Happy Motivation Monday! 10 Quotes to Start Your Week

It's Monday... Time to MOTIVATE and make DREAMS and GOALS happen! Let's GO!

 

When you can't control what's happening, challenge yourself to control the way you respond to what's happening. That's where your power is.

You can never cross the ocean unless you have courage to lose sight of the shore.

You're not meant to do what is easy. You're meant to challenge yourself. ~ Justin Timberlake

Challenges are what make life interesting. Overcoming them is what makes them meaningful.

If you can dream it, you can do it. ~ Walt Disney

Stop letting people who do so little for you control so much of your mind, feelings and emotions. ~ Will Smith

It takes ten times as long to put yourself back together as it does to fall apart. ~ Mockingjay

Breathe in. Breathe out. Move on. ~ Jimmy Buffett

If you want to feel rich, just count all the gifts you have that money can't buy.

Living that Tower Life Like Rapunzel

Although many of you have been practicing social distancing since the weekend, today felt like the first real social distancing day for me. I should have been at work at 6:00 am this morning to process shipment. Instead I slept in this morning and started wondering what in the world I would do all day and for the next couple weeks. That's when it hit me that all of us are about to experience what life was like for Rapunzel trapped in that tower. On a happy note, she provides lots of great ideas of what you can do to pass the time.

Here are some suggested activities to do to pass the day per Rapunzel:

• Sweep 'til the floor's all clean
• Polish and wax
• Laundry
• Mop and shine up
• Sweep again 

Once done with all those chores, Rapunzel provides some more entertaining items on her activity list:

• Read a book...or maybe two or three
• Add a few new paintings to your gallery
• Play guitar 
• Knit
• Cook
• Puzzles
• Darts (be careful!) 
• Baking
• Paper mache
• Ballet 
• Chess (and so many other games!)
• Pottery 
• Ventriloquy (ummm... okay...)
• Candle making
• Stretch
• Sketch
• Take a climb
• Sew a dress
• Brush and brush and brush and brush your hair 

Rapunzel starts her day at 7:00 am. I used to do that, but then we changed the clocks. Now, I continually wake up after 8:00 am. First task to tackle on this self distancing journey: getting back to the 7:00 am wake up routine.

Once I finally dragged myself out of bed, first on the agenda was getting in some exercise. I dusted off the old Nintendo Wii, popped in the Michael Jackson Experience, and started dancing the morning away. Per Rapunzel's suggestions, I also should have stretched... I did not...

Next on the list was cooking. Today, I decided to tackle Keto friendly chocolate chip waffles. They were Mickey shaped (of course!) and delicious. The recipe was from Simply Keto by Suzanne Ryan, and you can order her cookbook from Amazon. By the way, if any of you are missing the Disney theme parks and Mickey shaped waffles, you can buy the Mickey waffle maker I own from ShopDisney It makes 6 waffles at a time, and they are the exact size and shape as the ones sold at restaurants throughout Disney resorts. A little piece of Walt Disney World and Disneyland right at home!

By the time I was done with breakfast, it was about 10:30 am. Oh goodness, this was going to be a long couple of days. I know there are many of you reading this who are totally content laying around watching Netflix all day. I am not that person. Based on past experiences (i.e. 7.5 week medical leave), I get bored easily. I work two jobs partly because I just always need to be busy with something.

Luckily, I work in a small office which means I ventured into the office for a bit to stay motivated and up to date on all the changes happening rapidly in the real estate industry as a result of COVID-19. Don't worry, even with only 2-3 of us in the office, we still practiced social distancing...

 

(Side note: I have also determined that makeup is not necessary at this time.)

While working at the office, the news was released that the Governor of Florida was ordering the closure of all bars and nightclubs at 5:00 pm today, and restaurants were required to a max of 50% capacity. With the tide of things so quickly change, we ventured out for a late lunch at our favorite spot, Clear Sky Draught Haus, across the street for what may be the last time for a while. On the way back to the office, we continued to be in high spirits and channeled the Beatles when in the crosswalk (also worked great at maintaining acceptable social distances).

