Double your income & your time off.

I have been reading Focal Point by Brian Tracy and it has drastically changed my perspective of life and I want to share. Here is a quick expert:

By applying the Focal Point Process to your life, you can double your income and double your time off. Many achieve these twin goals in as little as thirty days. When they hear this claim, most people are skeptical. They do not believe that it is possible to double their income and double their time off simultaneously. Most people are trapped in an old paradigm: They believe that the only way they can increase their incomes is by increasing the amount of worked they do or the number of hours they work. In fact, many people feel guilty if they are not working almost to the point of exhaustion most of the time. However, this is an old way of thinking that leads inevitably to physical, emotional, and spiritual dead end.

The world had changed dramatically, and we must change with it. In less than two generation, we have moved from the Industrial Age through the Service Age and into the Information Age. In the Information Age, knowledge has become the primary resource and the most valuable factor of production. We have moved from the Age of Manpower to the Age of Mindpower. In this new age, you are no longer rewarded for the hours you put in but for what you put into those hours.

Then later in the steps to doubling your income and doubling your time off there was this:

4. Decided today to take at least one full day each week off work during which you spend time exclusively on your personal pursuits. During this time off, refuse to do anything associated with work. Do not read, make telephone calls, catch up on your correspondence, work our your computer, or do anything else work related. Let your brain  completely recharge and rejuvenate by turning your attention to something apart from the work you do during the week.


5. Once you are comfortable taking o once day off each week, expand your time off to two days a full weekend, every week. Begin to schedule a three-day vacation every three months and eventually every two months.....


The more you get your time and your life under control, the more you will get done, the more enjoyable you work will be. The more you get done, the more free time you will have. The more free time you have, the more rested you will be when you are working, thereby getting even more done.

Obviously there is a lot more to the book, but this point hit home for me,  since I have been a working adult I do not believe that I have ever taken a full day off of work. Maybe a few camping trips in the past but definitely not once a week. Here is our first experience of a completely personal day:

We were heading to SC to close on our house and our family has a beautiful lake house on Lake Murry, this is our favorite bedroom in the world.

The best part is the view in the morning

Hot Spark on a chilly fall morning

After an hour of driving this is the only place we could find for breakfast

It was full of old signs..this was my fav

The waitress could not believe we didn't want grits and toast...

Found a farmers market for trail snacks and pumpkins

7mile hike start

Sam's pretty excited....lol

apple from the market

Cool bridges over little creeks

Eat the skin of a kiwi its awesome!

Sam loved kiwi..

Know we had to get some crossfit/yoga pics...Jere in a handstand

Crow on a wall

7miles down

Back to the lake house

pumpkin carving

The only reason I carve pumpkins...the seeds! Soak in salt water for 2-3hours

Bake at 350 for 20min then flip and bake again for 20min

The dogs had an awesome time!

I can see how this works....We we refreshed and ready to go back to work after the long day of fun! What do you do to relax and refresh??

Another Day at the office.

Have you found what you really need to live...aside from the obvious like: food, running water and shelter. recently we took a day to see how many wonderful things we could stuff into to it. This was our adventure.







Find out about the places we visited:

http://www.crossfitevolution.com/
http://www.aiguille.com/home/index.shtml
http://guruvyoga.com/
http://www.lululemon.com/orlando/orlando
https://www.advocare.com/09061177/
http://www.firstwatch.com/
http://www.mellowmushroom.com/

A healthy addiction

CrossFit is our addiction. It pushes us to our max every time we step into the gym. I have yet to do a workout that I didn't think about crying half way through. It shows us that we are weak but it proves to us that we are strong. Every day we have the opportunity to improve. Isn't that the same as life? Doesn't life kick you in the face all the time? But you have to choice to show up to kick its ass every day. You have the choice to make every day. Make yourself better or get trampled by circumstance. Take responsibility or be the victim. Live in the moment and be happy or live in fear and anger.  You are in the drivers seat, you just have to decide where to go and how to react.


So decide to live your dreams. Here's an exerpt from one of my favorite books The Travelers Gift (Andy Andrews):

"A wise man once said, ‘A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.’ Knowing this to be true, I am taking my first step today. The power to control direction belongs to me. Today I will begin to exercise that power. My course has been charted. My destiny is assured. I have a decided heart. I am passionate about my vision for the future. I will awaken every morning with an excitement about the new day and its opportunity for growth and change. My thoughts and actions will work in a forward motion. I will freely give my vision for the future to others, and as they see the belief in my eyes, they will follow me. I will lay my head on my pillow at night happily exhausted, knowing that I have done everything within my power to move the mountains in my path. As I sleep, the same dream that dominates my waking hours will be with me in the dark. Yes, I have a dream. It is a great dream, and I will never apologize for it. My hopes, my passions, my vision for the future are my very existence. I have a decided heart. I will not wait. I know that the purpose of analysis is to come to a conclusion. I have tested the angles. I have measured the probabilities. And now I have made a decision with my heart. I am not timid. I will move now and not look back. I do not procrastinate. All my problems become smaller when I confront them. If I touch a thistle with caution, it will prick me, but if I grasp it boldly, its spines crumble into dust. I will not wait. I am passionate about my vision for the future. My course has been charted. My destiny is assured. I have a decided heart."


