Day 90 – 1% Change {90-Day Challenge} Focus

October 31, 2015October 31, 2015 | Robynn

When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.
~Ken Blanchard

WoO-HoO! Today is the final day – Day 90 – of the 1% Change {90-Day Challenge}!

How did you do? After looking back over these 90 days, can you see some growth? Maybe you didn’t experience 1% Change every day, but how about every week? If you were to rate your growth how would you rate yourself?

Today may be a day for celebration for you – you made some positive changes – or it may be a DaY FoR ReFleCtiOn if you didn’t follow through on your good intentions. I’m hoping it is a day for both.

And as you reflect, use these questions and come up with your own to assess your growth, as well as learn from your experience:

How did I succeed?
Why did I have this success? (What did I do to contribute to that success?)
How did I fail?
Why did I have this failure? (What did I do to contribute to that failure?)
If I were to do this challenge again or something similar, what would I need to adjust to have better results?

As I reflect on my 90 days, I see successes – I kept at it even when I didn’t feel like it, but I also see failures – I lost focus from time to time. With my successes I congratulate myself and with my failures I devise a plan for the next time I face a similar situation.

How are you going to build on your experience from this challenge? You can use it for your BeNeFiT regardless of whether it was a success or failure. What is your next step?

I hope you’ll use this experience as a stepping stone to where you want to go!

BeSt WiShEs!!

P.S. For the previous post in this series click HERE.

Day 88 – 1% Change {90-Day Challenge} Quantum Leap

October 29, 2015October 31, 2015 | Robynn

Nothing builds upon your momentum and sense of progress like taking massive action.
~Ed DeCosta

This past summer my family visited a hotel that had a beautiful small lake directly behind it. Crossing over this lake was a picturesque bridge and on the lake people were in boats enjoying this relaxing resort with all its amenities.

As my family watched people in paddle boats we decided that we too wanted to get in a paddle boat and cruise around the lake. So we jumped in a boat – my husband and oldest daughter in one paddle boat and my youngest daughter and I in another.

It was an incredibly windy day and we were heading into the wind. OuR GoaL was to cross under the bridge to the other side of the lake. As my boat began to approach the bridge we were met by a lady in a paddle boat who yelled to me that the current under the bridge, along with the wind, was too strong for one person to paddle through. Well, that was all the motivation I needed. I was determined I would make it over to the other side.

Reaching the bridge I quickly realized how difficult it would be to overcome this current and pass under the bridge. I peddled like my life depended on it, making only tiny strides, but I kept at it.

If I let up in the slightest, any effort I had made was quickly lost, so I peddled like mad and after a minute or so of giving it my all, I was able to overcome the current and wind and get to the other side. From that point on, everything was a breeze.

This story reminds me of life. Sometimes in order for change to occur, the situation requires a QuAnTuM LeAp, a breakthrough, or whatever you want to call it. Sort of like the energy needed to lift a rocket. Initially the energy exerted is incredible, but once you have your momentum, the rest is actually almost easy.

As you assess your situation and what you desire to accomplish, ask yourself if it can be best accomplished with small steps, or do you need a quantum leap to get the ball moving? Answering this question might help you determine which approach would be best for reaching your goal.

What action are you going to take to get momentum on your side?

P.S. For the previous post in this series click HERE.

For the next post in this series click HERE.

Day 85 – 1% Change {90-Day Challenge} Gaining Momentum

October 26, 2015October 31, 2015 | Robynn

Tenacity is the solution to many a problem that you will encounter on the road to your dream.
~John C. Maxwell

This may sound nerdy to some, but one thing I love to do is learn, read, and grow. I love to do this so much that I joined the John Maxwell Team becoming a Certified Speaker, Trainer, and Coach. {{By the way, if you are interested in joining this World Class Team, let me know and I can hook you up! }}

In his book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, John talks about the Law of the Big Mo. The Big Mo, that John is referring to, is momentum and earlier this year I found myself in desperate need for momentum. I was stuck. Just couldn’t seem to make any forward progress in Peace with Food.

So, I began reflecting on the principle of momentum and was later given the opportunity to ask John the following question:

How do you gain MoMenTuM? Is it by taking baby steps or by taking a quantum leap?

His answer:

Ask yourself, “What is the SiMpLeSt ThiNg (not necessarily the easiest thing) I can do that will give me the greatest return?”

I love that answer.

As I look back on my life I see how his answer was spot on. At times I had gained momentum due to small steps and other times I had taken the quantum leap to get the ball rolling. But before John answered my question I had never connected the dots.

Do you feel stuck? Do you need to gain momentum in some area of your life? If so, ask yourself John’s simple, but powerful question and then as John says, “Begin stringing together little wins to GeT A BiG WiN.”

P.S. For the previous post in this series click HERE.

For the next post in this series click HERE.

Day 82 – 1% Change {90-Day Challenge} Don’t Quit

October 23, 2015October 28, 2015 | Robynn

Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.
~Dale Carnegie

How are you doing on your 1% Change? Are you pressing on even when you feel like quitting?

I memorized this quote during my high school basketball season. It EnCoUrAgEs me to this day – reminding me not to quit.

Don’t Quit

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high
And you WaNt To SmiLe, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he StUcK It OuT;
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow–
You may succeed with another blow,
Success is failure turned inside out–
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit–
It’s when things seem worst that you MuSt NoT QuiT.
– Edgar A. Guest

Hashtag to self: #donotquit

P.S. For the previous post in this series click HERE.

For the next post in this series click HERE.

Day 80 – 1% Change {90-Day Challenge} Speeding up Your Metabolism

October 21, 2015October 28, 2015 | Robynn

You were born to win. But to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win.
~Hilary Hinton “Zig” Ziglar

Lately I’ve been doing a lot of research regarding increasing one’s metabolism. I know I have heard other women say this often, but sometimes I seriously think my metabolism is stuck! I feel like it has been that way since I was about 26.

I vividly remember when my body changed in that regard. I went from being able to drop 10 pounds – by running 3 miles a day for two weeks – to having to work my tail off to get that number on the scale to barely move!

At one time, I even had my thyroid tested because I was sure I had hypothyroidism {an under-active thyroid disease}. Yes, I even Googled it and my symptoms seemed to confirm this condition {low body temperature}. But when the blood work came in I got a clean bill of health!

In my research, I discovered some common threads running through the different articles regarding how to help speed up your metabolism, so I am going to do my best to adopt these habits in my life:

DriNk GrEeN TeA. {I have tried to do this on numerous occasions to no avail, but when I read over and over that green tea can increase your metabolism and burn fat I was sold!}
EaT MoRe ProTEiN. {Already knew this, but I am going to try to swap out my empty calorie snacks for high protein snacks such as Greek yogurt and nuts.}
HIIT {High-Intensity Interval Training}. I was convinced years ago that intervals were a very efficient way to burn calories when I read, “Interval training burns calories like lighting fluid.” So, am thinking I may want to add some more.
Make sure you are EatiNg EnOuGh CaLoRiEs for your body.
LiFt WeiGhts.

If you are feeling that you are “stuck” you might want to try some of these strategies! Whatever you do, don’t quit, just keep making those 1% changes!

P.S. For the previous post in this series click HERE.

For the next post in this series click HERE.

Day 75 – 1% Change {90-Day Challenge} What are You Telling Yourself?

October 16, 2015October 21, 2015 | Robynn

Be a doer and not a critic.
~Tony Blair

Research shows that women speak about 20,000 words per day compared to the 7,000 words that men speak.

InTeReStiNg.

But even more interesting to me would be to learn the amount of words that we speak to ourselves in the course of a day. Would it be twice as much? Half as much? About the same?

My guess is that we talk to ourselves way more than we ever talk to others.

Regardless of how many words we speak to our self, the fact remains that our dialog is continuous.

And that’s SiGniFiCaNt.

Because what we tell our self is what we really believe to be true. And this powerful self-talk becomes our reality.

That is one reason I like to be intentional about my self-talk and speak AfFiRmAtiOns – powerful statements declaring what I desire to do, be, and have. Statements that help speak my dream into existence.

Jack Canfield (author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series) talks about affirmations in his book The Success Principles. We also talk about them in our book, Peace with Food: Eat What You Want. Never Diet Again. Live a Happy Life. Affirmations such as:

I am confidently living a life of PeAcE.

I have all the ReSoUrCeS to do what I am called to do.

I am StRoNg and courageous.

Don’t those statements just make you feel better and give you hope?

The fact is that you are constantly talking to your self. Will your words be ones that build up or tear down?

What uplifting affirmations can you begin to speak about yourself starting today?

P.S. For the previous post in this series click HERE.

For the next post in this series click HERE.

Day 71 – 1% Change {90-Day Challenge} Solitude

October 12, 2015October 16, 2015 | Robynn

Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action.
~Peter Drucker

Been spending a lot of time in ReFlecTioN lately. One way I do that is by journaling.

Actually, writing in my journal is very TheRaPuTiC for me. It keeps me grounded and helps me pin down all the thoughts zinging around in my head. When I write, I feel anchored and gain clarity. Been doing it for years and can’t ever imagine not doing it.

Am looking at some of the passages I have underlined in my book The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth by my MeNtoR, John C. Maxwell, and he has the following to say about this subject in Chapter 4 – The Law of Reflection:

“Study the lives of the great people who have made an impact on the world, and you will find that in virtually every case, they spent a considerable amount of time alone thinking. Every significant religious leader in history spent time in solitude.”

And that is where I’m going to spend some time. In solitude and reflection, asking myself what my next step is to make a 1% change today.

P.S. For the previous post in this series click HERE.

For the next post in this series click HERE.

Day 67 – 1% Change {90-Day Challenge} Intentional

October 8, 2015October 16, 2015 | Robynn

Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.
~Napoleon Hill

Here’s a question for you. Do you go throughout your day on pilot or are you living on purpose? Do you plan ahead and then do what’s necessary to complete that plan or do you just let life happen to you?

If we want to live our BeSt LiFe EvEr it will require that we be intentional. John C. Maxwell says that being intentional is deciding on the front end and then taking action. Some people call this being proactive. It’s being in the frame before the action happens instead of after the fact when there’s nothing that can be done about it.

As we finish up this 1% Change {90-Day Challenge} take note. HoW InTeNtioNaL ArE YoU? What can you do to become more intentional? What type of system do you need in place so that you can be intentional.

All are questions worth pondering.

P.S. For the previous post in this series click HERE.

For the next post in this series click HERE.

Day 64 – 1% Change {90-Day Challenge} The Right Kind of Pain

October 5, 2015October 16, 2015 | Robynn

We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment.
~Jim Rohn

If the above quote is true (and I think it is), I then have to ask myself the following question,

What kind of pain am I currently experiencing in my life, ThE pAiN Of DiSciPLiNe OR the pain of regret/disappointment?

Today I am pondering this question in the following areas:

PeRsOnAL
ReLaTiOnShipS
FiNaNcEs
PrOfEsSiOnAL
SpiRiTUaL

Must admit, I am experiencing the pain of disappointment and regret in some of those areas. TiMe To Do BeTtEr. And I will do this intentionally by reflecting and then making the necessary adjustments.

Lesson Learned: Pain isn’t always a bad thing if you are experiencing the RiGhT KiNd Of PaiN.

P.S. For the previous post in this series click HERE.

For the next post in this series click HERE.