The Destination? Your Personal Best

What's your vision for yourself? Have you ever really thought about it? When you picture yourself at your very best, how do you look, feel and live? Are you sleek, fit and toned, carrying yourself with grace and ease? How do you dress? Are you wearing clothes that feel great, flatter your skin tone, style and physique? Who are you spending your time with? Do they encourage you to become your best, knowing that their day will be brighter and better just by spending time with you? How about your stress level? Do you handle your stress effectively, understanding that as long as you take responsibility for your thoughts, feelings and actions, your stress is up to you?

If you’ve never asked yourself questions like these, I’d encourage you to do so. You see, the more clearly you can picture yourself at your very best, the easier it is to bring that into your reality. Here’s an example to explain what I mean.

Let’s say you were taking a trip. First you choose a destination, right? Once you choose your destination, you know what you need to pack, the best way to travel there, what you can take with you so you get the most out of your vacation. For example, if you decided to take a trip to Puerto Rico, you’d purchase your ticket, plan to get to the airport on time with your bag filled with bathing suits, sunscreen, sunglasses, maybe a hat and a great book to read while on the beach, right?

On the other hand, let’s say you were traveling this winter to Colorado for some great skiing or snowboarding with the family. You’d need to purchase your ticket (unless you live there of course), make arrangements where you’d like to stay, map out the best way to get to the airport and pack your winter clothes, skis, etc.

Once you have the vision firmly in place, it's a matter of coming up with the most effective way to get there. So often we want to lose weight, become fit, healthy and happy but haven’t truly considered how we plan on getting there. Instead of determining what would work best according to our needs and lifestyle, we often stop here or hand over this step to someone we consider an “expert,” not realizing that we’re the most qualified expert on what we want and need for ourselves.

If you've been struggling in any of the areas that as moms we struggle with most (nutrition/weight loss, fitness, stress control, emotional health, relationships and spirituality) chances are you've never created a crystal clear vision of how you’d look, feel and live when each of those areas are strengthened. Not just a brief image of yourself thin or fit either, but a crystal clear vision. One you can almost feel, smell and taste because it's as if it already exists. That's like purchasing the ticket and planning the trip to your destination!

Without that step, it's like going to the airport saying "I'd like to go someplace warm" and hoping you get to your dream spot without knowing exactly where you're going, without bringing the right things with you and without purchasing your ticket to that specific place. Much greater chance you'd get to Puerto Rico with a ticket to Puerto Rico right? And, much greater chance you’ll enjoy the trip if you’ve carefully planned to the best of your ability what you’ll need to bring along.

Right now, "purchase your ticket" whether it's a ticket to your sleek, fit body, a more optimistic attitude, better friendship skills, a new unshakable calm around previously stressful situations, etc. Next, figure out what you’ll need to “pack” to make sure you get the most out of your "trip" whether that's a new strategy around food, a new exercise program, positive people, putting new boundaries in place, a plan for better self care, etc. Then, stir up the emotions you’d feel with your new sleek, smart, sexy, savvy self!

The more clearly you envision your dream destination, the less it becomes a dream at all. It slowly, steadily and finally becomes a "trip of a lifetime." Don't miss out on what’s waiting for you whether it’s becoming physically fit, emotionally strong, positive, empowered and happy. Just decide on your "destination” and start planning the trip of a lifetime!