Thanksgiving weekend has given me: Food for thought, A new leaf to turnover, and Sky is the limit opportunities, It's time to make my Dreams Come True.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT...

It's been 4 weeks since I ended my 4 day juice fast and detox. At the end of that detox phase, I celebrated the fact that I stuck to it and made it happen.  I really didn't have a goal past that for myself.  Well I did commit to a goal at the gym for the last quarter of 2010, but I realize I wasn't in the right mindset to be passionate about it.  It was so obvious that even Gabe, our trainer, knew I wasn't committed.  At my last training session he slid down on the mat while I was streching and said  "So Val, what's it gonna take to get serious *or something similar*"  I was moved by the reality that I had truly been wasting my time and his over the last few weeks.  Shortly after that reality hit me, I missed a day of training and finally showed up and suspended training all together due to accepting that major stress levels in various aspects of my life were skewing my focus on ME, and I felt the best choice was to take a break from training until resolution was reached in those areas.  


Don't we always think...
"Oh I'll keep up the training, I can do this, I just need a break"  Well not always as easy to execute.

My stress levels and the decision I made to deal with them, have resulted in the return of bad eating habits, less working out, and a stalemate in positive forward movement towards any resolution. 


When stress bears it's ugly face at me I immediately go into paralysis mode on everything other than the area that is causing stress.  I focus and work to resolve, relieve, or in other words, bring closure to the area that is pressing on me.  I live in the moment of stress completely,  I combine working through it with prayer, and dealing with the reality of it.  Truth is, without letting go and realizing I can't control this on my own, it is an exercise in futility for me.  

While 'stress' is not healthy, this mode I go into seems to give me this false confidence in thinking that I am doing my best to gain control and resolve in the most expeditious manner possible.  It truly is a form of worry, even though I am praying through it.  It's an unhealthy level of worry and stress. Biblically I know we are told not to worry, and look at me!

In the end, does worrying change anything?  No but tell my heart that!

An interesting part of this journey for me is that the adventure down this new highway in my life also takes my thoughts and converts them into holigrams in my mind.  Those holigram thoughts continue to validate that I want to keep going down the highway that will take me to where I can be the best ME there is.  I call it the "It's All about Me" journey of health.  

This crossroad I am at today comes with Choicepoints!  
Choices - Choices, it's so hard, can't the choice just be easy?


TURNING OVER A NEW LEAF...
  
Choicepoints in life are good if we take on a healthy approach at making the right choice of course.  

I am on the brink of a choicepoint...

Turning over a new leaf must come with passion, honesty, and focus, a truly "All about Me" choice that compliments the journey down this new life highway. In order to get to the point of making a choice I have to consider this:  I am paralyzed in stress, do I want to stay here,  OR do I choose to face the reality that this may not be the healthiest path for me.  I naturally go into my self analysis mode in considering how successful I've been at my current approach.  I'm reminded of something a friend  of ours shares at moments like this.  His question resonates deep within me right about now, it goes something like this...

"How's that workin for ya, Val?"   

And I must fess up: (considering where I'm at), 

IT'S NOT!

MY Choicepoints

The choices I have are clear...
Continue down this Highway to Hell, and let stress rule my life, debilitating me, which it is already in certain ways.
OR
Choose to turn over a new leaf, flip a switch, refocus, and fight back?

I actually preach "just flip a switch" to my own family at times like this, so this is my moment to prove it works, right?


Flipping a switch is obviously best done, (for me), by first, trusting that God's path as my life's highway is a better choice, and believe that all will work out for the best, that there is a greater purpose and it will result in something far greater than I could ever make happen on my own, or imagine.  Speaking of trusting God, trusting Him is biblical wisdom, no? 


Romans 8:28 tells me that all things work together for good to those who love God, who; or that in all things God works together with those who love him to bring about what is good...(I am not always good with this verse btw :)


THE SKY'S THE LIMIT...