On that note...I have a decided heart to be the best in the world at CrossFit...Here is my first mountain conquered: Iron Curtian 2010

WOD #1 Run 600m with 25lb bumper plate, Finish with a 1 mile run - 13:01

WOD #2: As many rounds as possible: 10 pull-ups, 10 burpees - 2.5

The pull-ups did me in....

WOD#3: Dead lift Max - PR 225lbs

WOD#4: 3 rounds for time: 10 Overhead squats, 10 box jumps, 20 double unders 6:01



Peas&Love,
Shanna

The Why......

Good Morning! Or Night! It's late I know but I have to share this!  I have to share this feeling! This is why I wake up every morning jacked up! This is what keeps me pushing through adversity, what gets me out of bed at 6am, this is my why. This is why I won't settle for a JOB or a fancy title with a corner office...oh I'm not perfect, please I have thought millions of times how much easier life would be if I would sell out on my dreams and take a "good" paying regular job that MBA graduates land. Honestly last week we weren't sure if we were going to be able to buy groceries because all of our credit cards are maxed out. When that negative talk comes into my head..... "why didn't you just take that job out of college that paid $45,000 salary....why didn't you just suck it up and stay in insurance....." I always come back to my why. If you're going to be an entrepreneur you have to know your purpose. You have to want it more than you want to eat sometimes. Meet my Purpose:

This is Alison when I met her a year ago

This is Alison now

Here is Her story:

"I added years to my life. REALLY. My journey began July 2009 when I was at work and mysteriously passed out. I was not responding and was taken by ambulance to the nearest hospital where after every test you can imagine was done, no actual diagnosis or cause was found as to why I fainted. But I knew why. My body had it with me and the abuse I had put it through. As I lay in the bed at the emergency room all that went through my head was that my son Jacob deserved more than this. I deserved more than this. I refused to continue eating unhealthy, not exercising and un-proudly having to say I had Diabetes Type II. My weight was at its highest 187 pounds. That for me was scary. I weighed 180 the day I had my son. He weighed 7 pounds. Which means I was technically carrying twice my son’s weight. ABUSE.
I found Advocare by mistake. I saw a sign on the bulletin board at my son’s daycare for Shanna’s boot camp. Yes I needed tough love at this point and was willing to go through the pain. As I was “checking” Shanna’s info out I ran into her Advocare website. I have to admit at first I was thinking, “Here we go again another wonder drug that promises to melt away everything”. But as I read it more and spoke with Shanna I found two things I liked: Shanna never pushed me onto it which to me meant it worked, she didn’t feel the need to oversell it, and the fact it was natural.
The journey to today was NOT easy by any means. I had to reboot my mind and body to the fact that I was now going to treat it well. And I have to admit it is STILL not easy. I started and continue to be on the Advocare 24 day challenge..And that’s exactly what it is....a challenge. You have to follow what the product says and if you do you see results. My personal favorites are the Spark Pink Lemonade and the MNS 3. No fake up feeling then down feeling but rather wonderful and powerful “good to go conquer the world” stuff. At least for me.
Today a year later I am most grateful for finding Advocare. I have lost 30 pounds, and my latest lab results show for the first time in 6 years that my A1C is at its lowest which means I am not a diabetic. Yes people, this can be done. I feel great and the scary part is I NOW realize how unhealthy I was living and how my body had been complaining for a while. Aches, fatigue, depression, Diabetes, high cholesterol to mention a few. But I refuse to go out like that......so I stopped the abuse and started spreading the love....literally....with Advocare, exercise and healthier eating."

Alison's story is my purpose. I love her and Jacob! They are my inspiration. They are amazing! It's not about losing weight. Its about gaining life back. What about the rest of the Alison's out there that want more life? I have an opportunity to help them. I have an obligation to help them.  Going to preach for a second.....God gave me this ability to change lives, he gave me that ability and now he's testing my faith in his will for my life. See he wants me to grow in love. Adversity is a temporary test, it makes you stronger and forces you to grow. Thankfully accept adversity as preparation for greatness. God is trusting you with the precious gifts that he gave you, he's trusting that you will do something amazing with them. And so I am. I didn't settle and I never will,  one story like Alison's could never be replaced by a salary or a corner office. God will take care of us. He was the one that put those dreams in your heart. I'm urging you to follow them. In the end God will always always follow through on his promises if you step up to the plate....he's kind of amazing like that.  : )

Alison & Jacob

Whats your purpose?