Soon, you'll see me soaring!

What kind of title is that?  "Soon you'll see me soaring"?  Debi, maybe you need a little more sleep, girl...

Have you ever read and connected with an inspirational quote and had it take hold of you?  I often read things that really get me thinking, even if only for a little while.  I do read a lot of personal development books and I'm always underlining something that speaks to me.  I'll share more on that another time.

Back in January & February - as some of you already know, I call that time "the trenches" - I read a quote that another Beachbody coach had posted on his Facebook status.  At the time it not only spoke to me, but rather it slammed right into me.  It affected me so much that I copied it - hung it on my bedroom mirror, laminated one for in my car, printed it on the back of my business card and put it in my wallet, and taped it to my laptop - pretty much, I was seeing that quote all over the place.  Although it took some time before it to  sink in and really take hold of my thoughts & emotions, I still kept it in mind.

"When you find yourself in a downward spiral, you must first focus your energies on stopping that which is creating the fall.  Once you do this, your focus to soar will take on much needed wind."

Wow.  Those were some pretty powerful words to me.  I have blogged about it before, but during those months, I was in a downward spiral.  I felt like it was choking the life out of me.  I felt overwhelmed, frustrated, depressed and helpless.  I had no idea how I had gotten to where I was - and worse yet, I did not know how to climb out.  It was as if I was standing at the bottom of a deep black hole, looking up at the light, but I had no foot hold, no rope to climb.  It was when friends - even people I barely knew - starting holding out their hands to me, supporting me, embracing me with their care & concern...that I found those little niches that helped me to start the upward climb.  Of course, therapy has helped me tremendously as well.

Without going into too much detail and writing a novel about what I was going through, it took a few months for me to accept and embrace the first part of that quote.  I had been in that downward spiral.  I started focusing my energies on that which was creating my fall:  My emotions, my insecurity, my low self esteem and poor self image.  I had to stop placing blame, and turn inward.  Unfortunately, that focus changed some friendships & relationships, but sometimes that's part of the journey, whether good or bad.

Now that I can (almost) confidently say that I am no longer falling, and in fact, I am starting to feel that wind that will allow me to soar - I am in much better place.  I have created and redefined some friendships, I have surrounded myself with people who continue to lift me.  I love myself more now than I have in a very long time.  I still have my days, we all do.  But I now have the drive, the desire and the passion to do what I love - and I absolutely believe that what I experienced early this year was necessary to get to me where I am now.  I am grateful that I can embrace the person I am meant to be.  I WILL SOAR.

June 24 ~ Beachbody Summit (Part 1)

Eek!  It's been three weeks since my last blog post.  This past weekend, Josh & I packed up, left the little ones at home with his mom & grandmother...and we headed to L.A.  First, let me say that I have not been away from my girls for 4 nights - ever.  It was a much needed break to recoup and regenerate.

I'll post more about my Summit experience soon (after all, this is part 1).  I wanted my first Summit post to convey how grateful I am to be a part of this incredible company...this tight knit family of like-minded individuals.

At the airports in Baltimore, Denver & Los Angeles, I saw so many coaches.  You can spot us a mile away with our P90X shirts, hats, etc.  I went right up to them, introduced myself and struck up conversations...never once feeling awkward about it.  As soon as we got to the hotel, I knew this was going to be a fantastic weekend.  Entering the lobby, I feel this buzz...a palpable excitement.  From there - I felt like I was completely in my element.  I felt secure, confident, elated.  I said hello to everyone - and everyone said hello back.  It's hard to explain the feeling like we just all know each other, like we're family reunited.  I have never felt anything like this from a group of people before - much less from people I have worked with in the past.

It goes beyond that though...beyond the pictures, the conversations, the laughing and enthusiasm.  There's the constant inspiration and motivation...the support.  Sitting in the audience, listening to these coaches who have changed their lives in ways I cannot even begin to fathom - tears in my eyes, heart swelling and sometimes breaking - it left me feeling awed.  Coaches who lost 50, 75, 100 - and nearly 200 pounds, what Shakeology has done to improve their health, how Beachbody's workout programs have transformed them inside and out, and how they are paying to forward by helping to change the lives of countless people who have reached out for help, for compassion, for support...it not only affected me, but Josh as well.  To hear his perspective, it confirmed that I am where I need to be.  This is what I need to be doing. 

What really hit home for me though, was listening to Carl Daikeler, Jonathan Congdon, Brett Blake, Jeff Hill and Michael Niemand talking about Beachbody - their vision and goals for this year and going forward.  You see, I know that there are people who are skeptical of this coaching business.  They see it as the proverbial "pyramid scheme", a way for coaches to make commissions by selling workout programs to people.  But that's not what this is about.  It WAY beyond any of that.  It's about making a positive impact on the future of our country - our children.

Carl's vision to End The Trend of obesity in our country is nothing short of incredible.  Did you know that for the first time in history, our children's life expectancies are lower than our own?  How scary is that?  It breaks my heart.  Every year we are spending billions upon billions of dollars on health care - specifically on ailments that are related to poor health, which can be avoided and redirected if we were all healthier, overall.  If we got up and moved more...if we chose to eat more wholesome, fresh foods.  If we spent more time preparing these foods with our children and showing them that eating healthy can be fun and taste good.  Carl sees us Beachbody Coaches as a united front - an immense group of people working together to support our communities and help them to get healthier via at home workout programs, nutritional supplements like Shakeology and community fit clubs where large groups of people convene to workout together and cheer each other on as they embrace a more fit and active lifestyle.

Carl's unwavering goals for our company and his conviction that we WILL do this...it makes me wish that everyone could experience the depth of his vision.  Please don't mistake this as me preaching.  We all know I have struggled time and time again with my nutritional habits, emotional & binge eating, weight gain & loss.  All we can do is our best (and forget the rest).  Any steps we take towards a more active and healthier lifestyle, that's something.  We're making a difference.  We're setting an example - and we're showing that while it's not easy, it's necessary.

This experience solidified that I am doing exactly what I should be doing, as a Beachbody coach.  I know, without a doubt, that I have supported, inspired & motivated people.  I have helped changed lives...and I will continue to do so - as a Beachbody Coach, a TurboKick Instructor, and a Health Coach - and whatever else is in store for me in my journey to "change lives across this great country of ours".