It's not about me...

"I believe we are here to learn and grow, and to become so abundant in belief in ourselves that we finally tap into the full potential of the greatness that is within us and share that greatness with the world." -

Jeff Olson, The Slight Edge.

If you would have told me 5 years ago that I would be here sharing hope with 100s of people, I would have laughed at you. I thought it was "one of those things". Was so wrong and was living selfishly. Glad I humbled myself, opened my heart to what this really was and became coachable. I know now, it has nothing to do with me. My yes is tied to so many other lives and families, putting down my ego has allowed me to be the light for others! As uncomfortable as it was and still is to step out of my comfort zone, I know that the more times I do it the more people that I will be able to help. I believe that rooted in every human being is the desire to make a positive difference, we want to leave a legacy, change the world. Yet most of us miss the fact that we all do make a difference. 

Our lives are our messages and regardless of if we actively try to or not, our choices affect millions of others. And some how we connivence ourselves that settling, not growing, not learning, not fulfilling our true potential only effects us and our family. That's not true at all. You are either bringing people down around you or you are lifting them up, there is no human life that does not make an impact. Could I turn back, settle for a "safe" job, start watching TV instead of attending these events or reading books, stop caring about how to become excellent at what I do, stop putting myself in uncomfortable situations to learn and grow, party all weekend... sure I could. I'm not saying that I choose the right things all the time, but I know in my heart that I am fighting to be better every single day I'm on this planet. 

I talk to people all the time who "are fine", shrink their dreams to match their circumstance, and think that I'm crazy... then complain about not having time, money and/or health, they bring everyone around them down with their negative mindset, not even realizing that they are creating a negative ripple effect that will reach millions. Or even worse, they promote mediocrity, excuses and "this is the way things are" mentality, giving others permission to do the same. They blame the system instead of accepting responsibility, thinking that they are the only ones suffering. 

I choose to live differently, I choose to promote greatness. I'm not saying its going to be easy at all, I'm saying it's going to be worth it. If you are not already, I challenge you to start promoting greatness in yourself and in whatever you choose to do. Watch what happens. A life fueled by passion and purpose will set the world on fire. 

Like the majority, I use to live in autopilot and was on a path to go to the grave with dreams in my heart. Luckily for me, someone cared enough to share a gift of hope for a better future, belief that I could chase my dreams and that I was a champion. That is why I do this, I'm a dealer in hope. It's not about me anymore, its about the millions of people that need to hear this message like I did 5 years ago. I thank God everyday that my life was interrupted.  

I work on myself harder than anything else because I know reaching my full potential is the best thing that I could do for the world. I'm in no way perfect and fight slipping back into my old ways on a daily basis. I constantly have to remind myself, It's not about me, it's about the millions of lives that will be impacted because I was here.  

Someone should do something...

"Someone" should do something about that... then I realized that person was me. While I do wholeheartedly believe that my life and everything that happens to me is my responsibility....I have struggled with taking responsibility in places that were outside of my little world. For example, when I see something in the community that needs to change or I see some big problem that needs to be addressed. I have a tendency to say "someone should do something..." but why not me? Why don't I have the same sense of responsibility for my community as I do for my own life? Why is it okay to turn the other way?.... if I'm being honest, it's not.

While I'm a dreamer, I'm grounded enough to know that I can't solve everything that needs to be fixed in our society. BUT if not me, than who? WHO is responsible? Who is responsible for making the world a better place? I may not be the smartest, richest, prettiest, strongest, or most powerful...but I know that I can do small things to make a big difference, I do realize the power of taking an action. ANY action is better than just a good intention. From one of my favorite books by Andy Andrews:

“Everything you do matters. Every move you make, every action you take...matters. Not just to you, or your family, or your business or hometown. Everything you do matters to all of us forever.”  -The Butterfly Effect

I want to share a story of how I experienced the Butterfly Effect firsthand. This is not to brag at all, I want to share because I hope that it will encourage you to take small actions when you have opportunities presented to you, that you will find courage and strength to take action and trust that you can make a difference in the world. 

About a month ago, my sister shared a YouTube video on her Facebook page of her friends, The Haworths, they were auditioning for a catastrophe show on HGTV.  He's a wounded solider,  they both are fellow Olmsted Falls Alumni and their story just is not fair. I watched and my first thought..."Someone should do Something for this family" Then I got a tug on my heartstring, loud and clear I heard "Shanna, you should do something".

