Look for the seeds of good

Tending the garden of the heart - Day 28

Every situation, no matter how dismal, has the seed potential for good. Just as every seed has life contained within it and every type of seed produces a different kind of plant or tree, so too, does every situation in your life.

Every struggle you encounter has the spark of good within it and if you search for the good you would ignite the flames of new life. You may have gone through some experiences that made you wonder if you'd ever come out of it. But here you are today. Or you may be going through some things in your life right now and wonder how could this amount to any good.

If you look for the good or even ask, "How could any good come out of this?" or "What's the good in this situation?" You'll be amazed at the answer. Adverse conditions can make you a better person or a stronger one only if you look for the valuable lessons contained within them. Use this new knowledge to enhance your life and the life of others. Then, you would have redeemed each situation and count it as added treasure in the jewel box of life.

Change the way you see your situation. Pay attention to and focus on the good. You'll gain energy to pull you through and prepare you for future events.

Feeling discouraged?

Getting my body back - Day 45

On your journey to reaching your goal, you get all fired up, you're focused and doing all the steps necessary to bring you closer to achieving it. Then, it happens. You begin to get anxious because you're not making the progress you expected.

Instead of becoming discouraged look for the positive results you've had so far. When discouragement sets in, it brings with it its first cousins disappointment and depression and its second cousins feelings of defeat and dissatisfaction.

Don't go down that road. Quickly look for the results you've attained so far.

Today I was looking at myself in the mirror. Even though I see some progress in my goal to attain my ideal weight, the physical progress is not as much as I expected. Immediately I began to feel the feelings of discouragement, yep followed by first cousin disappointment. I stopped those unfriendly visitors right at the door.

The first question I asked, "What can I do to turn this feeling around and begin to feel good again?" I began by appreciating my body. Just being thankful that I bore and nursed 7 healthy perfect children. I expressed thankfulness that I am healthy and able to care for them and that I'm a fruitful vine. Immediately, the feelings of joy returned and the family of discouragement and depression took off.

Whatever you may be feeling today because you're not where you expected to be, stop and look for all the things you have and you've accomplished. You'd be surprised how energized you'll become to keep on keeping on.

Fuelling words: I appreciate and I'm thankful for my beautiful body. It carries within it the rich treasures of Life.

Routine: Warm-ups, stretches, aerobics, toning and strength exercises, cool down.

Visualization - keeping focus on my goal; healthy, strong and my ideal body weight and shape.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.

Follow inner guidance

Tending the garden of the heart - Day 27

Plants and trees have the ability and 'know-how' embedded within their make up to sustain their very existence.

Each one of us has the inner guidance, the wiser voice, to direct us on the path that we should follow. As we spend time in the silence, we learn to listen and recognize and develop this inner prompting.

Because we all are so unique, God speaks to us in ways that we each understand; perhaps through symbols, billboard posters, inner prompting of the heart, the scriptures and even nature. We develop communication tapered specifically to our unique built which comes about as we develop our relationship with our Creator in the secret place.

In the secret place, we find peace, love and freedom - our sustenance. Not only do we learn to listen but we are also invited to ask questions and receive divine wisdom and inner guidance to resolving every issue we face and every path we need to take.

Begin today, even if it's 5 minutes (increase the time as you go), to spend time in the silence, listening. See yourself connecting with God in your inner being as you look within your heart. Experience the Love as it flows within you.

As you continue to practice this daily, allowing the spark of love to be fanned into a flame, the joy of living becomes evident in your life that even in the midst of adverse conditions, you remain stable. You have a quiet place to go to renew your strength and faith.

Honesty

Getting my body back - Day 44

When deciding on what it is you want to achieve in your life, you need to be honest with yourself. It's amazing how we could compromise in what we truly desire to accomplish because we feel that we can't have what it is we want.

If you decide in your mind that you can have what it is you want to achieve, you begin to remove the barriers and all limitations and get down to the heart of the desire.

I've found in my own experience that when I'd compromise and settle for something other than what I truly desired to have, that I was running around and not getting anything accomplished. This is because there's a deeper longing in my heart that stood out more to God than the actual thing I was saying with my mouth.

If you find yourself going after something and things do not seem to be working out, stop and check yourself. Ask the question, "Am I on the right track? Is this what I truly want, or am I settling for less because I can't see how I'm going to accomplish this?

When you start being truly honest with what you truly feel in your soul, you allow yourself to be opened to receive your blessing.

Fuelling words: I am honest about my ideal weight and what I truly want my body to look like.

Routine: Warm-ups, stretches, aerobics, toning and strength exercises, cool down.

Visualization - keeping focus on my goal; healthy, strong and my ideal body weight and shape.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.

Stay connected to the Source of life - Part 4

Tending the garden of the heart - Day 26

Roots that go deeper into the soil sustain the tree when the storms hit. Staying connecting to the Source is like building your house on the rock.

Whatever storms you face, no matter how hard the wind blows, you will stand secure knowing who you are. And because you are connected to the Source of life, and this life flows in and through you, you can overcome every obstacle.

Nature shows that after every storm the sun comes out again. In order to remain stable, secure and unshaken, you must settle your roots deep into the soil of Life.

He, who builds his house on the rock, when the winds and storms of life come, will stand, for you are focused on the final result. You will give your attention to the end result.

Think I am going to make it

Getting my body back - Day 43

How you think about your success plays a vital part to you having success. Your thoughts can either push you to the finish line or cause you to stop and give up.

Whenever the journey gets tough, if you begin to entertain thoughts of giving up, you send a message to your body to respond to the idea of giving up.

My youngest child is 3 months old. She's just discovered that she has hands. She's observing them, yes, sucking on them, as well. Roxella's making the connection between her brain and hands as she is learning to coordinate the movements.

Research has shown that babies' brains are very active at this age. If you've ever observed a child, you'd notice how they'd look at a toy and immediately the body launches forward with a hand outstretched to get it. The child is using thought which sends the message from the brain to the body, with such precise speed, into action.

As adults, we've mastered the connection between movements and the brain, to the point that we do not have to even think about moving our bodies to complete a movement. We only need to think of getting up and immediately our bodies respond.

It is this obedience to the thoughts we engage in that allows us to continue moving forward on the path to success or give up. The starting point of thought leads to action and continuous action as we engage in continuous positive thought until we reach our goal.

Fuelling words: I think I am going to make it to my ideal weight.

Routine: Warm-ups, stretches, aerobics, toning and strength exercises, cool down.

Visualization - keeping focus on my goal; healthy, strong and my ideal body weight and shape.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.

Stay connected to the Source of life - Part 3

Tending the garden of the heart - Day 25

Do you know your path?

Every seed has a purpose. Every seed sown in the soil, then germinates, has within it the intention to fulfill the purpose for which it was created. It grows naturally as its roots extend deeper into the soil to absorb the necessary nutrients needed to sustain life in order to reach its ultimate destiny, i.e. bear fruit.

Everything you ever needed to manifest your desires and purpose is already in you. They're embedded in your make up. Babies do what comes naturally to them, and as they begin to grow up, are reprogrammed. Whether consciously or not or due to societal programming, have disconnected from their Source, their Creator, and as a result, lose their way, their inner knowing and their purpose to life.

Your natural senses were reprogrammed, in most cases not intentionally, by those who have become desensitized. Everything you need has always been there. The path has always been there. It is for you to come in alignment and connect back with the Source. As you move along, staying connected and in tuned, the way opens up easily and effortlessly.

In restoring your connection, you begin to discover who you are and that is mirrored in the deep inner longings of your heart.

Sticks and stones

Getting my body back - Day 42

You know the saying, "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words would never hurt me."

Words are very powerful. If used correctly, they can heal and change the world, but if used maliciously, could seriously destroy a person's life. Words have been used to uplift and inspire, and they've been used to tear down and discourage. Consciously or unconsciously, words have been used that caused an effect.

Remember the proverb, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue?" Let's examine this closely.

