​If you truly want to take your life to the next level, you must take the time to put in front of you a vision board, or, as I like to refer to it, a manifestation map, where you see the life you want to live in front of you every day.

    Jack Canfield, author of Chicken Soup for the Soul, says that, “Creating a vision board is probably one of the most valuable visualization tools available to you”.

    Tony Robbins has always said when talking about the importance of moving toward your goals and dreams that, “if you aren’t growing, you are dying”.

    By paying attention to your dreams and desires and taking time to put them into concrete aspirations and something you can envision each and every day, you are taking a huge step in committing to growing into the person you want to become, living the exact life you want to live.  

    Napoleon Hill, author of one of the most popular personal development books of all time, Think and Grow Rich, said “Man, alone, has the power to transform his thoughts into physical reality; man, alone, can dream and make his dreams come true”.
    A vision board is a concrete representation of your desires and dreams for the life that you envision living.  They are fun to create and also serve as a very valuable tool to motivate and inspire you towards concrete daily action.

    Here are a few simple steps to help you create a vision board today:

    1.    Get Crystal Clear on your Biggest Goals
        Take a few minutes to write down your biggest and most important goals for all areas of your life...We, of course, focus on the Big Rocks, - wealth, relationships, spiritual, health and travel
    2.    Gather Inspiration for Your Vision Board
    Look through magazines and tear out images, find inspirational quotes and words, - what does your ideal life look like? What kind of house would you live in, where would you travel to, what kind of car would you drive, where would you work or what would you ideally be doing, etc. 
    3.    Put Your Vision Board Together
    We like to use large poster boards, glue, and lots of different colors, markers, etc.  Find a place to hang it where you will see it every day, ideally, first thing in the morning and right before you go to bed.


    Using a Vision Board to Manifest your Dreams:

1.  Look at it daily
2. Notice when you make progress toward your dreams...Keep a vision journal where you write down your thoughts and make note of any signs that you are moving closer to your dreams
3. Celebrate the successes  

    Every step along the way that gets you closer to your goal is a success.  Celebrate every achievement. The more you celebrate your successes, big and small, the more progress you will begin to see in pursuit of your vision and the more motivated you will be to NOT QUIT!!

    REMEMBER...YOU ONLY HAVE ONE, SO ROCK THIS LIFE NOW!!!!

Yes, it makes sense that you feel insecure when you are met with an opportunity to grow. It can be tough to identify what this fear actually is and whether it’s hindering your ability to take action or not. You can experience what Tony Robbins calls “directive fear” which helps you reach your goals or it can be intuition telling you to run the other way.
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A great way to tell the difference is if you sit down and really analyze your feelings. Picture yourself after you make the decision. Are you excited? Empowered? Happy? This is directive fear. Do you feel a sense of dread or limitation? This is likely your intuition warning you not to proceed.

Before any major decision in your life, make sure you pause and understand your feelings. Make sure you notice the first things that your mind and body blurt out. It might surprise you! You can read the original article here. 

“The comfort zone is one of the greatest enemies of human potential.  When people get into a comfort zone, they strive to stay in that comfort zone...you need the courage to continually move yourself in the direction of your biggest goals and ambitions.  You need to be willing to face discomfort in order for you to grow”

Brian Tracy

    The race is not always won by the fastest runner.  Often, a day is not always conquered by the one who has the most skill, the most smarts,  the most talent or the most money. The person who tries to live each day to its potential is the one who does not give up, the one who is not afraid of hard work, the one who doesn’t let setbacks stop momentum.

    Most people want the rewards of hard work, BUT very few are willing to put it the effort that is necessary.

    I believe in becoming your best in whatever it is you do.  As Christians, we are taught to do life in word and action to the Glory of God.  Working hard at being your best, making the most out of whatever God has given or called you to do, is a way to thank God for the day that has been given to you.

    Growth can be painful and it does mean that you have to get out of your comfort zone.  It means being inconvenienced, but if you are not growing then you are not changing. And, if you do not change, you stay STUCK!

    Striving for something and living a life of significance, does not always feel good.  It often hurts, it is uncomfortable, and sometimes it is downright painful. You have to do hard things to get where you want to go.  Sometimes it is simply just about getting uncomfortable to do what is right or what matters.

