It all began with a simple statement by a friend to me after I was talking (okay, VENTING about a guy) “just be aware of the mental stories you tell yourself about men/dating because you will make them true.”

Whoa. Let me stop right there.

Now, I am a pretty positive thinker about most, if not all, things. Can I run a marathon? Sure. 50 miles? You bet? 100 miles? Of course! Can I say no to the Lemon Chiffon Cupcake? Yep! Okay, maybe not every time, but you get the point. BUT the one area I might be thinking differently is the male species. AKA, boys, men, guys. And I am not just talking about dating either.

But how did I get these adjectives to begin with? I will be real with you. Not that you would expect anything different, of course . But before we go there, let me clarify why I am writing this in the first place.

1) To help other women. I am pretty certain I am not the only one with some of these “feelings” out there. Or maybe you wonder if you can heal after being abused or divorced (hint: the answer is YES!). Perhaps my journey will help you.

2) To encourage others. Maybe it’s not guys, but girls or running or eating or self image or being happy or ____ (fill in the blank). What do you need to change your mindset to or from? This can apply to men or women.

The brief back story. I didn’t get “all guys are jerks” overnight. No, it began at a very young age. I was abused by my dad til late teens, then got married & found out a month into our marriage that he was online cheating. After several years of trying to deal with it, I was on a training run & realized he could never be the father of my kids and so we separated. Which turned into a divorce by the age of 28.  (And I will say this, that was one of the best decisions I have ever made!)

From there, I had two more boyfriend relationships. The first one was also violent. The next one was great until he broke my heart because he told me he didn’t want anymore kids (he had two already; which I adored & cared for). After that relationship ended I took some much needed time for myself. And it was worth every solo night! Hey, I like my own pillow .

So yes, I have been extremely hurt, heart-broken and somewhat jaded. Although my heart & soul have healed slowly over the course of time, my mind has yet to catch up. But I am determined (see the ultra runner/endurance athlete in me?! ) to heal  & move on. I have to believe that not ALL guys are ruthless!

So after my friend said the above comment, I stopped & thought. Wait. Do I really walk around & think that internally? Yeah, I do. Sad face. But I don’t want to live like that. I want to live free. So, I made a challenge with myself. Take 365 days to change my way of thinking about guys. Are they really jerks & abusive? Or are some actually kind, good and moral?

After praying about it for a few days, I felt lead to share my story (both past & present) with you. I know I will be judged (who cares?), perhaps mocked and this will probably kill any imagination of a dating life. BUT if I have helped one person with my story, then I have MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

So in the coming weeks and months, walk and read with me as I embark on this challenge. 365 days to a good a guy. 365 days to work on changing my thinking of men.

To kind & good guys! Challenge on!

PS: if you notice the photo above, it is of a butterfly. It has significant meaning to me. When I was a little girl I used to watch butterflies fly and imagine that one day I too would be as free as them and let the harshness of this world be below me. To this day, every time I see a butterfly I am reminded of God’s grace and goodness and far He has brought me. May we be as free as them!

Photo by: astrogrl

I was in Long Beach, CA the other weekend as a guest of  AC Milan/Nutrilite. Sunday night we went to the AC/Galaxy game. And we had VIP perks. Sweet! While thinking about this VIP status I was reminded that we are all very important people.

Just because our group had special seats (and let’s not forget the food) it didn’t mean that we were better then the people who didn’t have them. Sometimes when we receive the VIP treatment it is easy to act like “we” are in a different class then others. But in fact, we are all the same. Each of us is a very important person. If we would remember that on a daily basis and treat others like that our world would be a very different place. My challenge to myself as well as to you is to treat EVERYONE you come in contact with to treat as a very important person. Because you may be the only person to show them you care. VIP rocks!

Photo by Saquan

I am totally excited to feature something that I love! Pushups! Yes, you read that right! Steve Speirs has started a craze called 100 pushup challenge.

Pushups are a fantastic way to build upper body strength, plus core strength. They are also a great way to see how strong you can become in just weeks!
So, please join me in “100 pushup challenge”.   Head on over to www.hundredpushups.com

Take the initial test (make sure you receive clearance from your doctor first). The plan Steve has laid out is easy to follow. So don’t let the number 100 scare you!

The cool thing is that you can do pushups ANYWHERE! You don’t need a gym. Just a floor and YOU! If you want to have some killer arms, then you have to get on the pushup band wagon! Oh and let me or Steve know you are joining in the craze! You will be glad you did!

Photo by MikeBaird

Did I catch your attention? Well, I am going to write a few thoughts about a 4 letter word & it’s not the word you might think it is! The 4 letter word is called LIFE.

The word “life” brings up so many different thoughts, feelings, definitions, hopes, dreams and yes even fears.

Despite all these descriptions that the word brings, the fact of the mater is this: what are you doing with YOUR life? Are you living for the weekend? For summer or winter vacation? For retirement? Are you living for someone else? Are you limiting yourself to short term goals?

There are times in my life that I need to stop & think, why am I doing this? Is it for me or will it bless someone else? The choices we make affect everyone around us.

Recently as I was preparing to go to yoga class, an unscheduled phone call was received. I REALLY wanted (and needed) to do yoga. But as I was pondering the implications of NOT taking the call, I knew it was not an option.

As I spoke with the caller I knew why I took the call. They needed me at THAT time. It wasn’t about me. It was about this person’s life. As we talked, I was happy that I choose the phone call. THAT my friends is what LIFE is all about. Challenge for you: what will YOU do for a LIFE?

Photo by Wsilver