We throw off the lie of perfection and cling to our identity in God as we strive to be whole, healthy, and fit. Our goal is wholeness, not perfection.

Posts tagged ‘community’

#DoOverBook Challenge: Day 3 – Five Minute Friday

Do Over Book

This is Day 3 of the Do Over 10 Day Challenge.  My challenge is to write here for 10 minutes each day for 10 days.  But my real challenge within this challenge is to write without over-thinking it.  To let the words flow without editing as I type.  Yesterday I remembered a God friend of mine telling me about this woman who will post a writing prompt, inviting others to join her in free writing for five minutes.  When the five minutes are up you type STOP and do exactly that.

Deep breath…whew.  I’ll admit I’m a tad bit nervous about this.  What if my words come out all wrong?  You know, they sound really good in my head but don’t quite make it to the screen the way I had envisioned.

Oh well.  I can just do it over next week, and the week after that, until the fear subsides or I do it in spite of the fear.  Either way, here we go…

Five-Minute-Friday-4

If you’re new to the Five Minute Friday phenomenon like I am, here’s how it works:

Every Thursday a one-word prompt will be announced on the Five Minute Fridays blog at 10pm EST (and the blogging continues through Friday).

Before the prompt is revealed many in the Five Minute Friday community like to connect on Thursday evenings on Twitter using the #fmfparty hashtag.  I missed out on yesterday’s gathering, but look forward to chatting with the ladies next week.

Everyone who participates in Five Minute Friday will write for five minutes on the topic of the week, post it on their own blog and link up that post on the Five Minute Fridays blog using the InLinkz button at the bottom of the prompt post.

If you want to get in on the fun but don’t have a blog, you’re welcome to post your five minutes of writing in the comments here each week, the comments section of the FMF blog, or on the Five Minute Friday Facebook page.

This is meant to be a free write, which means: no editing, no over-thinking (my inner editor is cringing), no worrying about perfect grammar or punctuation.

Just write.

WELCOME

 Today’s 5 minute Friday prompt is WELCOME: GO

Whether you come in the front door, the backdoor, or through the garage, you’ll be greeted by the sound of a seven year old playing with his twin baby brothers.  You’ll find me trying to tidy up, more for my sanity than to impress you.  Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to dazzle you with my multitasking abilities, but I’m fresh out.

But I have clean glasses and four different types of milk if you’re thirsty.  The kitchen table offers a beautiful view of what we jokingly call the park in our backyard  And once you tire of the wooden chairs, you are welcome to get comfortable in the living room.  But you may want to reconsider sitting on the couches if you have anything important to do today.  They are sirens.  No, really, you won’t want to get up.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Although the twins have more toys than any ten month olds should have, you will most certainly be their favorite diversion.  Once they have thoroughly inspected you and you’ve passed their “stranger danger” screening, of course.

So this is my home.  This is my life.  You are welcome to come over any time.  No, really, I’d love the grown up company.  Because trying to take the Floyd Boys out and about is a little too much work.  So if you don’t mind the noise that only a seven year old boy and his twin brothers can create, come on over.  STOP.

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Five Minute Friday

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#DoOverBook Challenge: Day 1, Take 3

Do Over Book

I’m 4 days into a 10 day challenge Jon Acuff is leading and I only followed through on Day 1.  My Do Over goal?  Write for 10 minutes each day.  But the problem is I over think everything I write.  At least on here.  Nope, take that back.  Everything means everywhere.  I tend to edit as I type rather than just letting the words come and then worry about sentence structure and all that jazz.  Thank you very much liberal arts education at a writing intense school.  Shout out to all my Randy-Mac girls out there who can never “just write” again.

But maybe my first mistake was committing to posting a blog entry every day for 10 days.  The challenge is to work on something you’d like to do over (complete or improve from a previous attempt) for 10 minutes every day for 10 days.  I can’t  haven’t been able to get a post out in 10 minutes yet.  Nope.  I’m too busy editing as I write and then thinking about which pictures I can insert or what graphic I can make on my phone.

