Challenges, Excuses and Goals

It's been about a month since I was consistently blogging and I have had so many different thoughts in my head that I want to share. The most important thought is about life: where I am, where I want to be and what I want to accomplish. I have realized that over the past month I have allowed "challenges" to throw me off the path that I want to travel because it was easier to go around life's obstacles instead of tackling them head on. I have done this several times this past month and now that I am searching for a way back onto the path I want in life, I see that all those obstacles I was attempting to avoid only allowed me to get completely lost. I am always the first one to tell someone that if "God has brought you to it, he will bring you through it" and I feel like such a hypocrite thinking about how I have been hiding from things that I have no control over instead of taking that saying to heart and know that God is standing with me and I do not need to be afraid.

I am a wife to an amazing husband. 

I am the mother to two beautiful boys. 

I am a daughter to self sacrificing parents.

I am a dedicated friend to anyone who befriends me.

I am all of these things and so much more but I still want to be more and do more!

I want to be inspirational. I want to be inspirational to my husband because he is an inspiration to me. He is still chasing his dreams and showing our children that is the way to live your life. My husband has met every goal and ambition he has ever set for himself and I am so blessed that he is the example my boys have to show them how to be successful. I want to be that same inspiration to my children, yet the other night I played awake thinking about how I am not where I wanted to be and why is that? Then I thought of all the "challenges" that have kept me from my goals...

I am too old.

I don't have enough time.

I don't have enough money.

I am not good enough.

Then I stopped myself. These are not Challenges! Theses are excuses! Why am I too old to accomplish more? I am only 29... when did that become too old to make accomplishments? Why can't I make time? I need to be a better example to my children so they know how to create time for what is important. Why does money have to be a factor? There are so many ways to save money and create money if it is necessary. It could take time but if I was meant to do more God will find a way. Why am I not good enough? Who am I to judge myself when I know I was created to do great things?We need to stop making excuses for ourselves and embrace whatever comes at us. There is always a way.

As I came to these realizations about making excuses, I also realized that I actually like challenges! That is why I challenge myself to eating vegan for a week and the present clean eating challenge I am participating. I am also starting a reading and a few other challenges. Challenges should be an interchangeable word with GOAL. All of these things I have "challenged" myself and others to are just GOALS that I want to achieve. This is how I should view all the challenges in my life. No more excuses, just action and plans.

To accomplish the Challenges I participate and create planning is ALWAYS key! As I look back on the excuses I have been making for myself, I know that I never made a plan to succeed and that is where I will make big changes. Here are the steps I followed when starting my Clean Eating Challenge.

1. Accept the Challenge:

Clean Eating Challenge

2. Make a Plan:

Create Meal Plan and Schedule Grocery Shopping

3. Prepare

Prep Meals and Schedule Exercise Regiment and Place Challenge Reminders

4. Follow your Plan

Do not Create Excuses! Do not Deviate!

5. Succeed!

Complete the Challenge

These are simple steps and I have used them many times. I just need to be aware that these five simple steps can be utilized in any situation moving forward.

I recently came across a great quote on a Catholic Meme that said;
"How cool is it that the same God that created mountains and oceans and galaxies looked at you and thought the world needed one of you too."

What an amazingly true concept! We were made in his image and that is a fact that should be remembered frequently.