Once I returned home in the late afternoon, I knew I would be home for the rest of the night... no place to go, right? So it was time for some at home pampering! While relaxing with a face mask, it hit me that I won't be opening boxes upon boxes for a few weeks which means I could paint my nails and not have it be a waste of time! #Bonus!

I decided one way to make good use of my extra time was to work on finishing projects I started but never finished. So after months, I am excited to announce I finally finished knitting a pair of baby booties. Those cutie only took me about as long as it takes a human to grow a baby. So... win?

As you can see, my day was a mix of activities and work. As of now, it is my plan to get through the next few weeks without going crazy. Take note that I am finishing this blog post at about 7:00 pm. The rest of the night will be a usual evening for me, though. Relax, watch some TV, read a book, play the ukulele, color, and do a Soduku puzzle or two. The secret is out... each night I channel a 6-year-old and a 60-year-old. #sorrynotsorry

How was everyone's day of social distancing? What fun activities did you do today?

Stay strong! Be safe! Wash your hands! Don't touch your face!

#MedalMonday - Will Run for Bling

Confession: I don’t love running. Some… most days… I almost hate it. When I run, I am usually dragging my feet out the door. However, even when I say I am going to stop running, I keep doing it. 

For most of my life, running equaled failure to me. Every time I ran a mile in gym class, I always came in last. I eventually stopped caring and would just walk it. I excelled at other things, and I determined I just wasn’t a runner. That became my mindset. When I saw people running, I would think “I want to do that” and then quickly remind myself that I was not a runner.

About ten years ago, I was in Walt Disney World with friends, and it was the day after the Walt Disney World Marathon. I saw people of all athletic abilities, ages, and shapes and sizes walking around with finisher medals. My only thought was “if they can do it, why I can’t I?” At that moment, my mindset began to shift from “I’m not a runner” to “I can be a runner if I really want to be.”

After that trip, I did not go home and buy running shoes. To be honest, my focus was on finishing law school (I had one and a half years left) and then it was passing the bar and then it was finding an attorney job. The excuses piled up, but I never stopped thinking “I can be a runner if I really want to be.” 

Following years of excuses, I finally made the decision I was going to run my first 5K. I started a Couch to 5K program on my phone and got moving. I did a couple local 5Ks, and in November 2014, I traveled to Walt Disney World to run the Jingle Jungle 5K through Animal Kingdom.

After that 5K, I was hooked on running. I did not love it, but I still wanted to keep doing it. That runner’s high was real, the bling was awesome, and despite the pain and exhaustion involved, I still finished every race wanting to do more, and after only a few 5Ks, I set a goal to finish a half marathon.

A few months after that first Disney 5K, I signed up for the Disneyland Half Marathon in September 2015, and shortly after that, I signed up for the Wine and Dine Half Marathon in November 2015. My mindset had completely shifted from “I am not a runner” to “I can be a runner if I really want to be” to “I am a 5K runner” to “two half marathons? Let’s do it!” 

Every finisher medal I have received is a constant reminder that no matter how difficult something may seem, anything is possible. You just have to have the determination, the motivation, the drive, and the proper tools/methods to get there. 

I have learned to stop saying I can’t do something. Running has taught me that if I really want to do something, I can do it. I may choose not to do something, but that doesn’t mean I can’t do it if I really wanted to do it. I only needed to put in the work to get here. The sky really is the limit. Don’t hold yourself back with the mindset that you can’t do something. Believe me, you can. 

I sometimes think back to my younger self. After she struggled to finish “running” one mile, would she believe me if I went back in time to tell her that one day she would run 13 miles? Probably not. She would probably think I was mental. However, that girl who believed she was not a runner and never would be is now that girl who has ran in countless 5Ks, several 10Ks, and five half marathons. She just had to believe that she could.

“If you can dream it, you can do it.” - Walt Disney