Lamisha Serf-Walls

Mindset, Keeping Score, & How to Make Them Work for You!

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Just recently I decided to jump-start my fitness routine again in an attempt to get healthy and create a bit of structure for my workday.  I have to say it’s been pretty great…for the most part.

Growing up I was fairly active.  I danced from 8th grade through high school and into college so I never really had to worry about getting to the gym and making time to work out.  It just happened.  I took dance classes and loved it so it hardly ever felt like ‘work’.  Just a couple of hours a week doing something I love.

This time is a bit different.

I get up every morning and do the ‘work’.  Despite how much it burns in my abs or in my quads, I know that I will feel better having done it.  I just have to get through the 30 minutes.  The work out I am doing is a Beachbody program and it uses 1 minute increments for each exercise and I can’t tell you how many times I have looked at the time left and wished I hadn’t.  Just when I think I am close to being finished, I look up only to realize I am only half way there.  For some reason it makes the second half of the minute seem so much longer!

Well last week I decided to try something a little different.  I decided that instead of looking at the clock or counting the number of squats or mindsetcrunches I am able to complete,  I would just focus on a spot on the wall in front of me through the entire minute.  Funny enough, it seemed like the minute passed by so much faster AND it didn’t feel so hard.

This is a perfect example of how holding your vision while not ‘keeping score’ can help your mindset.

I will be the first to admit that when it comes to my goals or intentions, I am a score-taker.  I like to monitor where I am and how far I am from my goal and while that doesn’t seem like a bad thing, I find it to be discouraging at times.  It can often make it feel like I’m just never going to make it...there.

It’s like saying I want to go to California and all along the way being discouraged that I’m not there yet.  Or wanting to work with 100 clients in 2014 (a true goal of mine for this year) and feeling discouraged when I count I have only worked with 40.

It is ALL about mindset.

If you instead celebrate the progression from where you started to where you want to be AND keep your focus on your vision, something magical happens.  Things feel better, run more smoothly, and you get there much faster.

The same works for whether you are working out, wanting to lose weight, or make a certain dollar figure during the year.

3 Key Steps:

  • Know where you started
  • Celebrate your progression (no matter how small)
  • Keep your ultimate goal/vision alive through focus

startnowAs long as you are consistently taking inspired action and keeping your mindset positive, you will get there.  It just takes a bit of patience, focus, and sometimes accountability.  And if you are finding yourself struggling with getting started or need help to keep going, think about getting yourself a coach.  I have opened 5 individual spots for the month of August for my 1-Month Jump Start program and while I had previously decided not to run this program again until November, I changed my mind because I know how much can happen in 1 month.  I would love to help support you as you envision and create the life & business of your dreams so if this is something you are interested in you can schedule your 30-min. consultation here.  We have 5 months left in 2014 what haven’t you started that you wanted to do this year?  It’s not too late to get started, I promise working with me for 1 month can make all the difference in you creating the life of your dreams.  Are you ready?

Back On Track

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Over the last year or so I have attempted to work some type of fitness into my daily routine as much as possible.  Some weeks I do really well while during others I am lucky to fit a 20 minute walk in an entire week.  Needless to say I have not been very consistent or motivated.  While my weight hasn’t fluctuated all that much despite the lack of activity, I am beginning to see a difference in how I feel, both in regards to my mental focus (or lack there of) and energy and it is not a positive difference at all.  I find myself fatigued much of the time and while my to do list continues to grow, my motivation continues to plummet.  This weekend I was reminded that I need to refocus my health goal and set a new intention to create (and stick to) a fitness regime.

One of my most basic issues with setting a plan surprisingly is that I have been working on being in the flow of life.  Instead of setting a schedule and stressing over every detail, I am sort of letting life take me where it chooses to some degree.  I am learning that this method only works with some things, and perhaps fitness is not one of these areas.  If I am honest with myself (and you) “flowing with life” is probably an excuse I have come up with to make me feel better about not exercising as much as I need to.  I know I have not made my own fitness regime a priority in my life and while it isn’t always my favorite thing to do, I need to make the time for it again.

How do you make time?

I have always believed that we make the time for the things that are important to us, but in a world where we wear many hats, how can you make the time for all that you need and want to do?  Sometimes it seems impossible.

I could give you a million reasons why I don’t work out, how it doesn’t fit into my schedule, or why it is just difficult to stick to, but I won’t.  Instead I will tell you why making time for fitness and any other task that is part of your dream is important.

There will always be something else to do instead of your craft (or any goal or dream you may have) and you may very well find a way to rationalize why the other thing is more important at that moment, but if your dream is worth achieving you must make the time for it.  No.Matter.What.  It doesn’t necessarily have to be every day, but if you create a schedule, stick to it.  (This goes for me and my fitness schedule as well.)  If writing a book is important and you are ready to achieve that dream, set a writing schedule.  If you want to make your dreams a reality, they aren’t going to magically appear, just as I am not going to wake up one morning and suddenly be able to run a mini-marathon, believe me if this was true, I would have run several by now.

We must prioritize the things that are important to us.  If you are like me, you have a list a mile long of things you want to accomplish in a day, but the reality is that even with an unlimited number of hours in a day, you still wouldn’t complete everything.  Prioritizing is a must, but I think the most important thing to do is to is remember we are human.

Life happens.

There will be times when we get distracted and fall out of our routines.  It happens, and the best we can do is flow with what comes and get back to what is important to us.  That is exactly what I am intending to do.  I am getting back to a peaceful mind, energetic body, and creative soul through exercise and meditation.  And while it will require me to rethink how I spend my time (especially since I am blogging again), making time for meditation and exercise is essential for the rest of my dreams to become reality.

With so many responsibilities in our day-to-day lives, we often forget to take care of ourselves and our needs.  Now is the time to change that.  I encourage you to look at your dreams and goals and without judgement, see where you can fit more time to those things that bring you joy, so you too can be that much closer to making your dreams a reality.

What do you want to make more time for?