Inspire Moment #90: Stuck in Comfort

Posted on June 3, 2013 by Acpennella

Let’s think of the “comfort zone” as always driving around in the neighborhood and never getting on the highway to venture out to experience new things in life.  The comfort zone is a place that many like to hang out.   Things are familiar.  You know people in town.  It feels safe.  You know best the route to get around town.   It’s a good place to be and it’s easy to stay put when everything is comfortable, right?

Hopefully I ignite something inside of you by introducing you to Inspire Moment #90, Stuck in Comfort.  Sure it’s comfortable to stay in that “zone” but isn’t it also a place where you can get complacent?  And isn’t being complacent a place that gets comfortable too?  My motivation today is to get you “un-stuck” and onto your highway of life!    Not someone else’s!  The highway you get on might be five or six lanes like the expressways in Southern California or could be two lanes, and just that small lane change is intense enough for you now.  And you know what? That’s okay!

My suggested action step is to get you onto your highway on-ramp today, tomorrow, or this week!  Ok, so how do we do that?  Maybe that means venturing on your highway without a specific destination in mind.  Just go! Maybe it means traveling on a different highway that has a construction zone to help you slow down your life.  Just go!

Sometimes the first step is the hardest, but please know that this step outside of your “comfort zone” and into your new “venture zone” is one of the best steps you can make for balance in life.  Take from me, Coach Angela!

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Inspire Moment #89: Your Crusade

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Acpennella

Imagine your life is like going on vacation to that place you always wanted to go and experience those things you always wanted to experience.  Well, since your vacation I’m sure you would take time to think about them and even take chances to achieve those things and experience that fulfillment, right?  I mean you’re on vacation, so what does it matter anyway!  You probably would think to yourself “I’m not going to be here on vacation for very long so I might as well just go for it now.” You might even think, “Now is the perfect time to do this or that because no one at home is watching, friends won’t make fun or judge me, and I can really just be myself.  I love this feeling!”

Inspire Moment #89 is about Your Crusade.  Your life.  Your journey.  You are on a vacation.  You don’t know how long that you will be here for, but you do know that you have all the opportunity while you are here.

Now it’s time for Coach Angie to ask some questions to get you thinking one step further to get you moving forward…are you vacationing in the spot that you want to be?  Do you like where you are staying or do you need to change or upgrade?  Did you sign up for the events/activities that bring you joy while you are here?  Do you need more time to relax?

Change your thinking.  Change your life.  It’s Your Crusade.

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Inspire Moment #88: Sink In

Posted on May 28, 2013 by Acpennella

Imagine your hand tightly curled up in a fist. You slow unravel your hand one finger at a time starting with your pinky finger, eventually opening up to a vulnerable position where there is nothing to hold onto anymore.  It’s like you have let go of what you were holding on to.

So let me ask you this, how can you open up your heart and/or mind and let go of something today? What do you have a grip on in life and what would happen to you or it if you just let it go now?  I can’t assume, but I would say you would probably begin to Sink In and that is what Inspire Moment #88 is all about, Sinking In.   You could Sink In to what was supposed to happen to you instead of having control.  You could Sink In more of who you are supposed to be instead of who you think you need to be.  You could Sink In to knowing yourself better and accepting and loving that.  You could Sink In you your own skin and letting go of what is keeping you stuck in one spot in life.  Simply, you could be Sinking In to who God made you to be.  It’s an unfamiliar place to let go and let God.  We have to trust that when we do let go that is what we would want to happen.  But you know what, our way and our thinking isn’t even the best there is!  Someone bigger, powerful, and almighty already has it figured out for us and all we have to do is Sink In and let him take over.

I know it’s scary to let go, but take it from me…once you do you will learn that it’s exactly where you are supposed to be and then that is when the journey truly becomes more joyful.

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Inspire Moment #87: Embrace the Unexpected

Posted on May 24, 2013 by Acpennella

Unexpected events can occur in our life at anytime.  Some can be wonderful and other can be very traumatic and damaging.  Often times when the unexpected occurs in our life we don’t understand why it happened to us, and not the other guy.  Sometimes we can try and understand it and others time we cannot.

