[Image from my Operation Beautiful Book Tour Post]
‘I don’t have a goal weight, I have a goal life.’
I heard this quote while watching an interview with an Extreme Weight Loss participant and it really clicked with me!
Along my journey, I realized that a certain number on the scale wouldn’t magically make my life perfect. For years I chased this number while becoming more and more unhappy.
I now focus on creating the life that I want, by taking small steps each day. It’s about how I feel each day when I wake up. If I wake up happy and eager to start the day, I know I’m on the right track. A certain number can’t dictate my happiness, but I can make changes in my life to feel my best.
While, I’m busy baking up orders today, I thought it would be fun to have a Glo Bar giveaway!
Leave a comment below sharing a lesson you’ve learned along your journey or simply share one of your favourite quotes.
One lucky winner will receive a delicious box of 10 Glo Bars! Goodluck!
Coming up, one of our favourite recipes so far in 2011….get excited!
One lesson I’ve learned is trust your instincts, so many times life will give you little hints about the “right path”, and while I’ve definitively not trusted my instinct 100% of the time, it was those choices that led me to start really listening to that little voice…which recently ha been dictating my school routes every morning lol
” Once you make your decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.”
– ralph waldo emerson
For some reason I got to the point where the people pleaser in me became so dominant that I forgot I should put myself first sometimes. I wrote this in my journal so I would see it constantly..
Love yourself.
Start today.
You deserve it.
You’re worth it.
I am trying to stay in today…in this moment. This moment is all we have…and this moment is mine :)
I have struggled with self esteem issues since high school (kids can be so cruel!) which also led to a lifetime of yo-yo dieting. Only in my mid forties did I finally realize magazine covers and Hollywood celebrities do not represent the majority of us. I now try to eat right and exercise on the days that I can. I am at a healthy weight, stronger than I have been in years and think I look pretty darn good for 48! Next week is my 30 year high school reunion and I am looking forward to it not dreading it. Thank you for sharing your recipes and your wisdom. One of my favourite quotes comes from a song: “follow your heart and nothing else”
I like this quote from Joel Osteen,
“God won’t allow you to go through difficult times if He doesn’t have a purpose for them. He has plans to use the adversity in your life to accelerate you towards the good things He has for you”.
Always go for your dreams no matter how hard it may be. When I first decided to go to culinary school, I was terrified and kept to myself for the first month or so. Then I realized, not everyone is going to like you so just be yourself and have fun. It is hard for me to step out of my comfort zone, but it is a great experience once I let go of my insecurities and just have fun. Culinary school (baking and pastry program) was the best year of my life and I do not regret it at all. It made me realize that my dreams are worth stepping out of my comfort zone for a little while.
I love this post! Thank you so much for teaching me to love my entire self, not only the bit of me that works out too much! The biggest thing I am learning right now is that nobody, other than myself, expects me to be perfect. My flaws are part of what makes me awesome – I don’t have to be a fitness robot who just exercises all the time and eats perfectly!
I have a couple lessons I’ve learned along the way, I hope it’s okay if I share both ;)
#!: My nickname is “Lil Bear”. This isn’t because I’m cute and cuddly (although I’d like to think I am). If people ask why, I make them think, pose a question for them: “What do you think of when you think of a Bear?” Most respond with something silly like honey, Yogi, or a crossfit inspired workout meant to kick your butt. However, the significance of a bear to me is thus: a bear is a solitary creature, but isn’t lonely. She takes humility in her solitude in nature, and doesn’t need a herd or huge family group to feel complete. She is strong beyond measure, and would do anything to protect her cubs. I see myself as a proverbial bear, someone who knows how to depend on herself and only herself, who finds peace in the solitude when she needs it and does not feel alone. I’m fiercely protective of those that I love and who are near and dear to me. My happiness is not dependent on anyone but myself. Learning how to be at peace with myself and only myself was a very long and difficult journey, but I think it’s a soul journey that everyone needs to take, otherwise you will find yourself crumbling when those around you fall, because you will lose the support system on which you built yourself on.
#2: I wear a bracelet that says “FEARLESS” 24/7/365, and often get the sarcastic comment, “Oh, so you’re not afraid of ANYTHING?” with dubious looks. This is typical and would be the obvious answer… If it were anyone but me. Being fearless is not the absence of fear; being fearless is letting the fear drive you to higher truths and deeper meanings, instead of remaining crippled and captive to it. In a recent blog post of yours, Andrea, you posted the following quote, and I will simply finish my summary of this lesson with it so that you may ponder it with new eyes:
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.”~Ambrose Redmoon
I absolutely love your analysis of the bear! What a cool, powerful way to view yourself :) Thanks for sharing!
You are a total inspiration. On my journey I haven’t so much learned a lesson as I’ve created a motto for myself. My body image definitely brings me down but I’m learning to overcome it. However, one of the most powerful feelings in the world is setting a goal and accomplishing it. That’s what I do now. I’ve decided not to just ease through life. By doing this I feel more confident, stronger, and happier about who I am. So here’s my motto (I hope you like it) . . . Dream it. Do it.
Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
One of the lessons i have learned along the way with regards to food, life, friends and life in general is to loosen my grip on how I think things are or ought to be. Its short but this quote grounds me.
.Nothing is absolutely so.
in health :)
Elisa
I have learned that the perceptions we have of ourselves are truly subjective and it is human nature to think that the grass is always greener. I’ve been in India for the last 5 months and the standard of beauty here is pale skin and a curvy body. I fit that model, but for years I have tried to tan and work my way down to the thin, lithe bodies that so many of my Indian friends have. Interesting isn’t it that the standard of beauty in both countries does not represent the “average woman” of either culture. It seems we cannot escape these false standards no matter where in the world we roam. How wonderful it would be to create a new definition of beauty, a real beauty that is not a certain color, or type or weight. And above all does not set-up the unattainable just to make us feel as if we have failed…
Funnily enough, my favorite quote comes from a Yogi tea bag: “The purpose of life is to enjoy every moment.” So simple, and so true.
I am a Weight Watchers Lifetime member below goal. I worked for Weight Watchers for 15 years. During that time I usually lead 4 classes a week at night after my regular job. I had access to the scale at every meeting. I NEVER weighed myself except once a week for what i considered my weekly weigh-in. I got in the habit of that and I think that is one of the best lessons you can learn. It will go up, it will go down, but don’t allow it to make you crazy or rule your life. Once a week is all you need…just so you know how you’re doing!
The quote that come to mind when I’m face with daily life challenges is ;
,Little by little does the trick.- Aesop
My favorite quote is a Mark Twain quote:
“Be yourself; Everyone else is taken.”
I love it because it reminds me, amidst all the tendencies for anxiety, self-deprecation, doubt and judgment, that there is no one else in the world who has the same composition- physically, emotionally, experientially and intellectually. It reminds me to take each new day, each new experience as an opportunity to make it a great day, to learn something new, and to be fully, compassionately, and radiantly my self.
Thanks, as always, for your own courage and inspiration.
How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.
I’m finally to the point in my life when I’m beginning to stop worrying about what other people think of me. When I begin feeling anxious about others’ opinion of me, I tell myself “Kayley, just be the best Kayley you can be and let others think what they want.”
I learned that health is not all about one’s weight, and that food is not the enemy. More so, the enemy is your own self-defeating thoughts about your own wellbeing. I’ve learned to LOVE the right foods, and I look forward to creating a new healthy dish at each mealtime :)
katherinedibello (at) gmail (dot) com
Life isn’t about finding yourself, it’s about making yourself =)