Not this time.  Not for the next 10 days.  Nope, I’m just going to write for 10 minutes.  Whatever God puts on my heart and then I’m going to hit the publish button.  Well, I’ll go back and edit for typos and such.  To do otherwise would be sheer madness.  Or is it shear?

So here I go, starting the Do Over Challenge, for the second time.  Why did I start over the first time?  That’s another blog.  Ooh, I can spend ten minutes on that tomorrow.

Category:

freedom, goals

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12 Days of Christmas: Day 2 – Dream Big

2nd Day of Christmas

…my blogger friends gave to me: The permission to Dream

Dreams can be scary.  God dreams tend to be scary, but scary good.  You know He’s got something big in store for you.  Like Ephesians 3:20 big and you’re scared that it’ll shake up your life a bit too much.

Dream BIG

If the fear of stepping out of your comfort zone has you frozen in your tracks, check out Jon Acuff’s Start: Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average, Do Work that Matters.  That’s by far the best title of a book.  Ever.  Start not only dares you to dream, but gives you the courage to make your dreams come true.  Acuff also provides homework in the appendix to put some action behind that newly found courage.

Start Book

I’m not sure if Lara Casey has read any of Jon Acuff’s books or attended any of his speaking engagements, but her PowerSheets seamlessly pick up where Start‘s homework leaves off.  The sheets walk you through introspective prep work (daring you to once again punch fear in the face) and then setting goals to tackle every day, week, and month.  Midway (after the third month) through the sheets you’ll go through a “refresh” process (similar to the initial prep work) to assess your progress and adjust your goals as needed.  In her 2015 PowerSheets video, Lara Casey stresses that the sheets are “about progress, not perfection” which is something we strongly encourage at Catalyst Movement.

POWERSHEETS

She also mentions how sharing our goals – via social media, with trusted friends, in the FB PowerSheets group, and small groups (online #2015GoalSetting or in person) – fosters accountability and can provide a source of encouragement. Which is exactly what the inneractive™ Fit Club F.O.C.U.S. leadership series does.  It’s not about making more or even doing more. It is an opportunity to tap into your God given abilities – gifts and talents – and use them to be more.  Be more what exactly? That depends on you and what God’s called you to do. Everyone of us has a passion that God has knitted into the very fabric of who we are.

Maybe you want to monetize whatever it is you’re passionate about. Perhaps you simply want to explore it and see how God can use your story to bless others. Or maybe you have so many ideas about your goals that you don’t know where to start. This mentoring program will help you with all of that and more.  Click the image below for more details.

FOCUS

So, as you reflect on 2014 and dream about what’s to come in 2015, do your dreams scare you?

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goals

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#NoFilter – Part 2

So I decided to take this self-presented challenge for the month of October (clearly failed didn’t meet that goal so I’m trying it for November).  I’m going to start writing unedited.  I’m not going to take the time to bold sections that seem important that stand out for some reason.  Quite honestly I don’t know why I started the practice of bolding  words.  I’m a little bit anal retentive a little obsessive compulsive.  So I just kept it up because the idea that there wouldn’t be consistency from one post to the next kind of gave me a nervous tick.

I’m just going to be writing and not really worrying about coming off as clever or witty.  I mean, don’t get me wrong, if people find humor or some wit within the words I string together, that’s cool.  That’s awesome.  That’s great.  But it’s not going to be my intent or my focus for the month of October (November).  I’m just going to write.  I just feel really overwhelmed right now (not writing during October did not help this feeling go away) and I feel worn.  It reminds me of the song by Tenth Avenue North.  I already liked the song, but then when Mike Donehey explained that it was written because of – or not because of, but in response to – something his wife shared with him when they had a newborn.  Which was she was just worn out.  Late nights with the baby and all the things that having a newborn brings.  And I can relate to that right now.

