Change is coming whether you're ready or not.

Inauguration Day. Some people are worried, unsettled, anxious, or just plain terrified about what may be coming. Others are elated, excited, joyful, and hopeful. Regardless of how you look forward to change, there is only one certainty—life is full of it. Wouldn’t life be boring if nothing ever changed? Especially if you are in a negative place? To think it would be like this forever. How depressing and terrible. Even if things are going well, change is a good thing. Not something to fear.

At the end of 2016 I was speaking to a young friend who couldn’t wait for the year to end. He said it had been the worst year he ever lived through. Someone he loved was battling addiction and had gotten into legal trouble. Another loved one faced medical issues, had gone through multiple surgeries, and was no better for it. According to him, 2016 and all its problems couldn’t be over soon enough.

Life doesn’t always go the way we want, whether political or otherwise. Unplanned & unwanted events can derail our plans and dreams. We want something to happen, and when it does just the way we want, we realize it was the worst thing imaginable. Or something comes along to make our plans obsolete, and we’re back at Square One. Oftentimes, it isn’t what happens but how we react to it that causes the most upheaval.

When circumstances derail your plans, do you roll with the punches and work out a new plan? Or do you sit down in the middle of the road and cry and refuse to look for a way around the detour?

I didn’t know how to explain this to my young friend. I don’t think he was ready to hear me. After we talked he was still confident 2017 was the answer to all his problems. I don’t know what he’ll do when the New Year brings problems of its own. With the passing of a day or a year or a season, our problems do not magically go away. Life is nothing but change—wanted and unwanted. We shouldn’t let those changes rob of us of the joy we can find in any situation. With changes come discovery and growth. Life wouldn’t be worth living without both of those.

Are you worried about the changes facing our nation today? Are you hopeful? What about personal changes? A new job. A new baby. A move across the country. While scary, they are also brand new opportunities to grow, experience & discover who we really are.

May God bless you & may He bless America again.

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Making time to exercise when we don't have the time

I’ve said it. You’ve said it. We’ve all acted on it. We don’t have time to exercise. I’m sure, for you, just like for me, it’s true. We are crazy busy. Between work, kids, writing, errands, running my Scentsy business, housework, and quality time with Hubby…Good grief, I made myself tired just by creating this list.

How in the world are we supposed to eke another hour out of our day for exercise? The answer is, you won’t find the time. You must make the time. Create it. We always make time for what’s important. I spent an hour this morning on the phone with a friend. I have a lot to do today before I head out to work, but somehow I made the time in my schedule to talk to her because it was important to me. I have another friend in the hospital. Between work obligations today, I’ll make a detour to visit her. Not on my docket, but I’ll make the time.

In November I’m devoting three whole days to attend my son’s wedding out of state. Believe me, I don’t have an extra three days lying around. Still, it never occurred to me to tell him I’m too busy to come. Now, if you asked me to babysit your kids for three days I would immediately say I don’t have time. And I wouldn’t be exaggerating. But attending my son’s wedding…I’ll make the time.

We make time for what matters.

Exercise needs to matter. We all know the results of a sedentary lifestyle. Forget vanity—though, who am I kidding, that is a big consideration. What about getting out of a chair? I see people younger than me struggle to do that simple motion we all do several times a day. If getting out of a chair is a tough, how will we manage a flight of stairs or a long hallway or chasing butterflies with a child or walking the dog? Even if you aren’t training for a decathlon we have lives to live. I don’t want to be the grandma on the porch. I want to be the grandma in the yard chasing the butterflies or pushing a swing or skipping rocks across the creek. If I happen to still look good in a pair of Capris and cute strappy sandals, well, that’s just a bonus.

Don’t try to find the time. Make the time. Every day. Because it matters. You matter.

It’s not that hard to fit exercise into your day. My favorite way is while watching TV. You can get a heart pumping fifteen-minute workout between commercial breaks. Starting at one break, close the chip bag, get off the couch, and do 50 jumping jacks, 40 squats, 30 burpees, 20 pushups, and 10 lunges on each leg. By the start of the next commercial break you will have gone through this routine twice.

If that wasn’t enough for you, spend the next 15 minutes doing 100 crunches, 3 sets of 12 reps each of bicep curls, overhead presses, and tricep dips. You don't even need to use weights in the beginning. You can add or delete anything you choose and increase reps when you're ready. It’s your workout. Just keep your heart rate up and have fun. By the time your TV program is over, you’ve completed your workout and feel a lot better than if you had stayed on the couch munching Doritos.

As with any workout routine of any type or any intensity, consult your doctor first. Make it fun. Make it a priority. You’re worth it. Your future health is worth it. Your vanity is worth it. Your family and loved ones are worth it.

Comment below on your favorite or most ingenious ways you make time for exercise in your already crammed daily schedule.

Livin' the Dream

Did you know more people suffer heart attacks on Monday mornings than at any other time? I can’t say I was surprised the first time I read that statistic. My father-in-law used to say he dreaded Sunday nights because he knew the next morning he had to get up and go to a place he hated. He did this for nearly forty years. A sad way to spend the biggest part of your life if you ask me. So what can a person do in this situation? Regardless of what Washington wants us to believe, the economy is still wretched. Millions out of work. Millions more giving up on looking for work. People with Master’s Degrees serving up iced coffees at Starbucks. Finding any job is tough. Finding one you love can be nearly impossible. You can’t just walk away from a job because you don’t like it or it doesn’t fulfill your calling, and you’re destined for greater things.

