Healthy Snack Roundup

Who doesn’t love a good snack? It’s not quite time for a meal yet, but you’re feeling a little hungry, or you are sitting down to a good movie or to get some work done and you just want something to munch – am I right?

But snacks are ALWAYS where I find myself falling off track with my nutrition. I over do it, I choose something unhealthy, I ruin my appetite for my next meal and I feel discouraged that an otherwise healthy day has now been ruined by the potato chip bag, or candy bar.

So, here are some of my all time favorite snacks, they take very little (if any) time to prepare and when I have the ready in my fridge or pantry I can snack to my hearts content, knowing that I am staying on track with my nutrition and fueling my body for everything I have going on in a day!

• Bell Peppers with Tuna
• Baby Carrots with Hummus
• Bananas with Peanut Butter and Walnuts
• Homemade Granola with Yogurt
• Apples with Cheddar Cheese
• Air-popped Popcorn
• Almonds with Dark Chocolate
• Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas
• No Bake Energy Bites

Princesses Have Always Been the Heroes

I am currently reading The Little Princess to my kids. It’s a classic children’s story about a little girl, Sara Crewe, who was once very rich and spoiled but kind-hearted. When her parents die, she becomes orphaned and all her nice things are stripped away and she becomes a mis-treated slave. Through it all, she determines to be a princess. She determines to be kind, keep a cheerful spirit and believe in her own self-worth, even though the entire world is telling her she is a worthless nobody.

I began to wonder if this was an accurate description of a princess, and I think it is. Most of the princesses I can remember from childhood had difficult things happen to them: Cinderella, Snow White, Ariel, Tiana, Rapunzel and the rest all had some sort of tragedy in their life. Whether it was an evil step mother, oppressive father, death of a parent or kidnapping and imprisonment they all had difficult situations in their life and they ALL faced those difficulties with optimism, kindness and hard work.

They all faced their tragedy with a song and dance while they worked. daring to dream of a better life and were always kind to animals (the helpless). I think Sarah Crewe is on to something, kindness and optimism in the face of tragedy is a very Princess-like trait.

In recent Disney princess films, some have taken issue with the fact that the prince is no longer the savior or the hero and now the princess saves herself. In fairness, others have said for years that it is sexist to always have the prince (man) be the savior and the hero.

I would propose that even though it may seem that the man jumps in at the end and “saves the day” the princess is (and always has been) the true hero.

Women fight differently than men, but that doesn’t make our power any less, just different. The man may waltz in at the last moment and sweep her off her feet and slay the dragon, or plant the kiss, but the princess has been fighting evil from the moment the opening credits began.

Princesses (and women) are uniquely empowered to see the good and beauty in people, to have compassion and to give love. Princesses fight every single moment of the film to remain positive, kind and generous. They do not allow themselves to be poisoned by the evil in their lives. They do not allow bitterness to uglify their hearts. They do not become a victim who demands pity. No – they fight to remain positive, pursue their dreams no matter what and pass kindness on to others.

We as women have always had the power to be the hero! And no, we don’t have to become a man to do it, we are heroes just as we are – we can be heros while sweeping up a mess or baking a cake. I reject both the idea that women are completely helpless and need a man along with the idea that women have to become the man and slay the dragon themselves to have value. I believe that women are unique from men, but our love and resilience, creativity and warm smiles are our GREATEST power.

If you are a mom, wondering if you are doing much with your life *just* loving on your kids – you are.
If you are a teacher or a coach or a CEO or an assistant to someone and you are wondering if you are doing much with your life *just* loving on people, supporting them, seeing the good in them and being kind to others – you are.

You are a hero – always have been….it’s just time someone recognized it.

My Workout Plan for September

Did you know I make a plan for each month? Ya, my health is important to me so I actually plan it out! I want to challenge my body, I want to feel REALLY good every day because when I feel good it shows! I have more energy to give to my family, my friends, my business and setting goals has been scientifically proven to increase happiness!! We were made to strive toward something – to feel the thrill of making progress.

If making a plan for each month seems like too much work for you – have no fear! You can totally use mine! I have two options for you:

#1) Sign up for a free 30-day trial of Beachbody on Demand and you will get my Beachbody on Demand workout calendar. I have crafted this calendar to take you through all the variety of programs Beachbody has – everyone has their “soul-mate” workout and it takes some time to find it! The calendar also strategically takes you through a progression of cardio – weight training – stretching and recovery. This is important to see progress. Click here to sign up!

