PD

When I was in high school, I was a member of an organization called FFA.

I went to National FFA Convention twice, as well as many state and local activities, but each time I went, I felt a rush of excitement as I was made aware of the potential that I had. I didn't recognize this back then, but that rush came from listening to key note speakers who were teaching me how PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT ~PD~ could affect a person!

Since joining Beachbody, I have been trying to do at least one hour of PD a day. Why? Let me illustrate with a picture...

Life is great at presenting opportunities for us to learn. It has it's ups, and it has its downs. I assume most of us can look back and say that we have become better people than the people we used to be, and that's great, but imagine if you could speed up that process by learning from others' successes and failures.

Well, have I got great news for you! (You probably already know what I'm about to tell you, right?)
YOU CAN!!!

This is what Wikipedia says about PD: Personal development includes activities that improve awareness and identity, develop talents and potential, build human capital and facilitate employ-ability, enhance quality of life and contribute to the realization of dreams and aspirations

Doesn't that sound great? Don't you want to 'contribute to the realization of YOUR dreams and aspirations?!?!!!' 

Here's your takeaway for today: When trying to live a healthy lifestyle, it is important to include at least 15 minutes of personal development into your daily activities. 

Here's my story about PD:

I DO NOT enjoy washing dishes or folding socks. I am perfectly fine with any other household chores, but please, DO NOT ask me to do those two tasks. Whelp, I am a housewife. With a husband who works full time, it is important for me to tackle those chores. I used to avoid these as long as I could. When they finally needed to be done, I would put on some music and drag myself to the task, giving my time begrudgingly. Just recently, I began listening to Personal Development books, and General Conference talks during these chores, and my attitude has completely changed. Now I don't have enough to do to last me as long as I'd like to listen to my recordings! To top things off, I am becoming more confidant and growing because of it! I am happy in the work that I do, and our home is a much more pleasant place to reside! 

You don't even know how great of an investment that small change is to me in the scheme of things!

Now, I'm off to clean the bathroom!

Mars: A One Way Mission!

Mars.

It's known as "The Red Planet"

Since man's journey to Earth's Moon, Mars has been the target for space enthusiasts both young and old.

We have sent rovers to give us a closer view of the barren landscape, and know that it can take anywhere from 150-300 days to travel the distance between Mars and Earth. (1.)

So, what does Mars have to do with with your health?

Yesterday, I read an intriguing article about a new mission being dubbed "Mars One." If you are interested, you can read more about the mission here. The mission will send an unmanned craft to the Red Planet sometime around 2018, with plans of sending manned crews to follow starting in 2024. Here's the catch, Mars One is titled so, because these missions will be one way. The plan is to first send four people to live in a self-sustaining space station, and then send missions of four astronauts every two years. 

It was surprising to me to think that anyone could love something so much, and have dreams so big, that they would be willing to give up everything else just for a shot at their dreams. At first, I was very skeptical, thinking these people need to sort out their priorities. Who is willing to make such a sacrifice? Leave Earth never to return? Then, like most things I read, I applied it to my life. What would be so important to me that I would choose pursuing it over living a comfortable life with those thing I would otherwise have to sacrifice? What dream is so important to me that I am willing to give up on things of 'lesser importance' (at least to me) in order to see that dream fulfilled.

Well, luckily for me, it is not, nor has it ever been, my dream to take a mission to Mars. I do have other dreams, though, and there are things that I have found are worth sacrificing so that I might see those dreams fulfilled. 

So, if you're still with me, let's relate this to our health...

Here is my take away from this article: There ARE some things in life that ARE worth sacrificing for BETTER things to replace them!

Think of it as an investment. What does being healthy give you?

Well, for me, I have peace of mind, confidence, zest for life, endurance, happiness, I FEEL GREAT, and SO much more!!! Have I had to sacrifice things to get that which was important to me? YES! Was it worth it? YES, YES, YES!!! What have I sacrificed? TV? Somewhat, I have stopped watching reality television and instead, I spend my free time watching uplifting/inspirational/personal developmental programs. Is that really a loss? Not to me. I can not tell you how much I have grown and learned since making the choice to cut those out! Have I sacrificed good tasting food? Heck NO! In-fact, I think the food that we eat now has SO much more FLAVOR than anything we ate before, AND I don't feel sick after eat now! DEFINITELY a GREAT investment. Have I had to sacrifice some of my favorite social settings (like my favorite restaurant)? Yes, BUT I can not tell you how much money we are saving  since we have stopped eating out. We can still go out for special occasions, and it seems so much MORE special now! There are other things I have left out of my life, but rather than thinking of them as a sacrifice, I think of them as a good trade, or investment in my life! 

So, here is what I hope you take away from this:

There are people who have come before you, and who will come after you, who have/are going to MAKE SOMETHING out of their lives. They have had dreams, and have made big sacrifices in hopes of reaching those dreams. Those sacrifices have brought great strides to them in reaching their goals. I'm assuming you are here because you are hoping to make positive changes concerning your health, but even if you have other dreams, the only way you will reach them is by making some trades or investments. When you figure that out, make sure that you dream big enough to make that a one way mission. Don't put one toe in, 'go big, or go home,' because a two way mission won't get you anywhere!

As far as what you're willing to trade? Well, I'll let you decide.