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I want to pick up where I left off last week with what I took away from the Jen Sincero "You are a Badass" book.  

This week I bought a cork board to hang on the wall.  There were multiple sizes to choose from, but I went for the largest one I could find - 24 x 36 (that's like poster size).  Because you know me, go big or go home.

So today we had arts and crafts time.  I have all this scrapbooking supplies that I haven't touched in years (I'm trying not to feel bad about that because it's on my to do list to go through it and give it away.  Let me know if you're interested!).  So I grabbed some of my favorite paper and my favorite markers and started writing out my favorite quotes from Sincero's book.  

All these little notes of positivity start with Love Yourself.  And none of them say, "Love Yourself - you're a size 2,"  "Love Yourself - you got promoted,"  "Love Yourself - you made six figures this year."  These "love yourself" notes reflect your energy and your character - it's what's on the inside that matters.  And what's on the inside isn't tangible or something you can see easily.  So we have to stop comparing ourselves to those who appear perfect on Facebook and Instagram.  Because it's likely that you're not seeing the whole story or the less perfect parts of their lives.  There is so much we don't know.  And it can be deceptive to tell yourself a story about someone where you're filling in the blanks.  Or thinking that we'll be marginally happier if we just _____.  Fill in the blank - had more money, lost 50 pounds, had a different job, lived somewhere else.  You can start being happy in less time than it takes to make ramen noodles.  Really.

It's the reason there are a gjillion cat videos on YouTube.  Like this one.  Because sometimes you need a quick pick-me-up.  And if this doesn't do that for you, we need to check your pulse.

But seriously, here's why I love this book.  It's practical.  I don't already have to be at a certain point.  I can start right where I am.  It makes sense.  And it speaks to why we trip over ourselves when we try to accomplish something big.  And more importantly, how to get over it!

Get over my past, get over my negative way of thinking, get over my failures.  Take a second to think about this question.  What would you do if you knew you wouldn't fail?  We are so scared to fail.  But really, isn't failure really just figuring out what doesn't work?  It's working the equation through a process of elimination.  Why do we see that as a bad thing?  Or something to be afraid of, beat ourselves up over, etc.  We learn more about ourselves through failure than anything else.  Embrace it.  And brush yourself off and come at it from another angle.  You just have to want it bad enough.

After I read the book, I felt empowered - like I have the power to change something.  Or to encourage positive change in my circumstances and my environment.  I think it's what draws me to Pound.  It was developed by two women who rock.  Who understand there are incredible benefits to exercise, but more so understand that people have an aversion to it.  So they created something fun, burns calories AND helps to relieve stress.

For a million years, I have been saying that I want to get in shape.  But I just couldn't get my act together.  I could always find something else I needed to do or come up with an excuse.  This was SO frustrating!  I know I'm not alone.

Something that I learned from the Happier podcast with Gretchen Rubin and Elizabeth Craft is that I'm an obliger.  This means that I'm very good at keeping commitments that other people ask of me (I'm a people pleaser), but not so much for myself.  (If you're interested in more about the four tendencies, take the quiz!)

So when I found Pound, and the instructor was my friend, it was perfect mix of fun and accountability.  I so knew she would text me if I didn't show up.  And now that I'm teaching classes, I have to stick with my workouts because there are people depending on me.  On Sunday night at 7:30, there will be people convening at our church waiting for me to lead them with awesome music and a rockin' workout.  So this system of external accountability works for me.  And I love the positive changes that the ladies are reporting to me after they've been rocking out with me for any length of time.  Everything from "I was sore for three days!" to "look at my arms!"  and "I have more energy!" and even looking back at a picture of one the girls from last year and realizing that she is really toning up!

I also would put off practicing with my camera.  Taking pictures just for me - not for a family event or because we're on vacation.  So I created this blog.  Where it would force me to practice and post every week.  Again, building in that system of external accountability.  Because Lord knows there are people who start harassing me by Monday afternoon if they haven't seen anything posted.  So if that's you, keep it up.  I need it.  :)

I'll leave you with these three quotes:

Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow.  The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.  ~Abraham Lincoln

You learn more from failure than from success.  Don't let it stop you.  Failure builds character. ~Unknown

The content of your character is your choice.  Day by day, what you choose, what you think and what you do is who you become.  ~Heraclitus