Showing posts with label heart. Show all posts
Showing posts with label heart. Show all posts

Monday, December 3, 2012

Cutting Off Limbs {reload}


...cuTTiNg oFF LiMbS...


Big or small, we all have had limbs that need to be cut--It doesn't matter if you needed pruning shears or a commercial chainsaw.


A few years after I moved into my house, I decided that I wanted to plant more trees. I only had 2, so I added 3 more. I chose specific trees for specific spots for specific reasons. At first, each of my new trees had stakes with wires that wrapped around the trunk. I didn't like the way it looked but I knew that it was important in order for them to grow straight and be protected when storms or high winds came. Soon, it was time to remove the support system. My trees were big enough to stand alone.

After a couple of years, I was excited to see that my trees began to grow...so much so that they needed trimming. My brother, that doubles as my handyman, explained how you know what branches to cut off. Any branches that were too low or growing down or even small branches growing inward, needed to be trimmed off because they were taking "energy" away from the healthy branches and doing nothing to help the tree become bigger and stronger. It's important to not wait too long because as long as there are branches that need trimming still there...they are taking energy and nutrients away from the branches that are good. And if you never trim the tree, it will never become as big or strong or beautiful as it COULD have been.

Back in February, I did something I thought I would never do...something I thought I would never need to do. I started seeing a therapist. My marriage was a mess and demons from the past were haunting me. I felt like I needed someone to talk to that didn't know me and wouldn't judge me. I still remember the first day sitting in a strange room...on an old ugly couch...looking at a stranger...as I wept uncontrollably and tried to tell her all the things that have hurt me or that are bothering me...in an hour. I am a control freak. I like to have control because there were times as a child when I had all my power taken from me...times when I should've been protected but I wasn't...feelings I felt that were not feelings I should have been feeling at that age. And so I try to have as much control now as I can, even though it doesn't change the past. I like to do things how I want to do them...when I want to do them. I like to always look just right and stay composed when I can. I felt so out of control...so ugly...so damaged. This was completely out of my comfort zone, but there was something strangely comforting at the same time about just getting it all out...telling all my secrets...admitting my shame...letting myself be vulnerable.


After I purged myself of all the things that were bothering me...I quickly began to try and regain control by telling the therapist what exactly I was doing to make changes and try to correct these problems. I told her how hard it was/is and how disappointed and upset some people were with me. I told her that I felt alone and scared. Finally, when I let her speak, she looked at me surprisingly unfazed and said,

"You have been hurt badly. You have held it in and made the choice to never use these things as an excuse to protect everyone else and keep a sense of pride. No one would ever believe the things that you have suffered because you have covered them up so well. Now, you have chosen to correct this by cutting off the things and people that cause you pain. The problem is that you are like a tree that hasn't ever been pruned. Instead of getting rid of these things as they came, you waited and let them continue to grow. You had so many limbs to cut off that you now feel very bare and very alone."

This made perfect sense. I had let things grow that should have been cut off sooner and made some huge changes in my life. It wasn't until the secret pain became unbearable that I finally did something about it...and I did it all at once. It has been scary to make these decisions and hard to deal with the consequences that have followed, but every day is a little better. New branches are growing where old, unhealthy ones were and the people that love me are learning to accept my changes and love me unconditionally.

So, you probably wonder what this has to do with anyone other than me. It's a warning if you will. Don't let unhealthy "branches" grow on your "tree" because it seems too hard to get rid of them. Take the things out of your life that weigh you down or keep you from reaching your true potential. Don't have friends that don't accept your commitment to eat and live healthy. Don't surround yourself with jealous people that want to drag you down. Avoid unhealthy relationships that cause you to doubt your worth and rob you of your goals. And when you do need to cut off branches, be brave. Value yourself enough to put in the work it takes to be your best. Don't be afraid of feeling alone at times or vulnerable, because in time you will be glad you made the changes. Finally, don't be too proud to ask for help. When trees have large branches that break or need to be removed, sometimes it takes a professional because the job is too big to do on your own. Rely on the people that care about you to help you make changes. 

I cannot take credit for this blog post--but it is one of those powerful messages that I think everyone should read and anyone could apply to their own life. 
I just had to share. From the blog STRONG IS THE NEW SKINNY


Just as it takes pruning to help a tree grow tall and strong, it takes making uncomfortable changes in our own lives to become the person we are meant to be. After the struggle...because of the work it takes to get there...in the end...we will become stronger than we ever thought possible
~Jen

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Tougher than a Cornflake

Sometimes the universe speaks to you in quiet ways. Sometimes is shouts.
This week, it yelled directly into my ear.

It told me that I was heading in the right direction-just keep going!!

While I do not lack motivation or drive to train on most days, there are those times when I just don't have the "oomph" I normally do or I find it a bit frustrating to have my workouts interrupted (ie: Lola smacking up a little boy in the Y daycare. Lola waking up early while I am trying to get my bike groove on. Hubby working late or being out of town. whatever)

I am a stay-at-home-Mom. While in THEORY is was easy decision for my husband &  I to make-to stay with my daughter and be Mommy-it was not so easy to give up my salary. In doing so, we sacrificed a lot of things by cutting our income in half. I don't have the budget to buy a great, new tri bike right now nor do I have the funds to hire a tri coach to learn the things I need to learn-I would love a (bike) trainer so I could ride the bike I DO have but for now I am resigned to the stat bike. Swimming is my weakest discipline right now and I could really use some lessons and/or a swim coach.
-but these things are not going to deter me. I will find a way to make these things happen.
I never quit and I don't question my motivation. I am trying to put a plan together to make it all work. I am reading. I am researching. I am learning. Working with what I have.

One day this week I was feeling down and a bit frustrated with some of these issues as well as some things that were out of my control.
Then-
I stumbled upon a link to a blog this week via Twitter.

Come to find out, this blog is written by a rockstar Maine Triathlete and Endurance Coach. Just the name of her blog alone should motivate you!

It's YOU vs. Can't, YOU vs. Excuses, YOU vs. the Odds--Let's see what YOU've got

The post that was Tweeted was titled
Where it all starts
(here is an excerpt)

It doesn't matter what your friends are doing. It doesn't matter what they think. It makes no difference whether or not your husband thinks it would be fun or if your parents would be proud.


You can't do it for them.
You Must do it for You.


If you want to succeed, it Must come from your Heart.

I highly suggest reading the entire post.

This just solidified everything I have been thinking about and planning for the last month or so.

Getting up at 3:45pm to ride the bike instead of sleeping in.
Running anytime I can make it happen, even if it means pushing 50lbs in the jogging stroller-or running in the dark. Or in the cold wind. Or the snow.
Swimming until I am waterlogged and wrinkled.
Selling my designer handbags to buy a new bike.
Eating steel cut oats instead of Captain Crunch to fuel my body.

These are some of the things I am doing because I have goals I want to achieve, I have dreams that I will make a reality.


I have the HEART to put in the work.
and I am tougher than a cornflake
(read the blog post to understand)


The neighbors can continue to stare at me as I run by in my dayglo orange or neon yellow reflective tops as I head out onto the roads in the dark. My husband can laugh when I want to fit in a second workout of the day. My non-runner/triathlete friends can shake their heads in confusion.

There are a couple friends that "get it" and I hold them close. I am sure there are many of you out in bloggy land that COMPLETELY understand.

I am going to continue creating FrankenJen in full force-one mile at a time!

"FAILURE WILL NEVER OVERTAKE ME IF MY DETERMINATION TO SUCCEED IS STRONG ENOUGH" ~Og Mandino


What sacrifices have you or do you make to reach your goals?