    There are areas in most of our lives where we can always do better, or improve in some way.  It’s going to require us to dig deep, embrace the SUCK and work hard. We may not be able to change our circumstances, but we can learn and grow and develop our character from our experiences.  We do not have to give up after failure, - we can be determined to find a way to make something work. It is up to us...the key word here is WORK!!! Put in the work and there will be no regrets...

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How often do we allow fear of the “what-if’s” to keep us from our destiny, or from simply trying?  Why do we imagine the worst-case scenarios and let them play out in our heads? And why do so many of us allow these fears to keep us from reaching for something or from following a desire that has been put on our hearts?  What if instead of thinking about all the “what-if’s” in a negative way, we use them to imagine all the positives?

    *What if i make it?
    *What if I find that special someone?
    *What if I actually do succeed?
    *What if this open door leads to somewhere amazing?
    *What if my idea actually works?
    *What if I truly can make a difference?

    Think about your life...Do you give yourself a chance for your greatest potential to shine through?  Or is the battle lost before it is even fought? Instead of letting the negative “what-if’s” to paralyze you, choose to allow the positive “what-if’s” to give you hope for the future.  You simply have to flip the script.

    In whatever situation you are in, what can you do right now to begin to believe that you can overcome in the midst of fear instead of doubting yourself and your ability or giving up?

    REMEMBER...you only have one...so ROCK THIS LIFE NOW!

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These days, with social media exploding more and more, people are much more “vocal” with their comments on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.  So many people love to tear others down and can be very cruel and mean, and others can be very empowering with their comments, and all of these do nothing but play into our ego.  We just place WAY too much weight in other peoples’ opinions and other peoples’ opinions ARE NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!!

    These moments are the character building moments, the ones where we have to pick empathy and grace and remind ourselves that it is much more important to be kind than to be popular and about how to tell the difference from those people who are truly your “tribe” , and those who will only tear you down.

    These are hard lessons for a kid for sure, but if we are being honest, they are hard lessons for us as adults too.  “Mean” people exist at every age in every social setting we encounter, whether it be people at work, people at church, or people at your kids school or your neighbors.  

    WE have all experienced it and it hurts...ALOT!! Finding our tribe is not always so easy.  So what do we do? How do we guard our hearts without becoming jaded?

    There are a few things that I remind others of, and things I have to remind myself sometimes too.  They might just help you, or your kids, as well:

    1.    ALWAYS BE KIND
        It is always easy to assume the worst about others, especially when we are feeling hurt or vulnerable.  But the truth is that most people are struggling with something, even if we cannot see it. A little kindness goes a long, long way.  My husband always says, “You should always assume positive intent”.

    2.    ALWAYS SHOW GRACE
        When others hurt us or let us down, often the last thing we feel like doing is “turning the other cheek”, like the Bible teaches us to do.  Just remember that undeserved grace is a powerful healer, not only for the person receiving it, but also for the person giving it too.

    3.    STAND UP FOR WHAT”S RIGHT/FIGHT FOR THE UNDERDOG
        Watch for the person who is being left out or mistreated, or simply is feeling insecure or inferior.  Be the one who stands up for what’s right, even when no one else will. When you watch out for others, you take your eyes off yourself and forget to worry about being hurt.

    4.    FIND YOUR TRIBE
        Actively seek out people that make you the best version of you.  Find the people who encourage you and lift you up, who challenge and push you to be better, and cheer you on.  Those are the kind of people you need in your life, not the ones who only tear others down.  

    Remember, we do not have to let the “haters” win!!  Our challenge for you this week is to beat them at their own game.  Actively choose to be kind over being petty, and choose grace over bitterness.  Be brave enough to stand up for the underdog instead of going with the crowd. And then, find and identify your tribe.  Seek out those who will lift you up and make you better. Be the friend you always wanted and you might just be amazed at the results!!

    Live with purpose and remember,  you only have one, so ROCK THIS LIFE NOW!!!!