It scared me a little, like what could I do? This family needs $100,000. I decided to pray and sleep on it. In the morning I had an even clearer picture of what I should do and that I was fully capable of taking action. SO I did, reached out to my sister and asked if she could get in contact with the family and see if they would be open to me setting up fundraising efforts for them. After a few days and their approval, I set up an online funding site and started working with my sister, my AdvoCare Teammates, The CrossFit Box and other local businesses to start something to help the Haworths rebuild their home.

After a couple of days in, I had a lot of doubts; what was I thinking? How is this going to help them? What if no one joins me? What if we only raise $200? This is such a dumb idea. I always have these big plans that never work out. Who am I to make a difference? I'm 9months pregnant why would I start something like this now?  blah..blah..blah.

A short month later we have had lots of media coverage, had 14 local businesses get involved, had multiple contractors volunteer their time, got offers to have most of the materials donated, got the attention of a non-profit agency that is covering their cost to live while they rebuild their house,  raised $9,500 online alone, held a fundraising event at The CrossFit Box that brought in an additional $3,100 and raised over $3,000 off line. They still need more to finish, but because of our efforts, a local Nonprofit called NEOPAT is going to take over to help raise the rest.

The Haworth's are going to get their house rebuilt. I am overwhelmed, amazed and honored to have been able to be part of something so incredible. Never would I have thought that my tiny action would create such a huge ripple effect...or maybe it was my sister who started it by sharing their story...or maybe it was the person that encouraged the Haworth's to apply for the HGTV show...

See we all have our part to play, they are all equally important and they all make a difference. Our actions, small every day actions do in fact change the world. We just have to decide what kind of change that is going to be. Pay attention, take responsibility and have the courage to take action when it's your turn. YOU will be blown away by the experiences that you will have the opportunity to be a part of, by the legacy that you will get to leave behind and by your ability to change the world. Never underestimate the effects that your small actions can have in the world.

"Regular" people

Courage doesn’t always roar.
Sometimes courage is the quiet voice
at the end of the day saying,
“I will try again tomorrow.”
- Mary Anne Radmacher

Don't underestimate your ability to change the world. Don't lose site of your strengths. Don't become a victim of circumstance. Sometimes I think we get caught up in the fact that we think inspiration, greatness and courage have to come from the top performers, the celebrities, the pros. But that is not always the case. Don't get me wrong, most of those people are amazing and they most definitely are inspirational but they are not the only ones that can participate in courage and greatness.

I'm inspired day after day by the "regular" people that surround me. In fact 90% of my inspiration comes from these people that demonstrate courage single day.

The courage that it takes...
- for an adult to admit that they need help with their diet.
- for a sedentary person to walk into a CrossFit gym for the first time.
- for a new person show up and suck for the first month or two.
- to genuinely care about someone other than themselves.
- for someone to set challenging goals for themselves and go after them.
- to lead other people.
- for someone to have integrity and follow through with what they say they will do even when the plan fails.
- for someone to admit when they are wrong.
- for someone to tell the truth even when it hurts.
- to change lifestyle habits.
- for someone to really push themselves and give it all they have.
- for someone to stand up for their dreams.
- to try again and again even after they fail.
- for someone to go against the grain.
- to openly seek help for their struggles.
- to do the right thing.
- to be excited and all in.
- to admit how they feel.
- to be honest with themselves.
- to not make excuses.

I put regular in quotations because these people are not "regular" they are extraordinary. There are millions of other people that walk around every day without goals, without passion, without ever leaving their comfort zone. But not the "regular" people that inspire me. No, these people change the world. They do so by having courage in their own lives every single day. Not by being pro athletes or celebrities.

There are enough people walking around without courage. By all means understand, it is your life you can absolutely do what you want with it, but I'm urging you to choose to be one of the extraordinary people that have a positive impact. You have the ability to change the world. You will have an impact on the world either way. Everything you do matters. It matters to all of us. We are all connected.

So what kind of impact do you want to make? Playing it safe, making excuses and living with the walls up are not inspiring. Choose to be an inspiration. Live with courage. Be extraordinary.