#2) If you already have 21 Day Fix Extreme (or are interested in trying it) you can join me in my workout plan – I’m combining it with Cize (for my cardio days) and PiYo (for my active recovery days). Don’t worry if you don’t have Cize or PiYo – you get access to a free sample workout of each in the Beachbody on Demand free trial!! Just repeat that one workout whenever Cize or PiYo shows up on the calendar.

So, here you have it, my plan for September!

I’m also adding some of the Beachbody Performance Line products to my daily routine…I recently tried Energize, Hydrate and Recover and was BLOWN away at how much better I performed and how much better I felt the day after (no soreness!) doing 21 Day Fix Extreme Plyo Fix. I REALLY want to go hard in my workouts this month, and I’m excited to have the Performance Line to help me out!

The Performance Line includes:

– Energize: an all natural pre-workout formula that uses Beta-Alanine to help your body produce more carnosine, as substance that buffers muscle acid build up. This acid buildup is what contributes to muscle fatigue. By producing more carnosine, your muscles last longer so you can push harder. Also, caffeine from green tea and Quercetin with increases the production of mitochondria the powerhouses of our cells.

– Hydrate: a very low sugar option for hydrating during a high-intensity workout, helps your body to rapidly absorb electrolytes – it’s like a cleaner Gatorade.

– Recover: a high protein post-workout drink that combines fast, intermediate and slow release protein to ensure a sustained supply of amino acids that helps your body to recover and build muscle. Recover also includes BCAAs which are unique among amino acids for helping to promote muscle synthesis. This drink also includes Pomegranate extract to help reduce exercise-induced muscle soreness and improve strength recovery.

– Recharge: this drink is taken 30 minutes before you sleep and contains micellar casein protein that will improve overnight muscle recovery. One of the main ingredients, Tart Cherry has been proven to reduce exercise-induced muscle soreness and improve endurance.

If you are a science geek (like me) and want to learn more about the performance line here is a fascinating webinar about the science behind it.

I’d love to hear from you! What is your plan for September!? I truly believe that we are all different, with different goals and needs – if you need any help coming up with the perfect plan for you – feel free to contact me!! Listening to your goals and customizing a plan that will work is one of my favorite things!!

What Does it Mean to Have Self-Love?

Is it ok for me to like myself…or even….dare I say it, love myself?
What does that mean?
Does it mean I put up mirrors everywhere and walk around with my chest out and my head growing ever bigger? Does it mean I turn into a conceited, self-obsessed diva?

Maybe to some, but I have begun to see a different kind of self-love that is healthy and has been life-transformative. Growing up in a home where self-love was a dirty word and self-sacrifice was idealized I had to make some big mindset adjustments to allow me to love myself. Let me explain.

My parents are my heros. They are church planters, visionaries, the MOST self-sacrificing and loving and generous people I know. I grew up wanting to be just like them (to be honest, I still do), but as I grew up and started pushing myself, staying up late, waking early, barely eating, saying yes to everything, neglecting myself because I was too busy “serving others” things started to fall apart. In combination with that, I was always trying to be “humble”, always trying to underestimate myself, down play my talents and not take charge of situations because I didn’t want to be “conceited” (side note – you can be confident without being conceited…still learning that, but it’s true). This created a burnt out young woman with no confidence in herself – not a good combination for someone with big dreams and a big heart to see them accomplished!

You see, spending all I had on others may have SEEMED noble….until I would end up flat on my back, sick as a dog, unable to serve or give to anyone. It may have seemed completely selfless to give it all to others and burn the candle at both ends, until I had a nervous breakdown because the stress was too much to bear. And it may have seemed humble to not be assertive with what I wanted or to doubt my own greatness, but all it did was make me decide I couldn’t do things before I even tried them, or half-heartedly start something, all the while telling myself “I’m not good enough to do this!”. I was cutting my own legs out from under me in an attempt to be “humble” and then feeling frustrated because I wasn’t do anything with my life.

Then I learned about self-love.

