Slow and Steady Wins the Race

Years ago I met a couple in Texas who would be a long standing influence in my life. I was working in a major Tennis complex in Houston and they were daily players. We became very good friends and when I moved back to Las Vegas they would come to visit often as Mr. Miller had business here. They were both brilliant and caused positive change wherever they went. Mrs. Miller leaped off cliffs in her attempt to get people to understand her passion which was water conservation, Mr. Miller's passion was Mrs. Miller and he did all he could to support her. The first time I visited their home in Houston I saw the display of crystal turtles he had. There was Baccarat and Lalique, Steuben and Waterford just so many turtles. I had to know why and when I asked he said, "My motto is Slow and Steady wins the race so people started giving me turtles" Nothing elaborate but he went on to describe his take on life which is getting up everyday and working toward his goals. He told me progress comes in small increments, you may not even see it for days or weeks, but one day you will wake up and because you have worked steadily you will notice it's a bit easier, you are better at it...you aren't complaining as much...you might even be happy! I knew them a long time and they did not value anything that came too fast as it would not sustain. Real success only came after steadily chipping away at your goal. When my children graduated from high school I gave each of them a turtle with the motto....

Slow and steady wins the race.

Over the last few months I have been writing about fears, new exercise life, challenges, endurance, goals, and did I mention fear? I know I did but I mention it again because fear is my bugaboo. I have let my fears get in the way of almost everything. I almost didn't start Biometrix because of it. I have studied fear in an effort to overcome the crippling effects of something that is only helpful if you are being chased by bears. Fear will keep you from reaching your potential and what is more awful than that? I am learning to let things go, to concentrate on positive outcomes instead of negative ones. Using the motto Slow and Steady wins the race I have been patient with my progress and tried to relax as I steadily chip away at my fears.

And then this happened...

I made a clerical error at work.

When I first realized I had to face this head on I panicked and developed nausea immediately. Fear appeared immediately. And then I had a clear thought..."you have been practising for a chance to prove to yourself you can overcome fear, use what you have learned." I didn't calm down right away, but I didn't throw up either.

I am happy to say I have functioned this entire weekend knowing I have to face it first thing Monday morning....very unusual behavior for this fearful girl. My usual MO would be to slip into the fetal position and stay paralyzed without the courage to just face it, deal with it and move on.

I know the hard work I have done at Biometrix by working out three days a week lifting weights, doing wall sits (by the way they are awful...30 seconds has never felt so long) and squats and rowing and and and has allowed me to see I can do hard things. I didn't realize a commitment to working out that has made me physically stronger could also help me with emotional strength. When you improve one part of your life other parts cannot help but progress.

Change is not easy. Facing hard things is not easy as I am heavy into avoidance, but I can do it. I find a great deal of strength in my faith. The other day I listened to a talk about having faith the size of a mustard seed and how that is all you need to move mountains.

Do you know how much faith that is? Not very much.

Get started with this much faith by believing in yourself.

Tomorrow I am expecting a miracle, success, and a positive outcome. This attitude has not come quickly, but I believe in concentrating on the positive aspects of everything and not expecting things to change quickly. I have gained strength from the little successes I have experienced and I know tomorrow will be a large success because I am facing the problem and I will deal with the outcome. 

I have already won....and it feels so good!

The Journey Continues...With the 5 second rule

This is my wall ball....it weighs 10 pounds and has been incorporated into my life to strengthen my core. For the uninitiated it is cleverly named "Wall Ball" because you pick it up and throw it against the wall.

Not hard, right?

Right....

For me, all the exercises in the gym are hard, but this one is particularly so because I don't have a "core". It was iffy before my surgery, afterward I thought a strong core was a thing of the distant past. One of the first personal assessments I made in the hospital was the state of my body. After looking past the wires, tubes and needles I noticed a very, very long incision down the front of my back that seemed to end any thought of future physical activity.  Because everyone was so happy I was alive I didn't want to bring up the fact that perhaps my physical factory warranty had run out. I did ask my nurse if I would ever be normal again? Will I walk without fainting,? Will I lift things again? Will I ever do a pushup again? I do not mind telling you it seemed like an impossible possibility. My nurse looked me square in the eye and told me I could improve but it was up to me if I did a push up again, then I realized pushups were just a metaphor for my "new" life. It was going to be up to me.

Until going to Xuberance I didn't have a starting point, because there were so many ways to approach "wellness". (should I take you back to wall of diet and exercise books on my shelves?) They have a tried and true measure. For one hour I am taught how to do each exercise correctly, what part of the body that exercise will focus on and then they convince me I can do it.

But I still have to get started. I still have to find my shoes in the morning and get in the car to go there, and according to Mel Robbins this "Activation Energy" creates the initial spark to create change.

You need that spark to just get going....think Big Bang!

Getting started might be the hardest part but it is the catalyst to continued success.

I have been using this new technique - after experimenting with many ideas that might help continue my momentum and to spark a change in my eating habits which remain my nemesis - called the 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins. It is designed to get us to take action when we don't want to and there is always something we don't want to do. We all struggle with something...feel better?
Here are two things she discovered:

• Knowing what to do will never be enough.
• Knowing why you need to do it will never be enough.

If you don't start doing the things you don't feel like doing, you will wake up one year from today and be in exactly the same place. 

This is truth...my life proves it

Mel Robbins wrote: 

If you have an impulse to act on a goal or change, you must physically move within 5 seconds or your brain will kill the idea, because your brain is designed to protect you. 