Death - that which destroys, that which draws life from, that which no longer exists
Life - that which empowers, that which rejuvenates, that which lives
Power - that which rules over or controls
Tongue - words spoken

Let's put it all together. So if the words spoken has within it the power to destroy or draw life from, to the point where is no longer exists, and the power to empower, rejuvenate and give life, then we must be extremely careful with the words that we allow to escape from our lips. It is therefore better, then, that we choose to be quiet if our words are not going to uplift another.

But what about words you speak of yourself? Are your words full of life and empowerment? Are you building up your life, your body, YOU? Or are you pulling YOU down? Does this sound familiar? "I'm such an idiot?" What! You probably wouldn't say that to someone else, so why are you destroying YOU by the words you say?

Choose LIFE, choose LIFE! And in choosing life, you choose LOVE and love will always uplift, empower and build you up.

Fuelling words: I love my body. I love me. The power of Love and the Source of love lives in me. I am beautiful. Beauty flows in and through me.

Routine: Warm-ups, stretches, aerobics, toning and strength exercises, cool down.

Visualization - keeping focus on my goal; healthy, strong and my ideal body weight and shape.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.

Stay connected to the Source of life - Part 2

Tending the garden of the heart - Day 24

As a tree develops, the roots become stronger and larger - the higher the tree, the deeper the roots. Because of the nutritional demands on it to sustain life, roots go deeper into the silent depth of the soil and can reach to a far distance away from the tree itself, to provide the necessary sustenance it needs.

Great men and women who have positively impacted the world have spent countless hours in the silence, in quietness, listening, drawing sustenance from God, their Source, and being filled with inner power and strength.

In order for your life to be any different from the way it is now, connecting with God, the source of all life is an essential step, where this life emanates from the roots through the veins of your being, into your outer world.

Stay connected to the Source of life.

Life is what you make it

Getting my body back - Day 41

If you were given the awesome task of designing your own life, removing all limitations, what would your life look like? Remove all doubts and fears and imagine what you would do. Where would you start?

Life is what you make it.

You have the power within your grasp to change your life. Death and life is in the power of the tongue. What you say of yourself, of your current circumstances and what thoughts you think all go before your future; whether it's a second away, 10 minutes or 5 years away. It's all being created as you put out those emotions, whether good or bad.

You've been given the power to create wealth.

Whatever level you are at today, you can begin to change your life around. Change the way you are thinking about yourself, your life. Keep watch over those thoughts that come to you. Ask the question; is this what I want manifested in my life? Is this creating a good feeling inside of me? If not, replace it with what you want.

If you walk into a house that you were given the task to redesign, what would you do if you saw shabby mismatched curtains? You wouldn't say, "Well, that's the way these people like, it or that's the way it's always been I can't do anything about it, or I can't afford to fix that so we'll just leave it there." No, you'd start pulling things down and perhaps say, "No, that just wouldn't do. Let's get rid of this and add some of that." By the time the owners got back, they'd probably be amazed at the changes you made.

Take on the same mind frame of your life. Examine it, analyze it. What part just wouldn't do? Begin to see the final result you want and get thoughts, words and action into alignment with it.

Fuelling words: I create my ideal weight by my thoughts, followed by my words and actions.

Routine: Warm-ups, stretches, aerobics, toning and strength exercises, cool down.

Visualization - keeping focus on my goal; healthy, strong and my ideal body weight and shape.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.

Stay connected to the Source of life - Part 1

Tending the garden of the heart - Day 23

A tree apart from the soil soon begins to wilt, wither away and die. Every plant, every tree, in order for it to survive, must stay in the soil, its source of life, where its roots remain covered from the elements and where it draws it nutrients and water to sustain life.

While out of the soil, a seed remains a seed, with the potential for life hidden within its outer layer. Only when it is sown into the life-energizing nutrient enriched soil and is watered, does the outer covering begin to loosen its grip and its true potential begin to emerge.

Similarly, in order for you to live to your fullest potential; with vigour, vitality, intensity, freshness, it is imperative that you stay connected to the Source of all life. Your roots, your heart, your spirit becomes energized. The energetic power of the spirit revitalizes your inner being, breathing life into you causing the light and the gift within you to emerge and shine outward.

No tree or life ever starts out the way they are: as a grown tree. Every tree, every animal, every person began in the secret place; seeds - the dark quiet place of the soil, a baby - the quiet place of the womb. Yet, where they began was filled with life-giving energy, nurturing them and allowing them to grow.

In the quiet place of your inner being, you connect to your life source; the Source of all life and continuously allow the flow of life to move within your being then out into your reality.

Look past your current circumstances

Getting my body back - Day 41

Whatever you're going through right now or you're working on, look past your current circumstances, your current situation, through the eyes of faith, to see your final reward.

It is said that whatever you focus on multiplies or expands. You know the saying, 'you're making a mountain out of a mold hill? Your current situation, though it may appear disturbing or frightening, is small in comparison to the power that lies within you. But this power could only be manifested if you turn our eyes off of the current circumstances, the current economic situation, your current problem, and focus on the end results.

You are giving your strength and your power to whatever is trying to suck the life from your joy and your peace. These are distractions to your final outcome, which is peace, love, joy, prosperity, wholeness.

Your faith, which is what you believe your final outcome in whatever situation you're in, to be, can make you whole as long as you continue to fix your eyes, your inner eyes on that final goal. Allow the feelings of joy to flood and energize your inner being; the joy of knowing that you have achieved what you're expecting.

Whatever comes at you, deal with it the best you can, but then let it go into the hands of the Creator and focus on your final outcome. What you focus on multiplies and expands, and the answers you need to make the next step will come, naturally.

Fuelling words: I focus on my ideal weight knowing that it will be manifested in my reality.

Routine: Warm-ups, stretches, aerobics, toning and strength exercises, cool down.

Visualization - keeping focus on my goal; healthy, strong and my ideal body weight and shape.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.

Indoors and Outdoors

Tending the garden of the heart - Day 22

Certain seeds are sown indoors early spring in order for them to begin to germinate and be ready to be transplanted outdoors in the garden once the weather warms up. Other seeds are sown directly into the outdoor soil in warmer temperatures.

Similarly, when you're tending the garden of your heart, some issues are worked out privately (indoors) where the interference and harshness of adverse conditions i.e. negative criticism, is less likely to endanger your growth process. Once you are stronger, you can now be 'transplanted into the outer garden'; your growth is now publicly evident.

For example, if you're dealing with personal heart issues, this may be something that you want to work on privately until you've come to a certain level of growth and you are now in a position to share this sensitive area with others for their benefit. This is where your growth has become evident to others.

Other areas may not be of a private nature. It may be a business project you're working on or promoting. The growth of your plans is seen publicly as you grow your business.

Whatever it is you're working on, whether privately or publicly, ensure that you nurture and protect your garden for continued growth to the point of bearing fruit.

Pulling up on inner strength

Getting my body back - Day 40

Not feeling like you're in the swing of things today? Why not pull up on your inner strength to lift you up and get you back on track?

If at times you're feeling like you can't make it, it's time to pull up on your inner strength, shift your thinking immediately to, "I can do this, I have the strength to go on." When you motivate yourself in this manner, it's amazing how your body follows along with the message you give it.

Try this exercise:

Say to yourself, "I feel tired, exhausted." Feel what your body starts to feel. It begins to follow suit.

Now, say to yourself, "I feel great. I'm energized. Oh, yeah!" Your body begins to feel energized and alive, following the message that you sent it.

If ever you're beginning to feel down and out, change your thinking. Send positive messages to your body of the way you really want to be feeling. Start feeling yourself enjoying being alive and energized and all the cells in your body would begin to agree with you and your body will begin to move in that new direction.

Fuelling words: I send positive messages to my body. My body responds in return to the message sent.

Routine: Warm-ups, stretches, aerobics, toning and strength exercises, cool down.

Visualization - keeping focus on my goal; healthy, strong and my ideal body weight and shape.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.

