I am so redonkulously late with this blog post, but I realize I should stay on track and be more committed with my blog because of a few things that have recently happened with me.
So...hm. I don't even know where to begin this post! I feel like when I have an idea for a blog, if I don't write it immediately, I lose it. I wanted to write this yesterday night; given what happened I went out to celebrate instead. Gotta enjoy life, ya know?
Anyways, lately I've been so overwhelmed with gratitude. If you read my room decor blog, you know that I created this thing called a vision board (pretty lame) but its basically a decorative cork board where I list all of my short term and long term goals. There were a few weekly and daily goals on there that I set out to achieve and I really think it has helped me to reach a few milestones lately.
1. Music.
My first love.
Even better that I get to do it with my little sister and good friend, David. We Sisters Three found our secret weapon - the steel pan. We've all been playing since we were young, and David is just WIZARD on it. I mean, the band is 50% Trinidadian. It was just the vibe and unique sound our group NEEDED to take our live show to the next level. So as a group, we have just said enough is enough and will be recording this fall! Details are not completely certain yet but we have a plan. We are in rehearsals and having strategy meetings to get this ball rolling. Recording is expensive. It's a long and complicated process. But we have made it more difficult by being too afraid or hesitant to just go for it. Rest assured now that we have SORT of "found our sound" you will see some big things coming from We Sisters Three in the next year.
2. Acting
My second love.
I got a degree in theatre, you all know that by now I think. But I was never by any means the most talented actor in my class. I just love the idea of process I guess? I don't know. I like how in studio EVERYTHING is a rehearsal, and I love the adrenaline and complete EXHAUSTION you feel after a performance. I can now call myself an acting instructor, which I never thought would really happen. I still have so much to learn and need a lot of practical acting experience before I stop feeling like a total fraud... but this is a hobby I've had since I was little, and something I have been working at ever since. And I'm not kidding, I have been writing and performing plays with my cousins and sisters just for our parents, writing scripts for plays at my school and all of these things since I was in elementary school. Everyone kind of knew it was my "thing," so to now have taken it to a post-secondary level I feel a sense of pride and accomplishment. I am now an active arts leader in my community; offering drama workshops at community houses to "youth at risk" (aka the best teens you'll ever meet). It's nice because I COULD be a drama teacher, I have the experience and education/requirements to be an Ontario Certified teacher (my certification will be complete shortly) but it's nice to thrive in the COMMUNITY. It's what I live for. There is a difference between drama and acting. So to challenge myself and take risks (which my performance instructor ALWAYS encouraged me to do) I have recently accepted another job (that's five now. Yikes!) as an actual acting instructor at a performing arts company. With students who legitimately WANT to be there, in an actual studio. I just lead my first workshop yesterday night and I can already tell this will be a good thing. It's just that exploration of art that my soul NEEDS. The process without all of the lesson planning and people to answer to will be a wonderful change for me, since I spent the last year meticulously planning in teachers college.
3. Fitness.
My new found love.
I almost feel like a bit of an impostor because it's something I grew passionate about so quickly! I LOVE team building. I LOVE collaboration, and I LOVE to be fit. Someone explain why I am so awful at sports!?!?!!? Haha. Actually though, one of my milestones this week was going to the gym. It terrifies me. Or, it used to. I was too afraid to ask for help. To admit I didn't know how many reps, or sets, or even what they MEANT, or how much weight, or how to use the darn machines. I asked for help. I received it (thank you Jessica!). I went to the gym to lift heavier this week and train legs and it killed me. I was so sore the next day. Hurts so good, guys! I was so nervous to go in. I drove PAST it on my way there by accident. I lost my headphones and my water bottle the morning of. Haha like, everything was just telling me NOT to go and stick to my at home workouts in my basement by myself, where NO ONE is looking at or judging me. I don't know why but I'm TELLING YOU, when you take even the smallest of risks, step outside of your comfort zone in the smallest way, you will SUCCEED. That energy you will get from the sense of accomplishment you feel will radiate off of you. It will ATTRACT people to you. The right kind of people. The risk taking, like minded, goal oriented people that you NEED in your life. To influence you, to support you, and to challenge you. And you'll set an example to your friends who NEED that kind of person in their life. Share that energy. Share that attitude.
