Impact

Ok, here goes my first official blog entry!  If you haven’t already ready My Story, click HERE.

To kick this blog off, I’d like to talk about two words ~ REJECTION & IMPACT.

If you still haven’t read My Story (see above), what you don’t know is that it’s taken me a LONG long time to get to the point where I could write….where I could SHARE….on this blog. Among so many other fears, one of my biggest is the fear of rejection. Most of you out there are probably thinking….UMMM, YEAH, who ISN’T afraid of being rejected??? Ok, granted…it’s a common fear!  But, I finally woke up one day and decided I wasn’t going to let that fear hold me back anymore. I decided it was sad to think I wouldn’t do things because I was scared and intimated and worried what people would think. I decided it was a necessary step in my journey of rediscovery (yep, I can be lame and cliché…..among other things…so there’s your warning).  I decided it would make me stronger. I decided in most cases, even if I do get rejected, it’s not personal. AND, I decided if I took the first step, maybe….just maybe…it would help someone else out there decide to let go of the fear and take a step, too.

 

I had to talk a little about rejection and my hang-ups before I could talk about IMPACT.

I will be talking about a lot of people who have had an impact on me over the years, with their permission of course ;). The person I wanted to talk about in my first post was someone who I didn’t really even know 5 years ago but was someone who turned out to be a huge reason why I even wanted to start a blog and become healthier and become a Zumba instructor and maybe even become a Beachbody coach. Her name is Kaili. I have tears as I write this… the world actually lost Kaili last November. She was young. She was vibrant. She was successful. She was caring. She was hilarious. She was determined. And, as the saying goes, she had the kind of smile that would light up the room. I think it’s safe to say everyone who knew her loved her. Our relationship was mostly forged thru emails and texts. And, thank goodness I’m a saver, because I often will go back to a message I got from her when I need a pick-me-up. We shared a common interest in health & fitness. She was a nurse practitioner, specializing in diabetic care, and I was just someone who wanted to stop stuffing my face with chips & candy bars. She would send me recipes and ideas on making healthy snacks….did you know you can make a healthier ranch dressing by using pureed cottage cheese? I did not. ;) She was the one who told me about kale chips and now it’s one of my fav snacks. Or flavored olive oils. Or fooducate.com (check it out ~ there's even an app for that!). We also shared a passion for running and I ran my first…well only…half marathon with her, her sister (and my friend) Courtney, and my friend Lisa. During our training, she would send me messages asking how my run went or would send me pep talks on Endomondo as I went.  It was one of the best experiences of my life and I’m glad she was a part of it. AND, we shared a common interest in a few fitness bloggers. We would have days where we loved a post from one of them and the next post would drive us a little crazy ;) But, we both agreed that we were more committed & focused when we read them ~ They were inspirational & motivating & funny. So, I mentioned to Kaili that I wanted to start my own blog and of course she said to go for it….and I still did nothing…until a few months later when she asked if I had it going yet because she knew she would want to read it. It was the nudge I needed. I got in touch with the same guy who designed the blogs we’d been following and here we are….half a year later or whatever it is…ha…and I’m actually FINALLY doing it. When I said I was nervous to actually start my Zumba classes….after being licensed for 5 months and doing nothing….she said “You have done so awesome, you should be proud of yourself!” And, let me tell ya….I was SO beyond nervous my first class I could barely talk or focus and I made PLENTY of mistakes….still do almost 7 months later!  BUT,  what really matters is I’m doing it.  So, I know it still took me a while to follow thru with those things we often talked about but Kaili was a positive, encouraging influence for me and the things I wanted to do.  And, I know we ultimately make our decisions and take our own paths and challenge ourselves but when there are people like Kaili along the way who influence and IMPACT those decisions and paths and challenges for the better it sure helps.

When I joined Team Beachbody, I joined a team called TEAM IMPACT. And, since then, I’ve just really decided it was fate. As a coach, one of the first things you get is an accountability partner, and what I realize now is that I’m very fortunate to have found this opportunity because I lost my accountability partner when we lost Kaili. And, although one of our main goals as a coach is to help others, I need this just as much as anyone I can help. I’m sure I will always be afraid of rejection with blogging and coaching and in life in general but I’m gonna GO FOR IT anyway!  Kaili didn't let anything stop her from reaching her dreams and goals and I'm not going to either.