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Boosting your metabolism first thing in the morning has so many benefits...it can help elevate your mood, improve the rest of the day by maximizing fat loss, clearing out toxins from the body and improving blood circulation.  It increases natural immunity, giving you more energy and keeps you looking, and feeling, young.

    It is critical to understand the WHY behind why your metabolism does what it does.  Your metabolism is largely controlled by your thyroid, the butterfly shaped gland located in your throat, which literally is responsible for everything functioning correctly, and your body’s major fat buring “machinery” is muscle tissue.

    Muscle is like a reservoir, a center for anti-aging hormones, and this is why people who tend to have more lean muscle on their frame, tend to age better.  They also seem to recover and come back from injury faster as well. It acts as your body’s fat burning machinery because you burn a lot more calories just having it on your frame.  

    One of the biggest benefits of exercise is the EPOC, otherwise known as exercise post oxygen consumption.  This means that you burn more calories throughout the day by exercising in the morning. This does not mean you cannot exercise in the afternoon or after work, and it will not be beneficial, but just a little in the morning to get your metabolism revved up goes a long way.



    Early morning exercise ideas (depending on time)
        *An hour - hit the gym, lift weights, do cardio
        *30-45 min - yoga, quick run, jump rope 
        *4 min Tabata workout:  examples:
            *burpees
            *body weight squats
        *jump rope
        *rebounding on trampoline

    A mini-tramp or jump board on a pilates reformer is phenomenal because not only is it low impact, but your cells are getting an impact that is significantly heavier than just walking around.

    You are essentially “weightless” for a moment and it is making your cells - all the cells in your body and tissue matrix - doing little “push ups” and it is amazingly beneficial for your lymphatic system as well.  (Tony Robbins does this before he takes the stage...he calls it the Health Bounce). The best thing about this kind of “jumping” or plyometric type exercise, is that it isn’t felt in your joints, it does not hurt your knees or back, it is fun and it is an awesome way to get a high intensity workout that is totally low impact!

    There really is no excuse to not get a couple 4 minute bursts in! 
Just do it...remember, you only have one, so ROCK THIS LIFE NOW!!

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The opposite of perseverance is procrastination.  Perseverance means the you NEVER quit! Procrastination usually means that you do not get started, although the inability to follow through and finish something is also a form of procrastination. 

    If you ask people why they procrastinate they’ll say “I am a perfectionist, I have to be in the right mood, I cannot work when I have a headache”, etc..  The other end of procrastination - not being able to finish - also has a perfectionist explanation: “I’m my worst critic, I am never satisfied”, etc.

    Do you see the problem with this thinking? A fault is being turned into a virtue.  The perfectionist is saying that their standards are just too high for this world. This is a relatively “high and mighty” kind of excuse making.  The basis of perfectionism is actually fear of failure.  Being paralyzed by fear, whether it be never starting or never finishing.  You are still stuck. You are still going nowhere and not moving forward. You are still overwhelmed by what is in front of you.  You are still allowing yourself to be dominated by a negative vision of the future, where you see yourself as being laughed at, criticized or judged.

    You beat procrastination by using two very powerful principles that foster productivity and perseverance, instead of procrastination.  No matter what you are trying to accomplish, the key is your ability to break down the task into manageable pieces, whether it is painting a room in your house, writing a book or designing your website for your new business.  Focus on accomplishing what is right in front of you. When people start to look too far out in front of them, many automatically go into a negative mode.

    Discipline yourself to look neither forward or backward and you can do things you never thought possible,  It all begins with three simple words- BREAK IT DOWN!!...WRITE IT DOWN.

    The writing you do for beating procrastination is similar to goal setting.  

    Instead of focusing on the future, you will be writing about the present just as you experience each and every day.  You are going to describe what you actually do with your time and you are going to record all of the places you actually go.

    The great thing about a “time diary” is that it brings all the detours, distractions and time wasters you engage in during your day to light.  It forces you to see what you are doing and what you are NOT doing! Make an entry in your time diary every 30 minutes or so and do it for at least one to two weeks.

    Break it down! Write it down! These are very powerful and effective productivity techniques.

    This is how you BEAT procrastination! This is how you GET STARTED!! 

    Remember, you only have one, so ROCK THIS LIFE NOW!!

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