4. Entrepreneurship
My long lost love.
Can I call myself an entrepreneur yet? I'm beginning to think I can. My dad is. He is someone who I have consistently looked up to, and respected and just GLORIFIED. And also someone who I have never FULLY understood. We have a lot of personality differences. Starting this business has allowed me to seek his wisdom and advice more frequently. Slow and steady, I am building the relationship that I have always craved with my Dad. We joke a lot about how I'm kind of the odd duck. I'm lighter than all my siblings and am so much like my mum that me and my dad sometimes joke about not being his. More and more I'm realizing how much of him is inside of me. His courage, his determination, his effective and ever-present leadership skills. I have them too. I am working on them every day. To KNOW that me and my dad have these things in common? I could ask for nothing more.
When I started "Muscles with Meags" I didn't realize that you would actually READ it. When I posted my last blog on the 21 day fix, over 300 people viewed it on that DAY. Which is big for me, because I thought this was just a few clients and family members. Out of the 3-400 people that actually read it, only a few messaged me to talk about their health goals. Are YOU one of those people? I WANT to talk to you. I WANT to help you. Me and my two close friends started our first challenge group on our own, "Guns Buns and Huns" and its going AMAZINGLY. The girls in our group are committed, driven and ACTIVE participants. No doubt they'll achieve their goals. Jessica, Kaitlyn and I are becoming more open with each other every day, and constantly coming up with new strategies and ideas together to keep people (and each other) motivated and on track. We all started in this business around the same time so it's nice to have people to count on. If you want to achieve success, a good idea from what I read and have experienced so far is to get yourself an ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER. Someone with similar goals that you can trust and be open with. You don't have to know them that well. Heck, in my case, some of my closest accountability partners are women who I have never even MET in person. But we vibe so nicely.
Like I said, I started Muscles With Meags as a way to keep me motivated and staying accountable. Sharing the journey has been key to my own personal fitness transformation. I HAVE to lead by example. People EXPECT me to help them. And I'm now sponsoring and training my mom and my wonderful friend Tiffany to lead by example too, and train them to work as coaches WITH me. In the world of Team Beachbody, I have now increased in rank and am classified as an "Emerald Coach" (BAH! A JEWEL TONE!) It basically means I'm taking this business seriously. Coaching people, training coaches, and meeting my own sales/business goals. It's so much of a hobby that I can hardly believe sometimes that Muscles With Meags makes me MONEY. For something that started off as a small and fun fitness challenge to keep me accountable, I've turned this into a business. And it is SO rewarding.
I NEEDED to write this blog about my milestones because a lot of this just happened this week.
1. I went to the recording studio where we will be working.
2. I became an actual acting instructor.
3. I became an Emerald Coach
4. I started going back to the gym
These goals began and ended with me writing them down, setting my intention on them, and of course reading my weekly personal development to keep my spirits high. Once you have accomplished your goals, CELEBRATE them. Write down your accomplishments. When you are feeling like you are making no progress, you can reflect one how far you've already come.
When you meet your goals, people will assume that luck got you there. It was not luck my friends. You worked hard. Over time, you worked consistently. The Compound Effect. I hope I can keep this consistency and achieve the other goals on my vision board. I hope you can WATCH me do this and it will inspire you. Your call to action is to begin taking small risks. Just small ones. The way to get started is to quit talking and start doing. Walt Disney said that.
Lastly, I want to say that right now, in all of my nomadic post-grad non-career and totally lost glory, I am truly feeling happy. I am playing music, I am practising my craft, I am educating and engaging the community - through music, through art, through physical activity. I am working five different jobs. Employed by five different companies on the weirdest and most inconsistent schedule ever. And I am confused, and I am searching, but I am happy.
Happiness is a CONDITION, not a destination. Stop searching for happiness. Stop expecting happiness to be the end result. Making consistent changes will leave you in a STATE of happiness. You can feel that at any time, its not something to work towards. Choose happiness.
I want to leave you with this picture. On thursday when I was leading a drama program in the community, we had a tonne of fortune cookies. This one was mine:
I think I am doing a pretty good job. I think you can too.
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