My Road Map for the next Month

My Road Map for the next Month:

**Walk 30 minutes 3 times a week
**Add strength training 2 times a week
~After I have traveled for 2 weeks on this road, I will take a side road and...

**Walk 30 minutes 4 times a week
**Strength train 3 times a week
~Two weeks on this trail and then I will...

**Increase walking time to 40 minutes per day
**Strength train 3 times a week
~I will take a rest stop and re-evaluate my road map and mark new routes as needed.

+++I will reward myself along the way with a virtual tour of different cities/countries that I am interested in, printing out information and maintaining a "Virtual Travel Journal" for the places I have experienced via the Internet.++++

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Daily Affirmations:

~I am strong.
~My breathing is slow and calm.
~ I think thoughts that uplift and nurture me.
~The world around me is full of radiant beauty and abundance.
~I am filled with love and share it easily.

Thought for the Day:

“Everyday courage has few witnesses. But yours is no less noble because no drum beats for you and no crowds shout your name”. --Robert Louis Stevenson

Tuesday's Treats

Today I am going to treat myself with good thoughts, positive feelings and many affirmations. I feel great about the novel I am writing this month for National Novel Writing Month. I plan on participating again next year and hope to attend the all night writing session the organization holds in the middle of the month in San Francisco. I wasn't able at attend this year, but I am setting the goal for next year.

My Spark Team, Inner Journey, has grown almost overnight. There are 48 members now. It blows my mind. The small team that started off with just me has almost 50 people. Not everyone participates regularly, but there are a few who do. Researching information to share has been extremely beneficial for me. I've learned a great deal. The interaction of thoughts expressed in the team forums helps to keep me motivated and strong. It is a lovely group of ladies. They are smart, creative, funny and strong.

I just found this quote on a picture at work: Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass... it's about learning to dance in the rain. In my life it is one storm after another, with few breaks in between. I have had to learn to dance in the rain. It is about looking for the fun and good times that can be had with the storm pouring down around you. If you try and wait out the storms, life passes you by. Make the most of whatever your storm is and find the silver lining in that storm cloud. It is there though it may be hidden or hard to find.

Dance~Sing~Live!

Road Maps for Motivation

"Writing down your goals creates your road map to success. Although just the act of writing them down can set the process in motion, it is also extremely important to frequently review your goals. Remember, the more focused you are on your running (substitute exercising) goals the more likely you are to accomplish them." ~TheRunningAdvisor.com

It is easy to think of goals and plan things out in your mind. The problem is sometimes we forget them or just push the thoughts aside and think about them later. When we write down our goals, we have effectively drawn a road map for our journey.

In the instance of motivation for exercise, a road map can keep us on course. On the days we just don’t feel like exercising, if we look at our road map, our goals, it sends a spark of energy to give us that extra push to maintain our course. With a road map posted in a place of visual prominence, it is a constant reminder to motivate us to take action and to navigate our life in the direction we have planned. Map your goal to walk every other day, to strength train three times a day or participate in Yoga or Aerobics once a week. Every map will be different. Each person’s goals are individualized for their life, their journey.

The more your road map of goals are before you, the more you will start to focus on them. Each advancement on the map will, in turn, motivate you to continue forward until you reach your destination.

Have you mapped your goals? If not, brush up on your mapping skills and get moving. Map your goals, your exercises and anything else that will aid you on your journey to exercise, lose weight and/or be healthy. Success is just a road map away!

Happiness...

Happiness...

"All the happiness you ever find lies in you." Anonymous

"Happiness is acceptance." Anonymous

If you put these 2 quotes together you come up with:

"Happiness is accepting yourself." Kellzie

The pursuit of happiness is something every person has been involved in at one time or another. We look for it, we search for it. It seems like we never find it. It might be because we are looking in the wrong place. Happiness IS inside of us and it IS in accepting ourselves.

I am so much happier since I have accepted myself. Yes, I have made some changes, tweaking myself and making sure I was living up to my potential. We should always seek to better ourselves, but it doesn't mean that we are not accepting the person we are. Sometimes we just have to accept that we will never be 95 pounds or that we don't look like Angelina Jolie. It doesn't mean we can't be happy about who we are.

Happiness comes from giving our best and knowing we have. Happiness is wanting the things we have. It is sharing smiles with others. It is loving our life even if it isn't perfect. Imperfections often add spice and variety. Embrace them instead of despising them.

My name is Kelley and I am happy with me!

Ghandi Quote

"Every worthwhile accomplishment, big or little, has its stages of drudgery and triumph; a beginning, a struggle and a victory." ~Ghandi

Ghandi stated that every worthwhile accomplishment has a beginning, a struggle and a victory. My pursuit of a healthy lifestyle and a happy life based on the person I know I am inside had a beginning. I recall distinctly when I knew I could no longer continue my life as it was. I made the distinct and conscious decision to change my life and control my emotions. It wasn't a gradual decision, it was an epiphany. I can look into my journal and see the beginning.

Things were moving along very well and I was quite proud of myself for the ease of my transitions. Was I fooling myself, or did I really believe such drastic changes could be so easy?? It wasn't long before the struggle part Ghandi spoke of became apparent. It is more of a struggle to maintain healthy eating and regular exercise. Occasionally, the hurdles of life slow me down and discourage me. I now have this quote to remind me that these struggles are normal and victory is my next step in my journey. Victory might not come tomorrow or the next day, but it is in sight.

I will continue to grow as a person and to develop the inner me. I will continue to make adjustments as the struggles affect my healthy journey and I will brave on knowing what awaits before me.

What stage of your journey are you in now? Whether you are in the beginning, the middle or near the end, don't give up and remember that others are right there with you. After all, every worthwhile accomplishment has drudgery and triumph.

Picture reference www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~lain/ghandi2.jpg