymore.
The news media does not talk about it. Most work environments talk about anything but happiness.
Happiness has become a vague notion anyways...what does it really mean?
Here is what I know for sure...happiness is not something you find or that other people give you. Instead, it is something that you choose on your own.
Making small changes like being grateful...this creates the shift in your outlook.
You can wake up everyday and live your life, or you can wake up everyday and let life happen to you. Whether you drive the bus or ride the bus (like in the book The Energy Bus) it is always your choice.
I have chosen gratitude, and it has helped give me a new perspective on life today...as well as the future. The first place I started to grow in more gratitude...write it down!
More about that here in this video
Putting this into practice helped me change my focus. Instead of seeing all of the bad, I started to see so much more of the good in my life. That good, even the small stuff was huge in my daily outlook of life.
I am now content with what I have, while also reaching for growth.
Being balanced and growing...that is real happiness to me!
Do you like the concept of having more happiness and balance in your life? Oola coaching has been an epic tool to help me get there. It is an ever growing journey that I could not be more grateful for!
If you are walking in a life of fear, resentment, and anger like I was, let’s see if this is a good fit for you. The best place is to start with this guide on Oola. Then let’s chat.
As always, life is about choices and what works best for you. So it is up to you what your next steps are.
Choose Happiness,
Terra