Protecting the garden of the heart - Part 3

Tending the garden of the heart - Day 21

Eradicating weeds

In order for a garden to thrive, eradicating weeds is necessary to ensure proper plant growth.

What damage can weeds do to your garden?

Weeds strangle your plants and also compete with them for the nutrients in the soil.

Weeds of the heart

In the same way weeds are detrimental to your garden, internal weeds are detrimental to your heart.

How do you identify the weeds of the heart?

Identify those internal and external issues that are draining your energy and sucking the life from you. What about those things that are making you depressed? Consider past hurts; are you rehashing them?

Take each issue and dig deep down to find the root cause of it. Ask as many questions necessary to find the answer. Once you've identified the root, how could you eradicate it completely?

1) Make a decision that you would remove it from your life; whether it's an internal (heart issue) or external issue (environment or other people related issue).

2) If this issue could physically be removed or changed, then do so.

3) If it's an internal issue (i.e. a hurt, negative emotion), make a conscious shifting of your thought pattern. Stop feeding it with your dwelling on it. Begin to engage in more positive thoughts, finding the good out of bad situations or finding some other positive aspect of your life to focus on.

Regular inspection of the garden of your heart will keep weeds from overtaking it and allow you to grow to your fullest potential to enjoy life.

Learn something new

Getting my body back - Day 39

When working towards your goal, being open to new ideas is essential for progress achievement. Reading information in the area you're working on gives you new and perhaps time-saving ways of accomplishing your goal. Use knowledge from others to jump start your own progress.

Even though I pretty much know what I should do to achieve my ideal weight, such as monitoring my eating habits and workout routine, I still find that there's so much more information available for me to try different ways to get the best out of my workout routine.

I read an article yesterday about a research that was done. Two groups of people were chosen to test the amount of time they spent doing their workout. One group spent an hour each day, while the other spread their workout throughout the day in 10 minute segments. The second group that spread out their workout actually showed betters results than the group that just exercised for the one hour.

Because of my schedule, I find it easier to just do the one hour and then I could focus on other things. Today I did things a little different. I decided to do my regular one hour workout, then I went out to the garden to get some gardening done, using the opportunity to workout other muscles that need special movement to get them going.

Other people's experience and advice could enhance your life and save you years of mistake. Make it a part of your daily routine to learn at least one thing new each day.

Fuelling words: I learn something new today, so I could be a better person tomorrow.

Routine: Warm-ups, stretches, aerobics, toning and strength exercises, cool down.

Visualization - keeping focus on my goal; healthy, strong and my ideal body weight and shape.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.

Protecting the garden of the heart - Part 2

Tending the garden of the heart - Day 20

How to protect your heart

When you've started a garden, if precautionary measures are not taken, pests and bugs can attack and destroy it. When you have young plants in your garden, they need to be protected from the frost.

It is also essential to protect your heart from the elements, from pests and bugs, as well. Consider the following:

1) Bring tender plants indoors to protect them from freezing temperatures.
When you're faced with an unfavourable encounter, if possible, remove yourself from the situation in order to protect your heart from further hurt or insult.

2) Plants need to be watered to keep them from drying out, whether they're indoors or outdoors.
Continued watering of your heart with positive affirmations and connection with God keeps your heart tender and compassionate towards others.

3) Protect plants from being trampled on by pests by planting other plants to repel them.
Avoid engaging in negative conversations and disconnect yourself from negative associations. Negative influences destroy positive thinking and deprive you of healthy inner growth.

4) If blossoms of plants have been destroyed they may recover.
Assess the hurt that you may have suffered. Look for the positive outcome of that situation instead of focusing on the hurt or look for the lessons learned or perhaps use your situation to help someone who may be going through the same thing.

5) Practicing preventative measures to ensure your garden is protected would limit or eliminate destruction to ensure you have a good harvest.

Apart from avoiding negative events, pay attention to the thoughts you're focused on or even those that may casually pass across your mind. Replace them with a positive thought or outcome.

Keeping your heart protected from negative invaders allows the flow of good to continue to enter and enrich your life.

Evaluating your progress - Part 5

Getting my body back - Day 38

Celebrating your small progresses

When you appreciate and celebrate your small progresses you open yourself up to inviting more successes into your life. It gives you extra energy and motivation to keep you working towards your goal.

Give yourself a small reward. Bigger progress deserves a bigger reward. But think of ways to reward yourself that does not put you backwards. e.g. if you are working on reaching an ideal weight goal, you're not going to eat as much ice cream as you want.

You might want to do something that's not food related, like pampering yourself with a bubble bath, manicure or pedicure or new nail polish. Something small.

For bigger progresses, you could reward yourself with a new dress or shirt.

If you're trying to save money, you're not going to go on a shopping spree. Reward yourself appropriately but not in a way to set you back.

The whole point of the reward system is to give you something to look forward to, in the short-term, while working on the long-term goal.

Fuelling words: I appreciate and celebrate my small successes because they bring me closer to my ultimate success.

Routine: Warm-ups, stretches, aerobics, toning and strength exercises, cool down.

Visualization - keeping focus on my goal; healthy, strong and my ideal body weight and shape.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.

Protecting the garden of the heart - Part 1

Tending the garden of the heart - Day 19

Dad and our children put up a fence around the garden to protect it from deers, our dogs running through it and from our children when they're playing ball. We also plan on planting marigold around the garden to keep away the bugs and the deers, at least that's what we were told by other more experienced gardeners. After all the hard work that's been put into the garden, we definitely wouldn't want to see it trampled on.

Once you've made a decision to make changes in your heart and life, engaging in the groundwork necessary to effect and manifest this change, protecting what you've invested is essential for continued growth and success.

A proverb comes to mind, "Guard your heart more than anything else, because the source of your life flows from it." Everything we aspire to be, whether consciously or not, flows from within us; what's within our hearts.

When you allow any and every thought to enter your mind and then your heart, you allow these thoughts to have free range. Negative thoughts intertwine and entangle your life, blocking the path of good that should be flowing freely into and through your life.

Ponder on the thoughts that you're engaged in on a regular basis. How are they adding to or subtracting from your life? How focused are you on these thoughts? Have they become a part of your belief system which inhibits you from moving forward or blockers of your good coming to you?

Take the time today to think about what your thought patterns are and compare your life to the way you're thinking.

Evaluating your progress - Part 4

Getting my body back - Day 37

Putting together a progress report

When putting together a progress report, decide what area or areas you want to track. There may be several areas you want to track but you don't want to become overwhelmed. Focusing on one area at a time allows you to zoom in to get the best results. When you see progress in this area, you'll be encouraged to focus on another.

1) Start by creating a chart. Choose the area you're working on i.e. ideal weight

2) What you want to track, i.e. workout routine, break it down into aerobics, strength training, nutrition etc.

3) Record your progress in each column

4) Date of your evaluation; whether it's daily, weekly or monthly

How often should you track your progress?

Depending on what you're working on, you may need to track and evaluate daily, others weekly or monthly. Or you can use a combination of these.

Start with what you feel is best or what works for you and then make adjustments from there. Or you can choose different areas within your goal to track daily and others weekly or monthly.

For my ideal weight goal, tracking my daily eating habits is a good way to stay on top of things. At the end of the day, I look back on what I've had to eat that day. For my workout routine, I evaluate weekly to see if I need to add more repetitions or change it. For weight reduction, I assess this monthly.

Fuelling words: I track my progress regularly to keep me focused on my goal.

Routine: Warm-ups, stretches, aerobics, toning and strength exercises, cool down.

Visualization - keeping focus on my goal; healthy, strong and my ideal body weight and shape.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.

Larger the goal, larger the preparation

Tending the garden of the heart - Day 18

The larger the goal, the larger the preparation to achieve that goal.

Because we have a large family, food tend to go faster, therefore we must grow a garden that's equally measurable to supply our needs.

Measuring approximately 4 - 5 times bigger than the previous garden, we have a lot of work ahead of us. The preparation period is the essential groundwork to the success of this ambitious undertaking.