“There are times that we need to sit back and stop trying to be in control. It can be a futile, frustrating battle. Inner peace comes when we accept that it is God who is in control and understand that the... best course of action for us to take is to just relax and go with His flow.” (someone said this, but I can't remember who)

"Be True to Your Heart And Your Dreams Will Come True. 
Stay true to all your beliefs and goals. 
Stand tall..Through all life's setbacks and disappointments, 
and your dreams will come true."

(To Debra's poem below, I would only add that my faith is huge in achieving my goals and dreams. I have a Father who cares more than anyone can, it's HE that is with me every step of the way: I have claimed Jeremiah 29:11 as my verse!)  BUT, we do have make the choice, and in doing so we set our destiny in motion...

~ Debra Ruegg-Jenkins ~  
 
"When no one else is with you,
and no one seems to care,
just whisper to yourself,
"I am the controller of my destiny.
It's up to me what comes to pass,
and if I keep my thoughts positive and strong.
my dreams will come true."

When what seems to be impossible obstacles
stand in your way, just think of all the times
you got through yesterday.
There is a place for you in this world.
Stay on your chosen path.
All the power is within you;
be true to what is in your heart.
Be honest within yourself;
if you are, then you cannot fail.  Your dreams will come true."
 
And My Choice Is?...
Turn over a new leaf!  I choose to get back on course.  Let go of stress and trust that all will work out the way it's meant to and I can do nothing better than to get back on God's path by taking care of ME.  I am ready to move forward and continue on this Ride down Life's Highway.  I know this is my time, I feel it and I will only succeed!

So it's time to regroup, set goals, dream it, write it, commit to it, believe in it, work at it, and achieve it!
  

My turning over a new leaf moment, starts today, juice fasting this week, combined with reasonable workouts, and return to clean eating and training following that, I am in 'sky is the limit' mode and my choice is to take the path to accept nothing less. 

In my life I have had many dreams, several of them have come true. 
Now it's time for the rest of the dreams to come true!  The Sky is the Limit!!!  

Watch out world, I have a DREAM! 

A Chritmas Leaves When Dreams Come True 

by William S. Phillips

 It's just me, Val!  Ciao

A Gift ...Overcoming Fear - A Fresh Start

A GIFT...

Saturday I joined my mother-in-law at a lady's event held by her church.  What a great time we had.  Vendors were setup throughout this enormous facility and thankfully I managed not to spend too much, though very tempting.  I did get some unique Christmas and Birthday gifts for family checked off my list.

 . 

Lunch was the next item on the venue and it was DE-LICIOUS!  The Women's Committee catered in from a great Italian Cuccina, wonderful salad covered with artichoke, black olives and parmesano, baked mostoccioli,  Italian bread, and for dessert a great chocolate cake cut into brownie size slices with in fact, a brownie consistency.  

Yummy all the way down!

The highlight and the best gift of the event, if I may say, was listening to Ms. Valorie (*my name, it has to be good :) Burton, a published author, just completing her 6th book, and a personal life coach. 

A note before I tell her story...on my way there Saturday, I actually asked God to speak to me through the speaker, I didn't know who, as I have been pretty stressed and down lately.  He came through, as He only can do!  He not only spoke to me through her but He knew the very point I needed to hear from Him, the very point that would get my undivided attention.  "Finding Your Purpose, In Life"   

Valorie shared practical coaching advice with great examples from her life that led to her zoning in and finding "God's Purpose for Her Life".  Some of the stories she shared were humorous of course, but very pointed and telling.  For instance, did you know FEAR is one of the biggest reasons we miss God's purpose for our lives?  

She led us into a story that shared how fear can hold us back.  I'll paraphrase her story here, (Valorie if for some reason you ever read this, forgive me if I miss something here.) 

 

Overcoming Fear 

...at the Portapotty - "GO-oN Now, Get!"