Although I am overwhelmed and feel worn out, I also feel burdened with a lot of things I want to put on paper, or rather, onto my computer screen.  Just a lot of ideas, and feelings, and thoughts.  And again, I’m not going to be concerned about an audience.  I don’t even really think I have an audience.  Maybe some really loving friends and loyal…yuck, I hate the word followers.  But anyways, there are maybe a few people who read this.  And thank you for reading.  I appreciate seeing that it’s been read, commented on, or liked.  But I’m going to be a little selfish here and just write for myself.  And if people can relate, that’s awesome. That’s great.

Right now I can’t concern myself with an audience or how it’s received, because then I start second guessing myself and I start editing while I’m writing rather than just putting down the words.  I start focusing on the reception of the words rather than the words themselves.  And what I write loses a little bit of its authenticity.

So that’s my self-imposed and self-accepted challenge for the month of October (I had all sorts of reasons to not start writing again in October).  I don’t know if anyone else, any other bloggers, or Instagrammers, or Facebook posters can relate to feeling burdened with the concern of how their words or pictures are received.  Focusing on the presentation rather than just sharing without filtering, without constantly editing.  So, if you’re up for the challenge, I’d be happy to have some company.

side note – On October 4th I recorded three different blog entries using an app on my phone.  I thought that if I spoke the words and then transcribed them it would help with trying to edit while writing.  I like the practice and I think I’m going to stick with it for the rest of 2014.  Crazy how that isn’t a very long time.

Category:

grace, random, truth

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The Tipping Point

Domino Effect

You know that uncomfortable space between stagnation and change?  That’s where I’m living right now.  I’m living in the space cohabitated (spell check says I made up yet another word – score!) by head knowledge and a lack of action.  I am not writing this out of shame or guilt, but rather out of a desire for a transparency that will create community.  My prayer is that this post will be the catalyst I need to thrust me back into living more healthfully.

Yesterday I submitted, or resubmitted rather (gotta love technology), a guest blog post about getting and staying active.  I was very comfortable writing the post, as I have been active for almost two months now.  Activity, movement, and fitness come naturally to me. What would have made me uncomfortable?  Writing about nutrition.  Why?  Here’s a big clue: I just finished eating natural peanut butter out of the jar along with mini-allergen free chocolate chips.  The fact that it was natural peanut butter has to count for something, right?

But seriously…While I was pregnant with the boys, I didn’t just gain a lot of weight.  I picked up poor eating habits I had put down years ago.  When the boys  were conceived, my diet was the healthiest it had ever been.  I was eating clean and mostly gluten free.  Then came the exhaustion and ravenous hunger.  A dangerous combination for a former junk food junkie.

Now, 3 months after the birth of my twins, I am still making poor eating choices.  The first poor choice is that I’m not eating enough calories.  Nursing twins requires what seems to be a ton of calories.  The second is a natural consequence of the first – satisfying the craving for high caloric foods with low quality foods.  But I know that with some preparation I can easily meet my caloric needs, stave off cravings (can you say salty and crunchy?), and eat quality food.

So what’s holding me back?  A lack of want to.  Plain and simple.  Which is crazy, because I really want to eat better.  The problem is I’m not putting in the work to back up that sentiment. Ugh.  I don’t need to read another book on nutrition.  I don’t need any more head knowledge.  It’s the putting it into action are where I’m falling short.  I was just telling someone the other day “Either you want to do something or you don’t.  If you don’t, you can find a million reasons to not follow through.  If you do, you simply do it.”  I hate it when I say something before realizing it really applies to me.

I don’t know about you, but I need motivation and accountability.  I’m really good at motivating others and holding them accountable, but sometimes find it hard to connect with others who hold me accountable.  So here I am at the tipping point, between stagnation and change, humbly asking you to hold me accountable. I’ll check in twice a week – daily is unrealistic for me and once a week isn’t often enough – and rate the quality of my diet.  What is it that you need to tackle on your journey to living a healthier, more balanced life?  Feel free to reply in the comment section or come over to Facebook .

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grace, nutrition

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