Skip to content

Posts tagged ‘internal transformation’

Apr 22

Understanding inspiration & motivation

What’s the difference? Does it matter?

Okay, be honest, have you ever thought: “I wish I felt like working out today”? Or, “I wish I could eat healthier and cut out the sugar”?

I’m guessing that immediately following the thought, the list of “buts” started. But…

Perhaps you’ve attended a really great conference or listened to a podcast and felt inspired in that moment to do something big — to make a big change in your life…only to lose it later and not do the thing you were so inspired to do?

So was that a burst of inspiration? Where does motivation come in? What happens that either makes us do something…or not?

I’m back on the motivational speaking circuit and conducting wellness workshops this year, as well as restarting my In-the-Equation coaching practice. It’s exciting and I’m totally inspired to do it. At the same time, I’m more personally challenged than I have been in a long time to keep myself on a steady course of practicing consistently healthy habits that keep me happy, healthy and whole.

Yet, people are continually telling me that I’m inspiring and motivating them! This in turn motivates me to stay the course so it’s a win-win. But this got me thinking…

What inspires vs. motivates us to action? Can someone else really inspire and motivate us, or do we have to do the motivation part ourselves? Most importantly, how do we REALLY sustain that motivation over the long haul?

Have you ever really thought about where you get your inspiration and motivation to make big, bold changes in your life? Or, how you personally find the motivation to stay the course when the going gets tough?

Let’s explore together. Read more

Mar 26

2 Comments

Setbacks. Learning to honor the struggle

This is not the blog I intended to write. I had every intention of writing about being consistently back in the gym and finally in a groove with my exercise routine. It turns out, the Universe had other plans.

After struggling to get in a regular winter exercise routine, and with the number on the scale moving in the wrong direction, I decided to take it back to the gym. The first couple of months were a challenge as my body was not used to being pushed that hard. But after a string of great workouts recently at Wilcox Wellness and Fitness,  things were starting to gel. I began to feel stronger and more capable.

The cool thing is that I know what comes next! The next phase includes me pushing myself even harder, feeling even more capable and stronger, and then actually starting to enjoy it, and finally craving it! Yes, I’ve been here before and I will be again. But I know you can’t get to that level without working through the more challenging phase one — which is where I have been.

It has taken months to move from my goal of getting back in the gym to get this extra weight off — to feeling like I was in a regular groove and could actually see strong and fit again! Finally, I was ready to claim progress, if not momentum.

Enter – setback. Read more

Mar 18

2 Comments

Grit, Gratitude & Grace

I love the 3 G’s — Grit, Gratitude, and Grace — as a way of being, a way to live out this daily courageous life.

It takes GRIT to follow your dreams over the long haul through all of the setbacks and struggle, and especially to stick to those dreams amidst the pull of short-term desires and distractions. It’s even more difficult when the “how” is not clear.

It’s so much easier to give in to short-term gratification than to stay the course when the going is tough. It is in these times that I rely most on my GRIT and determination. And, of course, I don’t win every battle but I always get back in the game. That’s grit, and I thank my Dad.

GRATITUDE grounds us and keeps us positive and in a positive headspace rather than allowing us to be a victim of circumstance. Personal development guru, Tony Robbins, said it’s impossible to be in a state of gratitude and focused on the negative at the same time. I agree, and have used various gratitude practices over the years to keep me on a positive path, especially when the going gets really tough. Read more

Mar 5

2 Comments

So you’re not perfect. It’s okay. Perfect isn’t cool!

Ever hold yourself to a standard of perfection, only to find that it kept you stuck, stalled & living in a state of constant worry? Good News: Perfect isn’t cool! And striving for it can actually be a form of self-sabotage.

Last week I was on vacation with one of my “besties” in sunny 80-degree Florida! It was a planned birthday trip, combined with a respite from winter in Maine, and a much needed soul recharge to visit a close friend.