Inspire Moment #87 is advice from me, Coach Angie, suggesting that when those events occur today, tomorrow, etc., to Embrace the Unexpected.   I have a lot of experience in this area of life and I want you to trust me in knowing that no matter how difficult the circumstances are in your life right now, how hopeless you may feel, how easier life would be if you just threw in the towel and gave up, how lonely, how disappointed, how different, how lost, how threatened, how dark, how low, etc. (I hope you are getting the point) to NEVER lose the ability to embrace it and see it as a bigger part in your life journey.  Hope is something you always have and the level of how much you have stored in your heart is controlled in your mind.

Rather than ask why when the unexpected happens, ask what.  Flip the Switch example – instead of why did this happen to me, ask yourself what can I do about this now?  Instead of why me, ask what can I learn from this?  Instead of why me, ask what is God trying to teach me here?  Instead of why me, state that what an opportunity it is for you to Embrace the Unexpected no matter how hard it is.

You have a choice today and I want you to choose to Embrace the Unexpected.  The journey will be probably be bumpy when the unexpected comes into your life, but it doesn’t have to damage your mind during that season because the hope that you need is always with you, you may just have to let go and let God.

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Inspire Moment #86: Sticky Notes in Your Mind

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Acpennella

You know when you have sticky note on your desk or at home as a reminder of the task you have to do or person you need to connect with?  You eventually get to it (hopefully) and probably throw the sticky note in the garbage once you do, no?

Inspire Moment #86 is about the Sticky Notes in your Mind.  Do you take time to address them or they have been up there for a very long time?  Maybe it’s been stuck for too long that now you have a couple of duplicate up there.

This morning I addressed a sticky note that had been in my mind for awhile, which was contacting a friend that I haven’t spoken to in awhile.  What I did and what could potentially work for you was to send an email to that person right away as it came to the forefront of my mind this morning.  It didn’t take long.  It didn’t have to!  I didn’t get my computer out.  It came to my mind again so I grabbed my iPhone and did it.  Simple as that.  As soon as I was done writing, it was like throwing the note in the garbage.  Task completed.  It made me feel content on the inside, which leads to balance.  So let me ask, do you have any Sticky Notes in your Mind to address today or this week?  Get the message/clutter out of your mind and sent it to the person, complete the task, or just start with a baby step.

When you release it and throw it away upstairs (in your mind) it’s one less sticky note and thing to do.  Less clutter on the inside means more balance as a whole.

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Inspire Moment #85: How Does the Green Grass Grow?

Posted on May 21, 2013 by Acpennella

They say the grass isn’t always greener.  You may have even stepped over to the “other side” and learned/saw that yourself recently that it is not as good/green as you thought it would be.  Yes?  No?  So if the grass isn’t greener, what is it about “it” that makes us want to go there and why do we think it is greener to begin with?   That brings me to the moment I had this morning, your Inspire Moment for today #85…How Does the Green Grass Grow?

As your Mental Strength & Conditioning Coach, my thinking is this…we think it is greener because we want something to grow in our own life.  We seek change in our life.  We desire something different in our life and we desire it now.  We need growth to happen.

So if you are someone who needs the green grass to grow in their life, here are some suggestions on how to start.  It’s all about your attitude and thinking!  We’re not going to the “other side” and heading over to someones else’s lawn. Rather, we are taking care of the green we have in our own life already.  1. Hydration – are you watering it? (are you taking care of yourself the best way you know how?)   2. Landscaping – are their too many weeds and dry spots with no grass at all. (is it time to eliminate the toxins in your life?) 3. Maintenance – do you fertilize it?  (do you work on the root of you?)  4. Enjoyment – do you take time to enjoy the beauty of it? (have you made time to enjoy the present?)

Just a little insight this morning to get the wheels spinning because we all need is an Inspire Moment every day.  Make it a great way and grow away!

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Inspire Moment #84: Keep Your Head Up

Posted on May 21, 2013 by Acpennella

On my drive home today I saw a guy on his bicycle pedaling on the side of the road with his head down.  So I thought to myself, “he should pick his head up and watch where he is going.”  Then Inspire Moment #84 hit me to pay it forward to you…Keep Your Head Up!