Recently I heard a man say he didn’t dislike his job, but he loved doing something else. He wanted more out of life than to spend it doing a job he didn’t hate. Maybe you don’t dread Monday mornings either. You don’t hate your job, and you’ve never really thought about leaving it. But is it what you imagined doing when you were a kid? Does that job give you an opportunity to impact your world the way you want?
I’m a true believer in doing what you were designed to do, not what pays the most and has the best benefits. We’re on this earth for such a short time. God has created each of us with specific talents and gifts for a reason. I believe it’s our responsibility to use those talents and strengths to impact our world.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to look back on a life of regrets. The if only I had… Or I wish I did…when I had the chance. What is your dream? What would you rather be doing today to impact your world than what you’re doing right now? It isn’t too late you know. If you’re still breathing—and you must be if you’re reading this—you can make a difference and begin to make each day count.

You probably can’t walk away from your job today. You probably won’t move to a different part of the world by the end of the week to pursue a dream you’ve always had. You might not even be interested in a big change, but something small that could alter the legacy you wish to leave. Whatever your dreams or ambitions, there is probably a step you can take today to get closer to them. Closer to making your life better. What will you do today to make this day count?

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” ---Mark Twain

Moving Past the Hurt Once & For All

I believe past hurts are the biggest reason we don’t live happy, fulfilled lives. We all have them. Someone did or said something—or most often, heaped abuse and pain on us for years and years—and then walked away without accepting blame. My goal with this post is not to make that person see the error of her ways and repent, but to help you recognize the pain that keeps you from living the life you want.

It’s easy to say we forgive and move on. Isn’t life easier that way? "I will totally put this out of my head. Forget the jerk. He’s not worth a moment of my time. I’ve moved on."

Usually, though, we’ve not forgiven, we’ve just done the moving on part. We don’t dwell on the hurt because we determine to be stronger than the pain. We get on with our lives and don’t look back, thinking we’ve overcome the past.

It doesn't take long, though, to realize we haven’t overcome anything. The moment the subject comes up or someone mentions what happens or the person who hurt us comes into view, Bam, there it is again. All the pain and betrayal and bitterness are back as strong as the day it happened.

What’s wrong with us? We’re doing everything we can to get past it. It’s not like we dwell on it. We don’t lie away at night plotting revenge. At least not every night. We refuse to let the unforgiveness get a toehold in our lives. Doing so would be allowing the hurt rule us. To control us, and that’s the last thing we want. We're bigger than that.

Why can’t we get past the hurt? Why has it taken root like a cancer and no amount of distraction or meditation or determination on our part can weed it out? Like a real cancer, we can’t wish it away. We can’t ignore it and convince ourselves it isn’t there. Only the Great Physician can eradicate this cancer of unforgiveness that is eating us from the inside out. We may think we’re healed on our own, but as long as we experience anger and bitterness any time we’re reminded of the pain, we haven’t truly forgiven.

The point of the Ready, Set, Go! blog is to encourage and inspire the world to love the life we’re given, coz let’s face it, we don’t really get to pick, but we can make it the best it can be. That can’t be done with unforgiveness eating away at the peace and hope in our hearts. God knows the root of the unforgiveness you're dealing with. He knows the cruel and unreasonable things people have done. And, yes, he understands and empathizes with the pain. Only he can take it away and cleanse your heart like new. Allow him to do a work in your heart today so you may live a life of joy and peace.

Selfie Reveal

It’s easy to get discouraged when seeing what other people post on social media. Last week was Mother’s Day. No one posted they were having a bad day. No one admitted their kids forgot to send a card or didn’t bother to call. Even inmates on Death Row seemed to have a better day than I did.

What do you do if your Mother’s Day is less than social media-worthy? Or your Christmas? Or any plain old ordinary day that didn’t line up with what the rest of the world claimed was going on in their lives?

Sadly, very few of us have the sort of life captured on social media. We don’t post pics of ourselves the moment we climb out of bed. Or in a bad mood after a tough day at work. Or cleaning vomit out of the carpet at one a.m. when our little one woke us up sick again. Life is life. It’s pretty much the same for everyone. We have good days and we have lousy days. We have more so-so days than anything, when nothing the least bit interesting happens for us to share with the world.

The Bible says a man is appointed a few days, and they’re full of trouble. Life is definitely full of trouble, whether we immortalize it on our phones or not. Knowing this doesn’t make it any easier to smile and ‘like’ a picture of yet another bouquet of dandelions from our friend’s adorable preschooler when our little darling has just knocked over a display of fruit juice at Walmart.

How do we truly celebrate our friends’ blessings when jealousy rears its ugly head? Recognizing the jealousy and where it’s coming from is the first step. We are always our own worst critic. But we can’t be so hard on ourselves if we want to lead healthy, balanced, productive lives.

Don’t beat yourself up because your life isn’t seemingly as magical as those around us. Theirs isn’t magical either. At least not as much as it looks. More often than not, they feel the same way about what you post. We all have moments, good and bad. It’s what you make of them and what you learn from them that matters.

Make a conscious decision to enjoy your life today. Look for something good in a place you usually overlook.