The kind of plans you make will be determined by the size of your goal. Small plans produce small results and if you have big goals, small plans just won't cut it.

You must first determine your needs and how much you can handle so you're not overwhelmed and then become discouraged. If you have big goals to change your life but find you're overwhelmed by big plans, take it one segment at a time. Determine your big goal then divide your big goal into smaller bite size goals and take it one at a time.

That's exactly the format that our garden has taken on. Initially the size of the garden was marked off to show the area that's being worked on. Then everyday, Dad and our girls go out and till the ground one area at a time. We have a timeline we're working towards. The ground needs to be ready in time for the last frost in order to transplant the seedlings.

What preparations do you need to do to transplant the seedlings of your dreams into motions?

Evaluating your progress - Part 3

Getting my body back - Day 36

What is a progress report?

Remember when you were in school and you got a report card to take home to your parents? Perhaps you dreaded taking it home because you knew you really hadn't done your studies to warrant a good grade. If you did study, you'd be happy because you knew that you worked hard, understood the concepts taught and you expected good grades.

Your report card shows your progress during the school year in the same way a progress report tracks your progress at work, business or any project you're working on.

A progress report is a gauge to measuring how close you are to your goal.

Why do you need a progress report?

1) It keeps you focused on where you're going

2) It gets you back on track if you've gone off track

3) It shows where you're lacking and need to zoom in on a particular area

4) It tells you what's not working and what is

5) It helps you make decisions as to if you should continue with a segment of your goal or not or make adjustments or eliminate it altogether.

6) It tells you how far you've come

7) It shows you how far you have to go

A progress report can work for any aspect of your life; whether you're trying to get to your ideal body weight, running a business or be the best parent you could be. The method is transferable to all areas of your life.

Fuelling words: I'll track my progress to ensure that I stay focused and achieve my goal.

Routine: Warm-ups, stretches, aerobics, toning and strength exercises, cool down.

Visualization - keeping focus on my goal; healthy, strong and my ideal body weight and shape.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.

Determine your 'why' to achieve your goals

Tending the garden of the heart - Day 17

We've decided to start our garden this year because we have a large family and it will cut down on the cost of our grocery bill. Because we have so many apple trees in the backyard, we were able to cut down on our expenses on purchasing fruits last year.

We decided to take it a step further this year, so we could also save on vegetables and just spend cash on those items we can't grow. Not only are we going to save in the summer and fall, but with proper planning, we'd also save during the winter months, as well. If you've ever done any gardening, you'd know that it's hard work, but the pay off is worth it.

When embarking on any change, you must determine your reason for doing so. This will be the finish line you're targeting to reach. Your reason or some call it your 'why' is your motivator for enduring the difficult times.

Your 'why' must be compelling enough to keep you going through the tough times. If it's wishy washy, you'll find yourself slacking off and finding other more enjoyable events to engage yourself in.

Determine your 'why' today and make it a strong one.

Evaluating your progress - Part 2

Getting my body back - Day 35

Plan ahead

With all the other responsibilities you have to pay attention to, life could become a bit hectic at times. When your schedule is packed, you may tend to neglect some of the essential steps required to gain the results you're looking for.

Last week, I've been busy working, and found myself munching here and there on cookies. Now, I know myself, once I start, a little at a time, if I don't put myself in check, a little at a time could turn into a lot at a time. Recognizing your weakness is the first step to creating change.

What do I do, then?

Instead of waiting for when I'm hungry to prepare something to eat, I've set up some new strategies to follow:

1) Make sure I've made a salad early in the day so I could just grab it out of the fridge. If I don't have the time to stop what I'm doing to prepare something, I've already taken the time, when I was not busy, to prepare for that moment.

2) Make sure I have other easy nutritious choices available at my finger tips, like an apple or peeled carrots.

Whatever weaknesses you've uncovered in your evaluation process, make plans to address them. Stop them right in their tracks before things get out of hand.

Fuelling words: I fuel my body with nutritional food giving me the extra energy I need and promote a healthy lifestyle.

Routine: Warm-ups, stretches, aerobics, toning and strength exercises, cool down.

Visualization - keeping focus on my goal; healthy, strong and my ideal body weight and shape.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.

Preparing the garden of the heart

Tending the garden of the heart - Day 16

Dad and our children began preparing the ground for our garden. The grass-covered grounds showed evidence of a previously existing garden but no work had been done on it for quite some time.

Today, we were all outside working on the new garden; plowing the ground with forks and uprooting the roots of grass and weeds.

As you survey and assess the ground of your heart to determine what changes you need to make, you may recall a time when you were working away to make changes or to achieve a particular goal. This may bring back memories of how you were at one point in your life.

The memory is evidence of what once existed, just as the overgrown garden on our grounds. But now your experience has also overgrown with grass and weeds; the discouragements and failures of what could have been or what used to be.

You can start afresh with new desires, plans and goals. Begin from where you are, glean lessons learned from your mistakes and get on the journey to changing the garden of your heart and your life inside out.

Evaluating your progress - Part 1

Getting my body back - Day 34

Today, I took the time to evaluate my progress.

I've decided not to use a scale as a progress instrument. The reason for this is because, for me, it opens us the tendency to constantly check on poundage loss and when there is no visible reduction on the scale, discouragement sets in. I decided that I would pay close attention to my body, using my senses to determine my progress.

By feeling my thighs, I could feel the changes in size and toning.

Visual perception - when I look in the mirror, I see some weight reduction there.

While I'm doing my workout routine, I know I need to increase my repetitions or modify the move to gain more intensity because my muscles have already adjusted to the regular repetitive count. I added new sets to my routine to maximize my efforts.

I'm also listening to what my body is saying to me. What does it need more of? Do I need to bump up my aerobics routine or switch. This may vary from time to time. I am becoming more in tuned with my body and listening to the warning signs.

I also use my clothes to gauge my progress. How are they fitting? Are they a little bit looser?

What method are you using to measure your progress?

When you break down your ultimate goal in segments, you set a clearer picture of where you are and where there are deficiencies, where you need to enhance or get rid of completely and what's the next step.

Evaluate yourself, today. Do your own progress report, rate yourself and do the necessary adjustments to draw you closer to your goal.

Fuelling words: I evaluate my short-term progress to gain maximum long-term benefit.

Routine: Warm-ups, stretches, aerobics, toning and strength exercises, cool down.

Visualization - keeping focus on my goal; healthy, strong and my ideal body weight and shape.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.

Changing Inside Out Now! Tending the garden of the heart - Day 15

Watering the garden of your heart

Watering plays an essential part in seed germination. It softens the outer covering of the seed to encourage its opening, allowing the new life contained inside of it to emerge, penetrating the soil's surface.

Today, our green peppers germinated. It's an exciting time for the children to watch the seeds germinate.

When you are working on changing your life or working on a project, it may seem like nothing much is happening on the surface. Then, you begin to see visible signs of new growth or progress made. Even though this time is exciting, it is important to remember that it is still in a very delicate stage.

Regular watering is vital for continued growth.

How do you water your desires to change your life or complete a project?

1) Thoughts - engaging and encouraging positive thought patterns to keep you focused on what you want accomplished in your life.

2) Visualization - seeing your desire as if it's happening in real time.

3) Feeling - allowing yourself to feel the feelings you'd have once you achieved your goal.

4) Meditation - taking the time out to be quiet and in the silence connect to your Creator.

5) Let go and let God - releasing the final outcome of your desires over to God.

6) Your words - speak words of life to your desire - speak your outcome.

7) Action - do all that you feel prompted in your heart that you should do to move you closer to your goal.

Continue to water the garden of your heart on a regular basis to promote daily renewing of your mind and the transformation of your life.

Changing Inside Out Now! Getting my body back - Day 33

Take responsibility for your actions

You are where you are because of the steps taken or not taken, activity or inactivity. Retrace your steps/your actions and undo what you've done or do the opposite of what you've done.