Change requires you to do things that are:

• Uncertain
• scary
• New

And your brain is designed to protect you from things that are:

• Uncertain
• Scary
• New

As soon as you start to change there is a system in your head designed to stop you. But there is a solution and it works!! Regardless of what you need to change try the 5-Second Rule

Count backward....5,4,3,2,1 and do whatever you haven't wanted to do

Get out of bed

Don't take another drink

Tackle the project

Go to the gym

Don't overeat

Forgive someone

Forget someone

Speak up

Whatever it is in your life you avoid use this system to compel yourself to action...you must have action to get started. Count backward and see if it doesn't work. 

"Whatever your goals are, show the world, and yourself that you're serious by taking action, however insignificant that action may seem, RIGHT NOW. Because when you physically move, your brain starts to build new habits. When you do something you you're not used to doing, you are in the act of building new habits and erasing existing ones. "Mel Robbins

5,4,3,2,1.....

I do know how simplistic this sounds, but it works. My wellness journey at Biometrix has kicked my can all the way down the road. The exercise regime is hard but I do it. For one hour they watch everything I do, they spot me, cajole me and I do it. Some days it is harder than others, but I have continued to do it. They do great things within the confines of that gym but I have to follow through with the other 23 hours of the day.... something I have never done before.

 Knowing what to do will never be enough

Bottom line is I still have to honor my commitment to do it. I have always known what to do...and Mel Robbins is right, that has never been enough. 

I have been told it is too late to change, it isn't. I have been told I cannot lose weight, I can. One doctor told me I would be a couch potato for the rest of my life, I will not.

Just because I didn't do this earlier doesn't mean I cannot do it now. And that certainly isn't an excuse for not realizing a goal.

I intend to change my brain and put the high carbs away....I intend to eat high protein and lots of veggies. I will throw that wall ball against the wall as many times as they say I have to...I will do squats, I will lift weights, and I will flip this rope all day long.

I am still at the beginning of my journey, but it is a journey I intend to stay on. Last week at my cardiologists check up all the numbers are improving, for whatever reason God has given me another chance at life and I intend to use it wisely.

5,4,3,2,1 !!!!!!

Everyone explore this technique with me and let me know how it works for you...My friends at Biometrix have subsidized this wellness journey for my blogs.

Meet Ann Cannon...

One day at least 15 years ago my friend Ann McMullin told me I needed to read a column from a Salt Lake City Newspaper by a woman named Ann Cannon.(Yes Virginia we used to print out the internet every morning, roll it up with rubber bands and hand it to young children who peddled off on their bicycles and delivered it to folks in their homes to read) I loved her column. I laughed, cried and pondered her words as she wrote about her children and husband, her mother, TRQ - the rodeo queen, her dad the football coach, her dogs, baseball, her faith and life itself. Her funny and often poignant stories inspired me to write. The little bit I was writing had been silenced by the voices in my head that whispered to me I couldn't write. I allowed those words to keep me from writing for years. When blogging became a thing I stuck my toe in the world of words and wrote with total abandon not knowing where it would take me or caring if I was even good.

Then one day I wrote to her telling her how much I loved her writing and what an inspiration she was for me to write again.

And she wrote back!

So I wrote to her again

And she wrote back!

We wrote to each other for years with my family referring to Ann as my "cyber friend". I did what I do when I don't like what someone has said to me...I ignore them. Ann told me I could write and nothing meant more to me. When I would tell her it was too late in my life to write, she assured me it wasn't, so because of her I kept writing.

I cannot tell you how important Ann has been to me in other ways as we wrote to each other during some of the most difficult times of my life. I will never forget how kind she was as I grappled with depression, anxiety and fear. She rejoiced with me as I began to find the other side of it all and would  just keep encouraging me to write.

Just write.

Then she accepted my invitation to fly here and speak to my woman's group. When I picked her up from the airport I felt like we had known each other forever. We were not just cyber friends but had the best story to tell!

I am excited to tell you Ann will be the special guest at our 2nd annual "Fall Into the Holidays" so I asked her to write a little about herself.

I will turn it over to Ann so you can see for yourself how much fun we are going to have on the 29th of September!

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Hi! My name is Ann Cannon and I am eager to meet you all on September 29th at Ray Ray's awesome "Fall Into the Holidays" event.

Oh.   Wait

Maybe I should introduce myself first. Donna suggested I share some interesting facts about myself, so here goes.

1.) I went to Charles and Diana's Wedding - if sitting in my living room while wearing a robe and an old lady hat counts as going to Charles and Diana's wedding.

2.)  I was present when the Cubs won the World Series in 2016 - if sitting in my living room while wearing a fake Cubs jersey counts as being present when the Cubs won the World Series in 2016.

3.) I've spent many, many New Year's Eves in Times Square with Dick Clark - if sitting in my living room while holding one of those noisemakers you buy at the Dollar Store counts as spending time in Time's Square with Dick Clark.

I know I am exactly like Forest Gump that way!

Meanwhile I've published a book called "I'll Tell You What" which is a collection of columns I've written over the years for the Salt Lake Tribune. There are also some original pieces about my father, LaVell Edwards, long-time head coach of BYU's football team.

Because I think it is so important to capture our life experiences in writing I'll be conducting a workshop that will give you an opportunity to write down a few holiday memories of your own.

I am looking forward to meeting you all and hearing your stories!

For more information about Ann, check our her website at www.aecannon.com