For me, self-love means seeing yourself the way God sees you:
– Beautiful
– Full of potential and tasked with good works to perform
– Human, fragile, in need of rest and recharging

Once I began to see the value in valuing myself, my mood, productivity, fruitfulness and potential skyrocketed. Once I began to see that I am created in HIS image and capable of great things I began to try things I NEVER thought possible and believe that I can grow into a better person.  In all honesty, this is what’s at the CORE of why I am a fitness coach. I have so many women tell me that the would like to coach (or accomplish other great feats like lead ministries, go back to school, start businesses), but feel 1) too tired to add anything more to their life and 2) don’t think they are capable enough to be good at it.
Bull Shit.
1) Take care of yourself – energy and productivity increases.
2) Believe in yourself – you will be surprised at how capable you are.
God has most certainly given you gifts, talents, dreams and, well… life for a reason – when you neglect yourself you limit your ability to enjoy and use those. When you doubt yourself whether from a false sense of humility or because of past failures – you limit the potential for your life. I have seen it in my own life and in countless others and I am taking a stand and saying it’s time for some self-love.

So, call me a heretic if you like, but I believe in self-love & self-care. I believe it is an act of worship to God. I believe we were created to be amazing and do incredible things! God is honored when we are humble enough to care for our bodies and realize we aren’t God, and bold enough to attempt great things because even though we aren’t God we have the spark of the divine in us and the Holy Spirit empowering us.

Believe in yourself.
Care for yourself.
Honor God with your life and your talents.

Shakeology Boosts

Last week I got my shipment of Beachbody’s new Shakeology Boosts. I had been dying to get my hands on these babies as soon as I got back from Summit (the Beachbody convention where they were launched) back in July.

There are three different boosts:

– Power Greens
– Focused Energy
– Digestive Health

At first I was pretty skeptical about them (as per my usual – what can I say I’m a researcher at heart!) the one thing that resonated with me from the presentation at Summit was when they said: “Each person and each day is different, these boosts give you the power to customize your Shakeology according to your needs.”

I’ve always rejected the idea that health can be a one size fits all, and even though I couldn’t fathom how Shakeology could get any better or need any boosts I loved that idea.

After I got home I decided to dig into these boosts to find out for myself, what was in them, how do they work, are they something I should incorporate them in my life. Here’s what I found:

Power Greens
This boost contains Spinach, Cucumber, Chlorella, Spirulina, Celery Stalk and Kale. It’s basically a quick and easy way to boost your immune system. It also contains large amounts of calcium (who needs dairy?!). These greens are a natural anti-inflamatory which means better skin and slower aging process (amongst other things, like preventing cancer). I mean, we all know it – more greens = better health, but some days I get great nutrition and other days are not as great – having Power Greens is a wonderful way to boost my health (and your kid’s and husband’s as well!).

Focused Energy
This was the boost I was most excited about – you see I love the smell and the taste of coffee, but it doesn’t agree very well with my body. It makes me jittery and sweaty (ewwww, gross! I know.) and I know that an alkaline body is a health body and coffee is pure acid. I try to stay away from it as much as possible, but let’s be real: I’m a mom. Some days it’s coffee or die. So, when I heard about Focused Energy my ears perked up. It’s got 100mg of caffeine from natural sources like green tea and guarana but unlike coffee – keeps your body alkaline and promotes not just a jolt of energy but stamina to KEEP you going. It also contains ginseng and Luo Han Guo which promote mental clarity (um, yes please!). This stuff is *potent* and doesn’t wreck my body like coffee. love-love-love.

Digestive Health
I don’t ALWAYS need extra fiber (at least not at my age) but when I need it – I need it. I was especially feeling this one right after getting home from Nashville, where I may have overindulged in southern food a bit more than I’m proud to admit. Other than the obvious uses for this boost, I’ve been adding 1/2 a scoop to my shakes when I need them to keep me full a little longer and the difference is significant. I went over 5 hours between meals without feeling hungry at all! It’s also been a lifesaver for my kids – because no busy mom of three wants to sit in the bathroom for 20 minutes with a constipated child (especially in a public bathroom, with two other curious kids).

All in all I am once again incredibly impressed by the potency and quality of these boosts. Beachbody doesn’t put it’s name on it if it’s not absolutely incredible and all three of these boosts have been used daily in my house these past few weeks. It’s funny though, I was expecting to say that one boost was mostly used by my kids, one boost was mostly used by me and one boost was mostly used by my husband, but we have all used them at different times and in different ways and that’s been pretty cool to see. We know what our body needs and we can get it with Shakeology Boosts.

If you would like to get Shakeology boosts you can order them individually through me or message me if you’d like more information on how these boosts might be a good fit for you and your family.