Everything you do, whether consciously or unconsciously or I can say it another way. Everything you do, whether you're aware of it or not, brings you the results of where you are today. Your decisions or indecision produce results one way or another.


If it is true that one thing leads to another and every action leads to another action or reaction, then you must become a master chess player in your own life and anticipate the next moves as a consequence of your first move.

Making errors is a part of learner and losing is also a part of learning, as well. But, as you master the chess game of life, learning from your errors and being consciously aware of your decisions and the potential outcome, becoming a master at winning will be more at your grasp instead of letting life just happen.

I evaluate where I am in my desire to getting my body back. As I reflect on my journey that has brought me to this point, I see where there are times I've neglected to do what is essential to maintain my body weight; like regular exercises and over indulging in my favourite foods. Yes I, not like, but love chocolate and ice cream. And yes, because I have 7 children, I was either pregnant or breast feeding, and this added to my gaining extra weight.

After my 5th child, I ventured out on losing off the extra body fat and wowed myself by jogging and shedding quite a few pounds; the girls at my workplace were amazed. I had two more children since then. I know what I need to do to achieve my goal. Gaining weight in pregnancy is okay. But when it gets out-of-hand it can be quite uncomfortable and unhealthy.

Evaluate your journey that brought you to where you are now. Take responsibility for your mistakes. You can't control other people's actions, but you sure could evaluate, control and change your own.

Take the necessary steps to consciously create the change you need to change your life inside out, now! It's your move!

Fuelling words: I take responsibility for my actions that brought me to this point. I choose to change my actions to bring me positive results.

Routine: Warm-ups, stretches, aerobics, toning and strength exercises, cool down.

Visualization - keeping focus on my goal; healthy, strong and my ideal body weight and shape.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.

Changing Inside Out Now! Tending the garden of the heart - Day 14

Qualities of a fertile, nutrient-enriched heart

When soil is nutrient-enriched, it is very easy to work with, for you, the gardener, as well as, for the seeds that are sown in it. Hard soil is difficult to work with and needs a lot of hands-on treatment to loosen it.

In high school, our agriculture class had a project to work on. Each student was given a small area to grow a garden. The most tedious part was getting the land ready.

Many of us worked the hard soil. When we tried to turn over the soil with the forks, we'd rock back and forth on them for a while before the soil loosened. Some of the guys in my class had a secret method. You could tell the difference between the ones who really took the time to nurture the soil back to health because it was soft and now easy to work with compared to the ones who perhaps didn't have a clue as to how to restore the soil to a healthy state to produce healthy crop.

When the soil of your heart is well nourished, you find it easy to get along with others and others with you. Consider the following as evidence of a nutrient-enriched heart and compare them to your own:

Nutrient-enriched soil: easy to work with, soft, absorbs water easily, seeds germinate well

Nutrient-enriched heart:
- willingness to learn
- willingness to change
- easy to work with/get along with
- has a wealth of information
- willing to share with others
- is receptive of others
- is flexible
- teachable
- people are drawn to you
- happy
- joyful
- fun

Where do you see yourself? Need some working on? Ignoring that area and saying, "Oh, well, that's the way I am," is not the way to deal with it. Recognizing there is a deficiency is the first step to creating change.

Many of us have deficiencies in different areas of our lives. Recognizing where you are and finding ways to enrich that area of your life is certainly a step in the right direction to creating change and a balanced life.

Changing Inside Out Now! Getting my body back - Day 32

Respecting the temple

It is said that the body is the temple of the living God.

Your body is intended to be the outward expression of the inner workings of the creative power of the Creator. It is also intended to be the outward display of the magnificent works of the spiritual realm.

How then are you treating your body? Are you respecting or disrespecting the temple by the way you treat it? The spiritual realm is a vast place, filled with life, energy and power and abundance. When we fail to tap into our resources, we limit our potential and therefore live a limited live.

Many of us have not been taught how to live from this realm, and if we're experiencing certain aspects of it and share with friends and families, that are also unaware of its existence, they tend to make fun of it or say you're weird or even crazy. But the spirit realm is more real than our external world and have more effect on our lives even more than we realize.

If you are aware of the treasure you hold within you, or even a glimmer of it, you'd begin to treat your body with respect knowing that you carry within you the potential to express outwardly the treasure that you hold within.

Fuelling words: I treat my body with respect, taking care of it, because it is the temple of the living God.

Routine: Warm-ups, stretches, aerobics, toning and strength exercises, cool down.

Visualization - keeping focus on my goal; healthy, strong and my ideal body weight and shape.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.

Changing Inside Out Now! Tending the garden of the heart - Day 13

What kind of harvest do you want?

Determining the kind of harvest you want let's you know what type of seeds you should sow and what type of garden you're going to grow.

If you want a vegetable garden, you're not going to sow flower seeds and expect to harvest vegetables. Now, if you want a combination of a flower garden and a vegetable garden, you sow the appropriate seeds to harvest your desired outcome.

Similarly, you want to sow seeds in the heart that will bring you a harvest of love, joy, peace, health, prosperity and wholeness - a well-rounded life.

The seeds you sow into your heart come in the form of your thoughts and your words which results in the actions you're taking on a daily basis.

What are you thinking about on a regular basis? What feelings are these thoughts producing? Are they making you feel joyful, at peace or angry and frustrated? Your thoughts, producing your feelings, causes you to act or react externally.

Whatever you are thinking, which is directly affecting your feelings, is the reason for your reaction. The key to turning this around is to stop the negative thought right in its tracks and replace it with a positive one. Find the positive side in every situation. There's always light, even if it's just a glimmer of hope, move towards it. Replace the negative with the positive glimmer of hope. Focus on it, just as you would the negative thought. Feel the emotion and before long you will act or react in a positive way, producing positive results.

Your words are as a direct result of what you've been thinking. I recall a scripture which says, (paraphrase) "It's not what goes into a man (person) that defiles him because it does not go into his heart but his stomach. But it's what comes out of a man (person) that defiles him (makes him unclean). Because what comes out of a man (person's words) comes out of his heart."

You tell what's going on in a person's heart from what they're constantly talking about, which is the fruit of their lips.

Begin today to change your seed thoughts and your words and actions will follow suit to produce the harvest you need.

Changing Inside Out Now! Getting my body back - Day 31

Be the change you want

Whatever goal you are working towards, you must make the necessary changes to draw you closer to seeing that goal manifested in your life.

You must change the way you are doing things in order to get a different result. You can't want to be 10 lbs lighter and do absolutely nothing to achieve that goal; like sitting on the couch all day, eating potato chips. Your thought pattern and your daily action steps determine the outcome of your desire.

It is you who must make the change within. Wishing to lose weight or achieve some other goal is just not enough. Every desire and decision starts internally, but that's only one part of creating change. The second part has to do with external actions.

You see, there are two main parts to achieving your goals:

1) The internal - thought, specific desire, plans, and
2) The external - putting those plans into action, evaluating the plans and progress you've made and making necessary adjustments for future actions.

They both go hand-in-hand to give you the results you're looking for.

Being the change you want causes you to think differently; going from thinking that you'll just lay there all day doing nothing other than eating potato chips and just dreaming about losing weight to deciding you are going to become healthy, full of energy, eat differently and then actually doing so.

You first see yourself doing what should be done followed by the action. You are living in your heart and mind the end results, which, when put into physical action produces the final results you're looking for.

As I move forward to achieving my ideal weight, I see myself in my mind's eye or you may say your imagination, eating healthy, being full of energy, having fun working out and wearing that same red and white checkered dress I wore when I was at that weight. This gives me the extra boost needed to externally/physically engage in my exercise routine.

Fuelling words: I see my ideal weight. I'm enjoying the changes in my body. I love my body.

Routine: Warm-ups, stretches, aerobics, toning and strength exercises, cool down.

Visualization - keeping focus on my goal; healthy, strong and my ideal body weight and shape.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.