Keep your head up on your journey through life.  If you look down you won’t be able to see what’s coming your way, good or bad.  Isn’t it better to keep your head up no matter how heavy it feels some days?  See, the key is to keep it up to anticipate if you need to slow down, stop, or change direction in life.  It sure beats looking down and never having any hope or idea of where you are going in your life.  It’s better to anticipate when to slow down or stop then to run right into something you want nothing to do with, right?

I hope the wheels are spinning in your head because that is the point of these Inspire Moment posts.  If you have been feeling down lately, a way to remember to Keep Your Head Up is to put a uplifting reminder in your cell phone or just keep reading my Inspire Moment posts.  If your head is already up and you’re feeling pretty good, increase you awareness and take notice of ways on how to grow deeper into that feeling.  That could be as simple as jotting down those ideas and letting them come to life.  See what happens!

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Inspire Moment #83: The Best Investment

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Acpennella

The stock market fluctuates day to day.  High’s and low’s.  Good times and bad.  You still make a decision to invest in though even with the risk involved.  Kind of like we need to do in life, right?

Inspire Moment #83 is about The Best Investment.  I’m talking about YOU!  If your life was “the stock market” would you make an investment in it?  Would you take a leap of faith and buy stock in it?  YOU are the best investment!  With that investment comes highs and lows.  Good times and bad.  Your “interest rate” could be down for a quarter.  But you know what?  That’s ok!  The market will fluctuate and go back up.  The key is to make The Best Investment in YOU today and not wait around for things to fall into your lap.

Ok, so what does that mean?  It means running five minutes longer.  It means reading five minutes longer.  It means resting for five minutes longer.  It means a lot of things because there is a lot to invest in your market.  You know the market best so take a closer look at the needs and make the The Best Investment in you today!

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Inspire Moment #82: Hope & Happiness

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Acpennella

Hope – where do you find? In things? Other people?  Is it always found in the same place or does that change? Is it consistent?

Then once you find your hope, what are you looking for?  Once you find your hope, what are you seeking?  Are you seeking relief?  Are you seeking forgiveness?  Are you seeking acceptance?  Are you seeking love?  Are you seeking purpose?  Are you seeking help?  Are you seeking guidance?  Are you seeking strength?  Do you wish you had more hope? Can you ever have enough hope?

Happiness – where do you find it? In things? Other  people? Where you live? Career?

Then once you find your happiness, do you find it in one place all the time or does that change?  Where do you find it all the time never ending or is that impossible?  How often do you find happiness?  Is it consistent that you can feel it every day or does happiness depend on your circumstance?  Do you wish that you had more of it?  Can you ever have enough?

Inspire Moment #82 is asking you a lot questions to get your wheels spinning to the answer.  They might be spinning already.  Well now I just have one more question if they are spinning, have you found your direction now where to find your Hope and Happiness?

Suggested action step…check out Psalm 62.

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Inspire Moment #81: Don’t Put the Flame Out

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Acpennella

If there is a fire in your heart for something, don’t ever extinguish it.  If the flames are so hot like a wildfire that you don’t know how to control it, fan them.  Yes, fan them!  If you live with that fire every single day of your life, share it with the world because that is who God made you to be.

Inspire Moment #81 is Don’t Put the Flame Out.  There will be people in your life who want to throw a bucket of water on you to reduce and even put the fire out.  Best thing to do when those people enter your life is to walk the other way.  Don’t let them take that passion that is inside of you away from you.

If there is no fire in your heart and you’re cold inside, maybe it’s time to find the passion and heat things up.  Find a purpose.  Maybe it’s time to ignite a flame in your heart today.  First suggested step is doing something different in your life and I’m not talking about taking a different route to work. Sure, that’s good but what your Strength and Conditioning Coach is suggesting is to take an uncomfortable baby step and do something today that brings the courageous little kid inside of you out to play!  Heck, what do you have to lose?!  Nothing!  So just like Nike says, Just Do It!

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