Order Here:
Power Greens
Focused Energy
Digestive Health

Five Quick Meals for a Crazy Week

This past week every single ounce of energy was put into preparing for my parent’s 30th Wedding Anniversary. For about four months my two sisters and my brother have been working on this HUGE vow renewal/party for my parents. We’ve been planning and shopping and crafting and making calls and emails and rehearsing special songs and recording videos – it’s been intense. It all came to a head this past week.

I was SO thankful that I had some quick and easy meals that I’ve learned and used to pull out so my nutrition wasn’t COMPLETELY disastrous!

Here are my five favorites!!

1) Fried Eggs over Asparagus
From the 21 Day Fix cookbook – this meal was super easy to make and could be had for breakfast or a quick lunch or snack!

2) Tuna with cucumbers and tomatoes
Drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and there is NOTHING more convenient or delicious!

3) Mexican Chicken Crock Pot Casserole
I threw this in the crockpot early one morning when I KNEW I would be out ALL day preparing for the event and it was SO delicious and easy.
– 2 Chicken breasts
– 1 Cup brown rice
– 3 Cups water
– 1 Can black beans (drained)
– 1 Can diced tomatoes
– Taco seasoning
Cook on low for 6-8 hours, shred the chicken and serve with a little salsa or cheese!

4) Eggs with kale and strawberries
Protein is usually ALWAYS the missing ingredient when people tell me they lack energy and are hungry all the time. So eggs are my best friend, and kale just makes me feel like a superhero!

5) Kale Strawberry Almond Salad
This salad was the EASIEST thing. I just tore up some kale, sliced strawberries, shredded some chicken breast and added almonds. My current favorite dressing for everything is the homemade honey mustard dressing from Fixate, but balsamic would be amazing too!

So, there you go – five quick meals that are satisfying, energizing and super healthy! For more healthy meal ideas you should follow my instagram account @5ingredientgourmet.

Cheers!

5 Tips for Finding the Motivation to Workout

Exercise is one of those things that I rarely WANT to do. The BIGGEST battle is from the time I think “I really should exercise” to the time my finger pushes play on that workout DVD (or head to the gym if that’s more your flavor).

So, here are my tips to getting yourself to the beginning of the workout – because once you START moving it’s fun, it’s engaging, it’s challenging, it’s easy to keep going, but it’s hard to start.

Tip #1 – Exercise is like brushing your teeth

You would be totally grossed out if someone told you they try to brush their teeth two to three times a week – right? I mean, don’t they know a HUGE dentist bill is right around the corner? Don’t they know how relatively short amount of time it takes to brush and maybe a little floss and mouthwash? We don’t debate with ourselves over whether or not we ‘feel’ like brushing our teeth today – we just do it because that’s what we do to take care of our body.

Exercise is the same way. Who cares if you lose weight or tone up or build muscle – you should exercise because it’s basic HYGIENE. Just like you shower regularly, you exercise regularly! Don’t you know a HUGE doctor’s bill is right around the corner if you don’t? Think of it as part of your hygiene regiment and you will be less likely to debate back and forth with yourself and talk yourself out of it – SURE there are nights I miss a shower or brushing my teeth when I’m EXHAUSTED but the next day I just pick it back up and do it. Same with exercise – get your mindset right and you won’t find yourself making so many excuses.

#2 – Sleep in your workout clothes

If you want to workout in the morning, sleep in your workout clothes. Just removing that one step from what I need to do in the morning makes a HUGE difference! Not sure why, but it does.

If you are going to workout later in the day (after work, etc.) lay your workout clothes out on the bed, or pack them in your bag and change into them as quickly as you can – it’s a BIG step towards pushing play and BONUS POINTS if you buy something new to wear – bit motivation there (at least for me!).

#3 – Get a good kick in the pants

And by this I mean a good pre-workout drink. It’s like my insurance. If I get up early (because I’m not debating with myself any more) and I have on my workout clothes, I can STILL drag my feet and NOT push play. HOWEVER, if I shuffle sleepily to the kitchen and mix my pre-workout drink and chug it down, in ten minutes my eyes are wide, my body is moving and I pretty much have no choice – THIS. IS. HAPPENING.

I’ve been drinking E&E from Beachbody and I really do love it, but science has improved and so Beachbody just released a new pre-workout called ENERGIZE. I got to try a sample (skeptically I might add, because I LOVE me some E&E) and it was SO much better! Didn’t make me as tingly, I felt REALLY great my whole workout. I highly recommend it! (not for brestfeeding moms – sorry!)