Changing Inside Out Now! Tending the garden of the heart - Day 12

Reach for the light

Have you ever noticed indoor plants how they gravitate to and reach for the light? It is said that plants need the light in order to make chlorophyll which makes them green. Plants also use the energy from light to make them grow. If you move an indoor plant from it's position and place it somewhere else, it would change direction and grow in the direction of the light.

As you tend the garden of your heart, you must reach for the light. Opening your heart to love allows the light to shine in your heart. Open your heart and let the light of love shine in. Coupled with 'nutrients' you've added to your heart's soil, you'll begin to grow daily.

The more you open your heart to love, the more light shines in and the greater the energy flow, breaking walls, renewing and rejuvenating the core of your being. Your light will shine outward and draw others to you.

Changing Inside Out Now! Getting my body back - Day 30

Miracles start in me

In order to achieve any goal in life, the miracle must first begin inside of you. All achievement has a starting point and an ending. Your final destiny is as a direct result of the growth that's occurring internally.

It first starts with a thought, then a desire, followed by a decision to physically attain that desire. Once the decision is made, the wheels in the brain start turning - how can I achieve this goal? Plans are put in place, then comes action steps; the first external evidence of what you've set out to accomplish.

When you are focused on the final goal, it propels you into action to ensure you reach your destiny. Taking your eyes off your goal, you begin to drift away from going in that direction and into the direction of whatever you're now focusing on. You cannot be driving a car going east while you're focused on north, you'll end up in a ditch or worse.

Whatever you set out to accomplish, it must first begin in you, continue to grow in you, even as you engage in activities to draw you closer to the goal. When you've finally arrived and you look back to where you started, you would see the distance you've traveled and how much you've grown.

Create miracles in your life today, starting from the inside out.

Fuelling words: I see my ideal weight. I work each day bringing into manifestation this desire.

Routine: Warm-ups, stretches, aerobics, toning and strength exercises, cool down.

Visualization - keeping focus on my goal; healthy, strong and my ideal body weight and shape.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.

Changing Inside Out Now! Tending the garden of the heart - Day 11

A different take on Easter - Part 4

Easter Monday

We've come to the final day of the Easter celebration. Just as Jesus continued on in his path of love; visiting the disciples, comforting them and finally ascending to take his place, seated on the right hand of the Father making intercession for us, we, too, must continue to grow, following our own path.

We must allow our transformed life to continue to grow, seeded in the soil of love. Let the flames of divine love fill our hearts and burn away all that is impure, so we, in turn, could fulfill our life's purpose.

Love must therefore be cultivated in our hearts as the main ingredient where everything else flows out from there.

Every gardener cares for his garden out of the heart of love. A careless gardener will neglect his garden, therefore, resulting in weeds overtaking and choking out the crop, denying it of essential nutrients.

Love is the true foundation for growth in our hearts. Let the Easter message inspire us throughout the year that we may grow, be strong and bear good fruit.

Changing Inside Out Now! Getting my body back - Day 29

Need a kick in the butt?

Okay, yesterday I got a mouthful from my 10 year old daughter because I missed our workout time. I got caught up doing some work and she kept asking, "Mom, when are we going to do our workout?" I told her later. Later came and I was still busy. Yep, she gave me an earful. Talk about accountability. Yes. We did do our workout. It was quite refreshing.

Need someone who'd give you a kick in the butt, keep you on your toes and get you moving? Either enlist someone who's willing to accept the task or find a way to keep yourself accountable.

Recently, I was listening to a self improvement audio by Jack Canfield, and one of the strategies suggested to use to keep you from self-sabotaging your own goals, is to promise yourself that if you didn't follow through you would do this really terrible thing that you really don't want to do.

Think of something that you'd really despise doing as a penalty on yourself if you failed to follow through on your promise to achieving your goal.

I know I won't be able to miss a workout and I can't fire my daughter. So guess what? I have no other choice and Dad's backing her, too. And no, I don't want to hear another mouthful.

Fuelling words: I keep following through on my goal achievement promise as I'm kept accountable.

Routine: Warm-ups, stretches, aerobics, toning and strength exercises, cool down.

Visualization - keeping focus on my goal; healthy, strong and my ideal body weight and shape.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.

Changing Inside Out Now! Tending the garden of the heart - Day 10

A different take on Easter - Part 3

Easter Sunday - The Resurrection - New Life

He is risen! As we celebrate the resurrected Christ in His transformed glorified body, we see a reflection in the transformation of our owns hearts.

Once we've continued to enrich our hearts, new growth, new life begins to spring up and the outward manifestation of the inner growth of our hearts is revealed.

The process:

1) The crucifixion, death and burial of Jesus Christ in the tomb is liken to the seed with its outer shell concealing the potential for new life and is sown into the nutrient-enriched soil.

2) Jesus in the tomb, the day after his burial is compared to the silent period where the outer shell of the seed begins to open up in the darkness of the nutrient-enriched and watered soil. The life-changing power begins the transformation process.

3) The stone is rolled away. Jesus emerges in his transformed and glorified body. New life penetrates the soil's surface to the outer realm where it is free to show forth it's transformed stage and continue to grow daily.

Compare Jesus' experience to your own inner transformation journey. From enriching the soil of your heart, to sowing seeds with life-potential in this nutrient-enriched soil, to continuing to water this soil during the silent period until you begin to see new growth emerging through to the surface.

Watering the soil of your heart daily ensures that your growth process continues.

Allow the life-power of the resurrected Christ to prevail in the transformation process of your heart, then you will have a heart full of love and compassion, as the Master, manifesting this internal enrichment in your external world.

Changing Inside Out Now! Getting my body back - Day 28

Renewed energy

Once you've rested and renewed your energy level, you're ready to get back into the swing of things again.

With vigour, you implement your new strategies to achieving your success. Draw from the renewed strength within you and build up those areas still lagging behind.

Be thankful for the small changes. Small changes, one step at a time, over a period of time add up to great differences from where you've started to the progress you've made.

No one was born as an adult. Everyone of us started off as an egg, fertilized and developed into an embryo and keeps growing into a full term baby. After birth, small changes occur day after day, year after year until adulthood.

If you were to look at each stage of human growth, birth/infancy, child, teenage, adult, you could use this as the progressive stage to visualize the process of growth for achieving your goal.

Expressing gratitude for small changes opens the door for more healthy growth to occur.

Fuelling words: I am energized to engage in daily activity and appreciate small changes.

Routine: Warm-ups, stretches, aerobics, toning and strength exercises, cool down.

Visualization - keeping focus on my goal; healthy, strong and my ideal body weight and shape.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.

Changing Inside Out Now! Tending the garden of the heart - Day 9

A different take on Easter - Part 2

The Silent Period

After Jesus died and was buried in the tomb, his disciples felt the sting of death. Surely, they were missing him. They remembered his promise of his resurrection and wondered what he truly meant.

They waited for the promise, the silent period, with no external evidence of this promise coming to pass.

During the process of tending your heart, you may not immediately see any external evidence. But you know that as you continue to water the seed (the inner desire) that was sewn in the nutrient-enriched soil of your heart, it will begin to become visible to the external eyes.

Don't be discouraged, today! Keep thinking thoughts of what you desire to achieve and speak words of life to your dream. Your reward is sure to follow.

Much life-changing transformation power was in the tomb where Jesus laid. Just as the seed undergoes its own transformation in the dark silence of the soil. This is the essential stage before the manifestation period. Without it, new life would never spring up.

Consider what's happening inside your heart. Looks like nothing's occurring? Feel the change. The life-changing energy force is at work within you. Wait for it! It's soon to penetrate the surface to your outer world.

Changing Inside Out Now! Getting my body back - Day 27

Take a break

When on the journey to achieving your goals, it is important to take the time to rest.

Resting rejuvenates your body and allows your mind to receive creative ideas. When you resume your routine again you are energized with renewed vigour.

During this time, it is important to reflect on the progress you have made so far, in addition to analyzing how close to your goal you've come and how far you need to go. It is also important at this time to think of ways to improve your performance; if you need to change what you're doing or add other activities.

