Challenge Yourself ... By Using Your Kids

My oldest daughter needs to work on her flexibility and my younger daughter needs to work on her core strength.  Both my daughters love nothing more than a nice dinner out.

I noticed the perfect challenge and reward for the summer.  Each week I would give them a few exercises to help them with the areas that need work and if they completed all of the exercises at the end of the week we would all go to dinner.

Of course I decided I should challenge myself as well since I was going to be partaking in the reward.

So I make a list of of 5 or so different exercises for us ... some easy and some a bit more challenging.  I put the items in pretty fonts and colors and followed each one by the number of times it needed to be done each week.  Each week I change up the exercises and intensity.

It seems to be working great for each of my kids because they have control over what they want to do and when. It seems to be working well for the group because we all motivate each other so we can all head out for sushi on Tuesday.  And it seems to be working great for me because I don't want to let my kids down.  No matter what, I will get my items done because I love them (and, well,  I love raw tuna).

It is amazing what great motivation the love of your kid's happiness is.  A much better motivator than the fear of disappointing your personal trainer or your workout buddy.

YOUR TURN
Set up a challenge for you and your kids and pick a reward that everyone in the family loves.  See how motivating it can be!

Habits ... The Big Elephant Blocking the Doorway to Change

For many years of my life I got up at 4:30 and exercised.  I felt great.  I looked great.  Everything was great.

Then somewhere along the line I started getting up at 4:30 on some days but at 5:30 on most days and then didn't have time to exercise.  So I stopped.  And I stopped looking great and I stopped feeling great.  Everything was not great.

After a while of this not great stuff I decided I had to fit exercise back in my schedule.  But when I forced myself to do it in the early morning I was not happy.  It felt like a chore.  But damn it, EARLY MORNING IS WHEN I EXERCISE!  I spent a lot of time trying to force this issue until I realized that I was not exercising enough still AND I was making myself stressed out AND I was unhappy.

I realized that exercising in the early morning was a habit.  And since it was making me unhappy, it was a bad habit.  One that I needed to break.  That habit was a big elephant standing in my doorway to happy!

So I forced myself to try exercising after I took the kids to school.  Which meant going to work and hour later.  My initial thought was that it was never going to work.  And guess what, for the first few days it didn't.  It felt all wrong but I stuck to it.  And after a couple of weeks it has become my new habit.  I am now exercising enough AND I don't feel at all stressed AND I am happy.

And I new realize that at some point in time things will change I and I will have to move on from this habit and create a new one.  I hope I have learned enough to do it more gracefully this time!

YOUR TURN
Is there something that is no longer working for you?  Even if it is a good thing?

Is it your morning routine of getting the kids out to school?  Is it the way you clean your house?  Is it what you pack for lunch?

If so, let go of the habit and create a new one!

If you need a little support, I have to highly recommend Zen Habits.  It is a really inspirational site about clearing away your crap so you can be happier.  And he often deals with habits.

Do You Really Know What You Want to Do?... Replacing "Should" with "Could"

Remember when I asked you what could make you happier at this very moment?  Have you been asking yourself?  Have you been making yourself happier?  Are you ready to take it to the next level?

Good.  Then erase the word "should" from your vocabulary and replace it with the word "could". ( I read this in "Soul Coaching" by Denise Linn last week and I just love it!)

I was looking at the definitions of the words and ran across this on some website... Should expresses what the speaker feels is morally right or most expedient for the situation.  Could is a good choice for offering ideas to someone else who will be the decision maker.

So, when you use the word "should" you are putting all of your habits, filters and limiting beliefs on the situation.  You are being driven by the fear of the consequences.  I should fold the laundry before I go to bed... because if I don't my kids will be mad that their favorite outfit is not ready for school, because if I don't my husband will wonder what I do all day, because if I don't my house will look cluttered.

But when you use the word could you are allowing yourself to look at the options and decide what feels right in the moment.  I could fold the laundry before I go to bed..... and I will because I am not that tired and that will give me an extra 10 minutes in the morning which will make me really happy or I won't because I am really tired and I would be happier to be asleep right now.

Do you see how should is filled with fear and could is filled with love?  A useful little trick, isn't it?

YOUR TURN
Every time you use the word should today, immediately replace it with could.  You might make yourself a reminder like an index card or putting the words on the home screen of your phone.

When you use could. do you feel happier?  Even if the outcome is the same as if you had used should?