The story goes that when she was small her family went on a trip with her grandmother.  They came to a point where Valorie felt an overwhelming need to find a restroom.  So her dad stopped at what ended up being a portapotty...(I forget what state this was in but certainly as I share the rest, it wasn't a state you would find this next encounter normal at all.)  

Valorie got out of the car and went to the front of the portapotty which was facing the other way.  As she rounded the corner, right in front of the doors of the portapotty, she encountered none other than a MOOSE!  A HUGE MOOSE...she said it was much larger than a horse.  So she slowly backed up, turned and ran back to the car. 

At the car, she shared with her family that she didn't need to go as badly as she thought she did.  

Her family asked her what happened and she told them of the encounter with this MOOSE, at which point her 'southern', North Carolina bred Grandmother exclaimed 

"A Moose?"  Then directed her to come with her and headed right back to the portapotty with Valorie in hand.  

When they rounded the corner there stood that MOOSE right in the same place in front of the doors and her grandmother walked right up to it, looked in it's eyes, pointed outward and said "GO-oN, Now GET!" and that Big HUGE MOOSE humbly put it's head down, turned and slowly retreated, at which point Valorie rushed into the portapotty as did her mom before that MOOSE returned!  LOL  too funny...a lil grandma can tell a big ole MOOSE what to do and it listens to her as 'authority'.

Her point with this story is that too often we let fear, just like that Big Ole MOOSE, hold us back and takeover, instead of facing it we run.  Only problem is we don't have a fearless grandma to take over and pave the way for us as Valorie did that day.  

Or do we?  

...In Storms of Life

In his book 'Fearless,' Max Lucado shares that "Fear may fill our world, but it doesn't have to fill our hearts."

You don't have to be well versed in the bible to know about the incident of the Storm that hit while the disciples were out in the boat with Jesus:

The disciples were over wrought with fear while Jesus just slept in the back of the boat.  Instead of realizing His authority, they questioned his character..."don't you care?"  Of course we know that Jesus stood up and commanded for the storm to cease and it did.

Max shares that Jesus commands us "Don't be afraid" 21 x's, He commands us to Love God and our neighbor 8 x's...thus Max suggests,  "if quantity has anything to do with it", Fear is an issue He wants US to address and make sure we know the authority we have over it.  

Fear can hold us back, squash the joy right out of our lives, cause health issues and many other debilitating things for us.   

Max goes onto share: "Fear sucks the life out of the soul, curls us into an embryonic state and drains us dry of contentment."  "When life spins wildly, we grab for a component of life we can manage: our diet, the tidiness of a house, the armrest of a plane, or in many cases, people.  The more insecure we feel, the meaner we become.  We growl and bare our fangs.  Why?  Because we feel cornered"  "Fear turns us into Control Freaks."

Max shares this story: "Martin Niemoller documents an extreme example of this.  He was a German pastor who took a heroic stand against Adolf Hitler.  When he first met the dictator in 1933, Niemoller stood at the back of the room and listened.  Later, when his wife asked him what he'd learned, he said, "I discovered that Herr Hitler is a terribly frightened man."  "Fear releases the tyrant within."

A FRESH START...

Did you know that Faith is the opposite of Fear?  I didn't either!  Never thought of it that way before.  Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.

We do have authority over fear!  

As Valorie shared, we need to inherit her grandma's faith and confidence, an authority over fear!  Just look that fear right in the eye (just like grandma!) and say...

"GO-oN, Now GET!"  

Remember how that MOOSE responded to her grandma.  

Fear will respond to your authority over it, as well.

I'm all about a "Fresh Start"...

I want to put my faith in action and let loose a "GIANT" within me.   

I have always depended on my faith and have even experienced the awesomeness of a "Great Faith."  It never has failed me.

Join Me, if you care to, On this Ride Down Life's Highway

Just sayin...

It's Just Val, Ciao!


http://www.valorieburton.org/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgkTeSdiWzs

http://www.maxlucado.com/fearless/