Although you've suspended your regular activity for the day, you could engage in another activity that's totally different from the norm. E.g. take time to do an activity with the children, go for a stroll, this time slowing down to appreciate nature, or spend some time reading.

Enjoy rest and relaxation time, today. Your body will thank you for it.

Fuelling words: I rejuvenate my body cells with rest and relaxation.

Routine: Take a break today.

Visualization - As I rest, my body cells are rejuvenated energizing my energy level.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.

Changing Inside Out Now! Tending the garden of the heart - Day 8

A different take on Easter - Part 1

Good Friday

Easter, for Christians, is the celebration of the crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Good Friday represents the death of Christ. Perhaps we could apply the experience to our personal lives creating change from the inside out.

Once we've consciously made a decision to encourage change in our hearts and banish old ways, it's like sowing seed into the ground. The hard shell of the seed is like negative thoughts and unproductive habits and attitudes which conceal new life within. As the seed is sown in fertile soil, hidden from visible display, it goes through the transformation process where old habits, the hard shell, breaks opens.

As you water the newly sown seeds with your positive words of turning over a new leaf and speaking your new life, the nurturing process for this new life to emerge, begins.

Make the decision today to begin the changing process of burying the old way of thinking allowing it to open and fall off in nutrient-enriched soil.

Changing Inside Out Now! Getting my body back - Day 26

Get help

Whatever project you undertake, a workout partner can provide a good source of motivational assistance to keep you on track, especially when you get tired.

Working out with my 10 year old daughter has been quite encouraging for me because her support gives me that extra boost to push myself a bit further beyond my comfort zone.

On days when I feel a bit 'blah', she's there, full of enthusiasm, which provides with the extra motivational energy I need to keeping going. She's quite competitive and doesn't like to give up. Neither does she like it when someone says she can't do something. She gets even more determined to do it. She's very committed to our routine and that keeps me on my toes.

Perhaps you may need to consider getting a workout partner to assist you and keep you accountable and committed to your goal. Whether you join a group, ask a trusted friend or even your child, be sure to get the support you need.

Let's take a look at some of the qualities to look for in a workout partner that I've found helpful from my daughter:

1) Commitment - find someone who is committed to your success. Perhaps even more committed than you are.

2) Optimism - someone who is positive will always see the best when things get tough.

3) Enthusiasm - an upbeat person with a positive outlook will bring a lot of energy to the table with them which will flow over and energizing you in turn.

4) Motivation - with enthusiasm comes motivation. A person who is highly motivated to helping you achieve your goal will inspire you to pull up from deep within that extra zeal you need to keep moving toward your target.

When I'm doing my workout repetitions, whether for abs or thighs, my daughter may increase the number of repetitions. Even though I find myself always at 10 counts behind her, it still gives me the motivation I need to go beyond the norm and stretch further to a higher goal.

Fuelling words: Working with my workout partner helps me come out of my comfort zone and stretch to reach for a higher level.

Routine: Warm-ups, stretches, aerobics, toning and strength exercises, cool down.

Visualization - keeping focus on my goal; healthy, strong and my ideal body weight and shape.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.

Changing Inside Out Now! Tending the garden of the heart - Day 7

How to develop a 'nutrient-enriched' heart - Part 5

Movies

Valuable lessons are taught through movies. You just need to pick your movies with care. Because we have young children, we're very careful what movies we have in our collection, which is mostly comprised of children selections.

We teach our children to not just watch the actions but to think about the lessons being taught. For example, Disney's Princess and the Pauper -no matter what your status in life you can live your dreams. Happy Feet - even though you may be different from your peers, your difference may be the one thing that could save your friends or your family. Don't be ashamed to use your talent even in the face of humiliation.

Yes, I know, they're children movies but the lessons transcend age barriers.

Good quality movies add value to your heart; life lessons you can glean hidden within each scene.
Whatever your pick of movies, which resonates with your heart, look for the hidden gems. It may contain a piece of nugget you need at that moment in your life.

Changing Inside Out Now! Getting my body back - Day 25

Getting better by the day

Whenever you start off doing something new it may seem hard at first, but if you persevere, that same thing becomes easier as the days go by.

Many times we fail to attempt a new task because of fear. Fear that we may not be able to do it or trying and failing. Even if you've tried something and failed, and perhaps failed miserably, it doesn't mean that you should abandon the task altogether. It just means that you may need to do some more groundwork first in order to build up to that level.

For years I've been watching my 10 year old daughter do cartwheels and bridges and said that if I tried them I'd probably break something. But recently, while I was doing my workout, I decided that I'd try doing the bridge. It didn't work out for me. As a matter of fact I couldn't even lift myself off the floor. Yes, we had a good laugh.

Instead of me tossing the idea out and saying, "I knew I couldn't do it," then abandon the idea entirely, I looked at what kept me from completing the position. My hand muscles are not strong enough to push me up off the ground. The ground work that I need to engage in and have added to my daily routine is doing push ups to strengthen my hand muscles. Once I'm strong enough, I could now attempt to try the bridge at a later time.

One thing I've noticed though, is that I was able to complete, what my daughter calls, the stag sit position. When I first tried it, yesterday, I assumed the leg position but was unable to take my hands off the floor. Today, I tried the stag sit position again, and I was able to, not only take my hands off the floor, but lift them all the way up, stretching them upward towards the ceiling. This was quite an accomplishment for me.

As a matter of fact, I've had to increase my workout repetitions as they had become much easier. I've also added new routines to make me work harder.

Whatever new task you set out to achieve, don't allow its toughness to discourage you from moving forward. Take it one step at a time, do the groundwork and before you know it, you will be ready to take it to the next level.

Fuelling words: I'll master whatever groundwork is needed to reach my objective.

Routine: Warm-ups, stretches, aerobics, toning and strength exercises, cool down.

Visualization - keeping focus on my goal; healthy, strong and my ideal body weight and shape.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.

Changing Inside Out Now! Tending the garden of the heart. Day 6

How to develop a 'nutrient-enriched' heart - Part 4

Seminars

We've already covered how you can derive a nutrient-enriched heart from reading books, listening to music and audios. But if you are an outgoing person, attending live seminars is an excellent source to achieving the results you're looking for. New friendships may be established at these in-person events opening up all sorts of possibilities for you.

If you are unable to attend an in-person seminar, teleseminars also provide an enriched avenue of learning. Some may offer an opportunity for a workshop or course.

At a seminar or teleseminar you may have the opportunity to listen to others ask questions and hear the answers given. It may be the very question that you've been thinking of which can be very encouraging as you may take comfort in knowing that you're not alone.

Search for these online, in your local area or if you're adventurous, drive out to attend one in another city.

When attending these seminars, make sure you have a notebook to take notes. You'll not be able to remember all of what was discussed. Teleseminars sometimes provide recordings of the event, which you are able to download onto your computer, to listen to over and over again.

Make it a habit to go over your notes taken. As you read, try to absorb the information, internalize it, think about it and let it go deep inside your heart until it becomes a part of you.

Over time your heart produces enriched soil, ready to receive the seeds of your heart.

Changing Inside Out Now! Getting my body back - Day 24

Going with the wind of change

Once you've found your place in making a difference, do your best in all that you do. However, don't become too rigid that you're unable to see when the wind of change is blowing your way.

Your gifts may be greatly needed elsewhere or may have become ineffective in the capacity currently being used. Remember to remain flexible in order to be most effective.

E.g. using the example of a writer, if you are writing for one type of business but then you find that the need for your writing is no longer needed due to changes in business procedure, you don't change your ability to write, you just find another niche where your writing is beneficial. Instead of trying to focus on business writing, which clearly is not working out for you, shift gears and look for where you are needed.

Many have found themselves stuck in this rut and wonder why things are not working out the same as before. It's just that the wind of change has come in your life and you need to make the adjustments. Recognizing this alleviates the frustration of trying to make a non-working element workable.

Consider for yourself if the wind of change has come for you and what direction you need to follow.

While I focus on achieving my ideal weight goal, it's important for me recognize and take advantage of the opportunity to engage in other activities that will provide an outlet for me to burn extra fat and have fun at the same.

We were given a new CD with music for the new baby, Roxella. The irresistible music, comprising of different melodies from countries around the world, swept me off my feet into dancing mode. The children joined in. We had such fun.

Had I resisted the wind of change, how naturally it came, I would have missed the opportunity to do something really fun with the children and at the same time exercise muscles I hadn't reached in my regular exercise routine. What a blast! Who's up for round two? Let's do it again! Yeah!

Fuelling words: When life offers a new opportunity for a fresh way to achieve my goals, I grasp it and go with the flow, reaping the greatest rewards ever.

Routine: Warm-ups, stretches, aerobics, toning and strength exercises, cool down.

Visualization - keeping focus on my goal; healthy, strong and my ideal body weight and shape.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.

Changing Inside Out Now! Tending the garden of the heart. Day 5

How to develop a `nutrient-enriched`heart - Part 3

Audio

With the advancement of technology, getting information is easier than ever before. No longer are you restricted to acquiring physical audio material, i.e CDs, DVDs, or even Blue ray DVDs etc., you can now immediately purchase and download a lot of vital information from the internet and listen to it right away. Many sites offer a lot of free information, as well. This makes it easier and faster for anyone enriching their heart`s soil.

Audio enrichment come in the form of seminars, workshops, teleseminars etc., bringing rich step-by-step instructions and testimonials for enhancing many different aspects of your life. You choose what applies to you and what your heart says that is for your usage to accomplish what you intend to grow in your life.

By listening to these instructions you learn from the mistakes of others and acquire their wisdom, learned from their experiences, as your own. You now in turn use this well-nourished advise and guidance as a blueprint to provide vitamin and mineral enriched soil for you to sow the seeds (your desires) you want to grow.

Begin today to look for these audios, whether online, stores, or even the public library and change the soil of your heart.

Changing Inside Out Now! Getting my body back - Day 23

The Ripple Effect

Using your `nutritional`value for your benefit, as well as others, creates a ripple effect.

Everything we do, whether positive or negative, affects those that are around us. No one could say that they are too small to make a change. It takes a small pebble to interrupt the stillness of the pond. It takes a small boat to change the direction of the waves on a large lake. Your `seemingly` insignificant usage of your talent within your community can make a difference and change the flow of things.

You may not see the overall results of your input and the distance to which the effects of your gifts have traveled. But rest assured it plays a vital part to the workings of this place we call earth.

A kind word spoken to a child may stay with her for the rest of her life. It may instill some value that changed the course of history for the child or teenager or even an adult.

Your sharing your talent may inspire one person to live his dream and in turn he teaches others to do the same that great things are accomplished within society. It only takes one word, one act of kindness, sharing of one`s talents, your nutritional value, to add enrichment to another`s life.

Fuelling words: I create a ripple effect each day that I continue pursuing my goal. I instill in my children a healthy lifestyle and the knowledge that they can achieve anything they set out to do.

Routine: Warm-ups, stretches, aerobics, toning and strength exercises, cool down.

Visualization - keeping focus on my goal; healthy, strong and my ideal body weight and shape.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.

Changing Inside Out Now! Tending the garden of the heart. Day 4

How to develop a 'nutrient-enriched' heart - Part 2

Music is the melody of the soul. Music has a magical ability to touch us in places where words alone cannot reach.

Music can move us from one emotional stage to another. It has tremendous power engulfed in its rhythmic melody to move you from a position of stillness into its swaying beats. It speaks to us on a level that's deeper than our conscious mind. Its influence and impact on our lives is quite evident within our society.

From infancy to the elderly, music speaks the language of every age and grabs your attention.

What better way to use music to influence the richness of your heart's soil. Churches use it as a form of worship. Kindergarten teachers use it as a tool to engage young children into the class's lesson. Musicians use it to entertain and restaurants use it to set the mood and soothe their customers.

When you use music to transform your life, it can break through barriers and down wall in your heart allowing you to become supple and pliable to receive 'Vitamins and Minerals' so needed to enrich your soul.

Encourage good quality music in your daily life. The melody with lyrics will inspire you and lift you to a higher plain than where you are now.

Changing Inside Out Now! Getting my body back - Day 22

Taking your 'nutritional' value to the next level

Now that you've developed your writing skills (your talent), you need to find avenues to use them. Not just for your own benefit but for the enrichment of others, as well.

Using our previous example on Day 21, let's consider some places where you could use your developed ability.

1) Your local community.
- you could write for the local newspaper, covering events in your local community
- volunteer your skills for non-profit organizations within your area
- resumes for people looking for work

2) The internet - there are many sites and businesses looking for good writers for content to their websites or blogs, not just locally but also globally.

3) Your personal experiences - using your take on life can be beneficial to someone who's going through the same problem.

I've used the example of writing. But what about other talents? Take the same principles, apply them and improvise.

Think about where in your local area you could use your skills. Who are the best candidates. What about the internet? It's a vast place with many people with a variety of needs across the globe.

Brainstorm and explore new areas for use of your skills and make a difference in the world.

As I journal these insights and continue to pursue my ideal weight, it may give support and a road map to someone else who's decided to take this journey.

Fuelling words: I use my experience to challenge another to keep on keeping on until they reach their final destiny.

Routine: Warm-ups, stretches, aerobics, toning and strength exercises, cool down.

Visualization - keeping focus on my goal; healthy, strong and my ideal body weight and shape.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.

Changing Inside Out Now! Tending the garden of the heart. Day 3

How to develop a 'nutrient-enriched' heart - Part 1

There are many methods you could use to produce the nutrient-enriched fertile soil of the heart.

Many authors across time have left their wisdom behind as a blue print that others could follow. In the pages of many inspirational books you'll find life-changing words of wisdom to guide you in the path you should take. Learn from their mistakes and avoid the pitfalls they've found themselves in.

Reading a variety of books, including the Bible, provide solid steps to transforming you from the inside out leading you to greater levels of understanding of life and applying vital principles in your life.

As you become associated with these authors and their life stories, you become acquainted with them. But even deeper, as you internalize these principles, meditating on them daily, they become a part of you, transforming your thinking and renewing your mind on a daily basis.

Daily meditation on new principles allow them to be interwoven into your subconscious, thereby shaping and molding you into the person you would eventually evolve into.

Public libraries offer a wide range of books from which you can choose. After you've read them, you may want to purchase the ones most inspiring to add to your personal library.

Begin today to read as many books of varied authors adding the nourishment needed to enrich the soil of your heart.

Changing Inside Out Now! Getting my body back - Day 21

Now that you've identified your 'nutritional' value, what's next?

Perhaps, you may not feel confident enough to make 'nutritional' contribution to others. You may need to develop this area of your life some more.

Let's use an example. Suppose you want to be a writer. Consider these methods:

1) Decide what type of writer you want to be. Do you want to be a freelancer writing for travel magazines? Or a writer on staff at a local newspaper? Maybe you have a knack for writing children stories and need guidance to get them out of your head and onto paper.

2) Take a writing course at a local college or via the internet.

3) Visit websites in the area you're thinking of and get a feel of what other writers are writing about and their style of writing. Formulate your own style.

4) Join a writer's association to keep abreast of the latest news and changes in the industry.

5) Jot down story ideas as they come to you.

6) Formulate ideas in your niche from issues on the news.

7) Read all sorts of material to develop your vocabulary and writing skills.

Those ideas inside of you need a platform in which they can shine forth. This is a short list of ways to start. But it gives a foundation for you to begin enriching your 'nutritional' value to present it in a way that would be beneficial to others.

Fuelling words: I develop my knowledge base as I focus on reaching my goal that others may benefit from my success.

Routine: Warm-ups, stretches, aerobics, toning and strength exercises, cool down.

Visualization - keeping focus on my goal; healthy, strong and my ideal body weight and shape.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.