Push Play

With Beachbody, one of the mantras is "Push Play." Of course, in a company who makes workout videos designed to be done at home, the meaning is pretty obvious. Push play on the videos (and do them) and you will see results.

I've thought about that saying applied in other areas of my life. In the past few years, I've noticed that I have a tendency to live more in ideas and planning, and less in actually executing those ideas and plans. In many areas, I've never been one to show a lot of initiative, to be proactive. So, I've thought about pushing play as a good mantra for me, to just DO it, set forth and get that idea implemented.

I also have realized how much I am responsible for, too. I am a big believer in God's sovereignty. I believe that He has total control of things. So, I don't know if my tendency to show little initiative, has been related to that belief, and just sort of waiting for God to bring something about in my life. I'm just realizing more that it has to be both. God is still in control, but I have to push play and DO things as well. I mean, if I keep making bad decisions, I still am going to have consequences from those decisions. Likewise, if I make good decisions, I will have consequences for those. So I really can benefit from taking more initiative and just do it.

What areas in your life are you still sitting in the ideas and planning stages, just waiting for something to happen? Decide now that you're just going to PUSH PLAY.

Family, Photos, and Fitness

I am wanting to post a little more often to this blog, making it more about my other areas of interest, too. I am a wife and a mom, so my family is important to me. And there is definitely a lot to share about what I learn as a mommy to my 3-year-old daughter. I'm also really into photos and memory keeping. The way I most like to do that is through digital scrapbooking and making photo books. So I may share a few photos or scrapbooking tips that I pick up along the way. Or just some of the things that I create. In addition to becoming physically fit, I am working on being emotionally and spiritually fit, too. You have to focus on all of those areas, not just one, in order to be balanced. And I will still post my weekly weight loss update as I continue on my journey.

I mentioned this in another post, but one thing that I was noticing about myself before I started all this, was that I was really easily irritated. With my husband, my daughter, my work, myself. And it could get really ugly, especially in the mornings when I was running late to work. This was something that didn't make me feel that great, but that was me, easily irritated. I didn't want it to be me, though. I've started realizing how much the seemingly little decisions that I make everyday can make a huge impact in my life. It didn't seem like a big deal to eat some peanut M&M's, but over every night that I did it, it certainly added up. It also didn't seem to be that big of a deal to make a negative comment here or there when I was frustrated, but doing that everyday, my husband started to see me as a negative person. Or my daughter started to imitate what she had seen me do when she became frustrated. Hmm. THAT is not a fun realization, to see that your child is mimicking your negative traits.

Not only have I seen more how much those "little" choices matter, but I've also seen MY responsibility in those choices. I don't know if I was just going through life thinking that things were happening to me, but I think that I was living like that. Now granted, things happen to us, but we have choices in those things as well. We've heard all of the adages...when life gives you lemons, make lemonade (or squirt lemon juice in someone's face, as I've recently seen); no one can determine how you feel or act in circumstances, and that sort of thing. But I'm seeing that those things really are true. I can be proactive or reactive. I can take responsibility for my actions or I can blame others and my circumstances. So I've started to practice that. And it is making a difference.

So what decisions do you need to start making? What can you do today to start being more proactive and less reactive?