#4 – Get accountability

I talk about this ALL the time but only because it WORKS. It made all the difference for me and it has made all the difference for so many of my clients – oh and science agrees as well! Get people in your life who can support you and check in with you if you haven’t done the work out. Get a partner who will text you or get an app that will send you notifications (although people are better because it’s really easy to blow off an app!). Reach out to me or another Beachbody coach you know and ask them to hold you accountable or get into one of their groups. Trust me when I tell you this will get you pushing play like no-body’s business!

#5 – Have a plan

There is nothing more frustrating to me than having to sit around and choose what workout I’m going to do. I can’t make decisions early in the morning and as funny as it sounds having to make a decision STRESSES me out and keeps me from working out! So get a plan! Make a calendar! Take the guess work out of it.

One of my FAVORITE things to use is Beachbody’s on Demand streaming workouts – if you want to try it for free for 30 Days, I’ve created a calendar (that I actually use myself) that rotates through the different programs (sometimes I get bored!) and rotates through the different types of workouts like cardio, upper, lower, core, stretching and rest. You can get the free access to Beachbody on Demand and my calendar by signing up for my e-newsletter here.

So, those are my best tips for getting STARTED, but if I may just add one more thing! Fueling your body well throughout the day is a BIG factor as well! When I am eating like crap, I feel like crap, not just during the day but in my workouts as well. I feel sluggish and gross. As the saying goes, you can’t out-exercise a bad diet so do your best to eat clean and it will help tremendously with your workouts as well! I have an instagram feed where I post healthy recipes that are 5 ingredients or less – you can find it in the sidebar of this blog – if you are looking for someplace to start you are welcome to follow along there!

I’d love to hear from you – how do you get the motivation to push play and start your workouts??

Joy: The Difference Maker

When Beachbody first started off it became immensely popular for its EXTREME workouts. P90X and then Insanity were the two programs that just got incredible results and everyone talking. These programs were extremely effective, but didn’t appeal to EVERYONE (like me) because of their extreme nature.

Beachbody also got a reputation for hard core nutrition. Shakeology is hands down, no comparison THE most nutrient dense meal replacement shake on the market. The Ultimate Reset also gave Beachbody an extreme detox eating plan that got dramatic results.

So what in the world is Beachbody doing with a new DANCE workout and delicious COOKBOOK? Have they lost their edge? Do they not care about results? Nope.

Beachbody has realized one very important thing: people stick with things when they ENJOY them!

I must admit – for myself – I’ve had to adjust my mindset from thinking that workouts are super painful and awful and diets are restrictive and depressing to realizing that exercise can be FUN and eating healthy, DELICIOUS.

THAT’S what Beachbody is trying to do. Adding a little JOY a little flavor a little fun back into a healthy lifestyle. It’s not all burpees and tuck jumps and dry lettuce and bland chicken breasts.

When you change your mindset, when you are positive and ENJOY doing the right thing for your body – it can’t help but seep into the rest of your life and become a habit.

I’m EXCITED to switch from a mindset of “getting results” from my workouts and eating to a mindset of “living my best life”. I invite you to try it!

Staying Healthy + Travel

I don’t travel much. Having three kids in three and a half years hasn’t left me with much time for it, but these past six months I have traveled quite a bit! I have made some mistakes, but I’d like to share with you my top five tips for honoring your health while on the road.

First let me just say that I DO give myself some lee-way when I’m traveling BUT I don’t throw ALL of my healthy habits out the window. It’s not that I don’t want to have fun, it’s just that a) I have worked TOO hard to throw it all away on a week of vacation! b) I feel SO MUCH better when I fuel my body right. I have more energy and my mind is more clear and focused. If I’m going to spend money, and travel and get childcare for the kids, I WANT to enjoy it!!

So, without further ado – my tips for staying on track when I travel.

1) Pack Healthy Snacks

If I am going to spend money (and calories) on food while I travel – I want it to be the GOOD stuff!! I’d rather pack celery sticks and peanut butter or hummus and crackers to snack on and SPLURGE on a nice dinner or fancy cocktail, then be wasting my money and calories on a random bag of chips. It doesn’t take long to grab an apple and throw it in my purse on my way to the airport and it keeps me satisfied until I’m ready to have a nice meal. Here’s a great blog post from the Inspired Simply Blog for ideas on where to get healthy snacks on the road:

2) Stay Hydrated

Seems like a no-brainer, but I am NOTORIOUS for forgetting to drink water until mid-way through the day and I have a headache and I’m starving. Staying hydrated helps me with my hunger, energy level and focus! I bring a refillable water bottle with me and I’m good to go!