The Tampa weather was warm and sunny and it felt amazing to be walking outside every day. I walked 2-4 miles most mornings for outdoor cardio and we walked the beaches as much as possible. Truthfully, I couldn’t get enough! We ate healthy, too. My friend, Mary, is a dietician and an amazing cook who makes the best salads! Plus, I was on a personal mission to eat grilled Gulf shrimp and Grouper as often as I could.

The combination of eating healthy on vacation and moving outside in the sunshine every day totally lifted my spirits. Not to mention, the added psychological benefit of laughing and spending quality time with one of my closest friends. I came home focused and re-energized. Just the way it should be after vacation. Right?!

Reality set in when I returned to a very windy and cold Maine, and resumed the task of making a new life where I have yet to establish a solid routine. Transitions are hard for me in general, but I know this and was determined to continue my momentum upon returning home.

Fast forward a few days and, well, I am struggling. So what happened?

Well, life! Nothing too crazy, just normal stuff. Can you relate? Read more

Feb 11

The warrior within

From “victim” to “warrior” – there’s no stopping now!

One of the most frequently asked questions I get asked when I speak to an audience about my personal transformation for the first time is: “If you had to choose between sustaining the internal changes you’ve experienced and the external changes — losing & keeping off -200 lbs — which would you choose?”

The answer is easy. Without hesitation, I would choose to keep the internal changes, including: Gaining self-love and acceptance; learning radical self-compassion and self-care; learning to restart without beating myself up; unstoppable grit and determination; perseverance and patience when things are tough and the confidence that I will be okay; a quiet confidence that I can do absolutely anything I set my mind to; and the gift of a healthy mindset and a WHOLE life!

Often people are surprised by my answer. But, for me, it’s simple: The personal growth I’ve experienced is dramatic and life changing. So much so, that if I did put all of the weight back on (God forbid), I know I could get it off again because of the changes I’ve made on the inside. In essence, it’s my internal transformation that makes ALL the difference.

This has never been more prevalent than it is for me today. Read more

Feb 4

10 Comments

2019: The year of STRETCH!

She made a promise to herself: This year, she will be brave and bold about EVERYTHING!

I’m back! And it’s been quite a journey to get here.

In August of 2018, I embarked on an adventure to live “A Year by the Sea.” I packed up my belongings, rented my house in St. Paul, MN, and ventured off to Maine — my self-prescribed “Happy Place!”

As I drove off to make the trek across the country, friends and family wished me well and commended me for living brave and bold. Yet I know many of them secretly thought — “What the hell is she doing leaving everything behind and starting fresh in her 50’s…alone?!” Or perhaps they wondered, “Why can’t she just be happy with her nice life in MN?!”

Well, that’s easy. I knew deep in my gut that this was something I needed to do. This is for my soul. It’s aimed at busting myself open to discover what next. It’s meant to push me way outside my comfort zone and it absolutely includes doing hard things.

Once I decided that I needed a fresh new start, including time and space to crack open my heart and live into the answers, there really was no stopping me. To stay in my familiar life would have been the easy choice. But I don’t believe you get “really good” without doing hard. And we all know that I’m not interested in living safe and small anymore. I am on a mission to live up to my absolute greatest potential — and that changes and evolves as I change and grow. Therein lies the work of this journey! Read more

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

Jul 16

Diet or lifestyle, discipline or deprivation?

How you think about it really matters to your ultimate success

Back in Nov. 2010 when I “officially” started my transformation journey we were having a discussion about diet vs. lifestyle and my coach said: “Of course you’re going to be on a ‘diet’ to lose 200 lbs!”

It’s logical that to change my body that significantly, I would need to follow a nutrition and exercise plan with distinct rules, and that it would require self-control and discipline. I remember him also saying that I wouldn’t be on a diet forever, alluding to a “maintenance phase” I would learn later.

I believed my coach was right about the “diet,” and I knew he had the knowledge and expertise to guide me to goal. My job was to follow the plan. So I didn’t think much more about the diet vs. lifestyle mentality at the time, though I was consciously aware that I had been on many different diets in my lifetime and most had failed. In fact, I could have been the the “poster child” for the yo-yo dieting club!

So what was different this time? Well, a lot. Read more

« Older Entries
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox

Join other followers: