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Posts tagged ‘brave girl’

Sep 4

The mountain and me

“The mountains are calling and I must go.” – John Muir

8.6 miles, 24,000+ steps, 99 floors/flights. 4 hours.

Those were the stats logged on my fitness tracker from Sunday’s stroll up and down Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island, Maine. This, on top of mountain climbs on both Saturday and Monday, making it a perfect 3-3 hiking weekend.

Cadillac Mountain was the one I thought just might break me – the now “out of shape” and imperfectly perfect, middle-aged me. This hike was a mental game. Just about everyone I met on the trail was in their 20’s and clearly physically fit. I felt like I was back in weight-loss boot camp pushing myself past every mental limit or barrier just to finish with some dignity.

Near the end of the 4.2-mile hike down the mountain, I focused my attention on things other than how tired and sore my knees were from the pounding. I kept my self-motivation tape on speed dial and kept repeating: “Lor, we’ve got this. You can totally do this!” Read more

Sep 11

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Faith, courage & love

Requirements for braving the wilderness & living healthy, happy & whole

There is no other blog I could write today. I had the privilege of being in the audience last night at United Methodist Church in Minneapolis, MN, as the amazing Brene Brown kicked off her book tour for Braving the Wilderness, The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone.

Those of you who frequent this blog, know that I’ve not only been inspired by Brene Brown’s work around courage, vulnerability, love, belonging, shame and empathy, but her best-selling books have mirrored my growth AND my personal understanding about my transformation journey. In her message, I am blessed to learn, grow and evolve as a wholehearted human being, and now to share that experience and perhaps help others in doing so.

The values that Brene Brown speaks about — faith and courage — I share. I try to live daily by the core values of faith, courage and love — and it has perhaps never been more challenging than right now. Read more

Apr 20

Say YES!…it changes you

What do I need to say “yes” to?

This was the reflection question that came across my email about a month ago in the weekly podcast post, “Best of Ourselves” from my friend and leadership coach, Marcia Hyatt. The podcast was titled “Saying Yes.” Of course, I clicked on it instantly.

YES! has been my favorite word for five years.

It’s been a big part of my new life as a happy, healthy and fit girl living from the center of the equation. Since I hit my weight-loss goal in May 2012, I’ve been on a YES! mission to live, experience and DO all the things that I was too afraid or ashamed to do as a BIG girl living a small life. And I’m having a ball!

Saying YES! does NOT mean saying yes to everyone and everything. It does NOT mean giving it all away while focusing on others. That might have been my old definition, but it’s also how I lost myself along the way.

Nope. Today, saying YES! means pushing outside of my comfort zone…saying yes to the things that scare me…saying yes to living brave…going for what I really, really, really want…validating that who I am is enough. And, that distinction is absolutely critical. Read more

Jul 20

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I do hard things…

…and I’m better, stronger for it! #bravegirl

LoriandAnneonMountaintopMy friend Anne coined the phrase, “Hard is fun.” In her awesome Ten Centuries blog (which you can read here), she explains that by stretching our limits, conquering fear, and setting big, difficult goals – we learn all kinds of interesting things about ourselves. And for many, like Anne, hard is fun.

I share Anne’s tenacity for life. The “new Lori” does hard things. I seek adventure. Look for opportunities to conquer my fear. Say yes more than no. And run head strong into difficult things instead of running away from them.

Finally, I have confidence in myself and my abilities to live life to the absolute fullest. Even, and especially, when that means doing hard things.

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