3) Go to the Grocery Store

This isn’t always possible, but even if you are staying in a hotel that doesn’t have a kitchen, you can stock up on healthy snacks at the grocery story once you arrive at your destination. Stuff like fruit, carrot sticks, cheese sticks, almond milk (for my morning Shakeology!), nuts, and little yogurts can be kept in the mini fridge in your room and are easy to grab when you are feeling like you need a quick snack. It may seem inconvenient to take time out of your trip to go to the grocery store, but when you think about how many snacks or even meals (especially breakfast) that you will get out of it, and how much time you spend waiting in lines at Starbucks or Panera or other places it actually saves you time (and definitely money) in the long run!

4) Try AirBnB

Have you heard of AirBnB? It’s a site where you can rent homes for a very competitive rate. This is awesome because usually the homes are in cute neighborhoods, have extra bedrooms and A KITCHEN. I know, nobody likes to cook on their vacation or travels, but again – maybe it’s just me and my anti-restaurant self, but if you give me an option between going to a crowded restaurant and waiting and being seated and waiting and ordering and waiting and eating and PAYING and feeling gross afterwards to lounging in your PJ’s with a movie on the TV and throwing together something easy and quick and healthy and WAY less money – I think even if it’ just one or two meals – if you can swing an AirBnB and cook a few meals – you will have the freedom to eat out when you WANT to not because you HAVE to!

5) Get out and walk.

One of my favorite things to do in a new city is to walk. I feel like I can take in the surroundings, the sights the sounds and smells. Hear the people and explore shops and cafes. Walking is also a fun way to get some exercise. It might be TEMPTING on vacation to just lounge around and eat and lounge around and eat, but TRUST me!! you will feel so much better and have a much more enjoyable vacation/trip if you make the effort to get out and walk!

I hope these tips help you on your vacations and travels! I am by NO means an expert on travel – so if you have your own tips and ideas for keeping your health a priority while traveling please share in the comments!

On Building Courage…

In my business as a Fitness Coach and Business Mentor I have conversations ALL DAY with people and I love it! I find people fascinating and learning about others and getting to do my best at encouraging and empowering them is truly a JOY.

The only time it’s difficult is when I hear these words (and I hear them OFTEN):
“I just don’t know if I can do this.” and “I’m afraid of what others might think.”

It’s difficult because whether you are embarking on a new fitness program and journey or starting a business as a fitness coach you are doing something you’ve never done before. Ok, so yes, there’s always fear of the unknown, but I always tell people, you were drawn to this opportunity for a reason. There’s something inside of you that WANTS this. To shut that down, to push it away because you doubt yourself or you fear what others think is an outright TRAGEDY.

Whether you do a fitness program with me or become a coach on my team is not the issue, the issue is that you are letting YOURSELF stand in the way of your dreams, of a better life. Letting other’s opinions dictate what you say yes or no to is dangerous ground. It’s straight up bondage. If you choose that path, not only will it shut down your fitness progress and business progress – it will shut down your life.

One of my absolute favorite things to do as a coach is to tell women over and over again “You CAN do this, you ARE strong enough, you ARE smart enough….you just have to be BRAVE enough.” Bravery is vital to every endeavor because not only will you fail several times before you succeed, but success NEVER comes as quickly as you like and while you are waiting the doubting begins. While you are waiting to see your body change the doubting begins and while you are waiting to see your income as a coach rise, the doubting begins and you have to face that doubt with COURAGE.

How do you grow courage? By constantly going one step outside your comfort zone. I’m not saying take the hill in a single stride, but determine to take one step outside your comfort zone. Whatever it is that you are thinking about right now, that makes you feel uncomfortable, but you KNOW you have been wanting to do – do THAT thing and you will build courage. Then do it again, then do it again, then do it again. 

Build that courage because a life of fear, a life of doubt, a life where you say to someone who want’s DESPERATELY to help you do something you REALLY want to do, “I’m afraid I won’t be good at it and I’m afraid of what other’s might think of me.” is NOT a life. It’s waking up and doing stuff and going to sleep but it’s not a life.

Take that step outside your comfort zone and NEVER stop pushing it – doesn’t have to be big, just an inch will do – but do it! Fear has no place in your life or mine.