Ambitions

"You can do anything you put your mind to," were the words of my mother and I am certain the words also spoken by many others. But what is it that drives an individual to succeed? Why are some more successful than others? And are you born with ambitions or bred with them?

When I was working my former, monotonous, and conforming job, I often dreamed of what owning my own store would be like. In fact, those fantasies are usually what got me through my toughest days. Sure, any other person might be thankful to have a job like I had; insurance, 401k's, salary...and as ungrateful as I may sound, it was a good job, just not for me.

I am not a rebellious person nor one who necessarily hates authority; I was a really good student and a pretty good kid, I just don't like being told what to do. Art class was always my favorite because there were no restrictions;I could create anything and nothing inhibited my imagination.

As kids, my mom would listen to cd's of motivational speakers, and being that we couldn't drive ourselves, we listened to them too. I remember how much my siblings and I taunted her for making us listen to them. Looking back, I begin to wonder if they really did help me to have a much more positive and ambitious outlook on life. That wasn't the only influence my mom had either. If we said the word 'fat' we had to put a quarter in a jar. When complaining about time, we learned that patience was a virtue. And most importantly, our visualization exercises.

Prior to every athletic event my mom would have us close our eyes and 'visualize our success'. For my brother and I, that was scoring or defending a goal and for my sister it was nailing that standing back tuck. If we did succeed by scoring a goal or flipping without falling...then we got a beanie baby (all the rage in the late 90's). So, as hilarious as it may be, I have always practiced my visualization exercises so that I can hone in and focus on my goals; whatever they may be.

It has been 4 wonderful months that my store has been open. It doesn't pay me nor does it really make that much money as of now...but the simple fact that I took a dramatic leap and invested into a risk that will forever change me; well that is pretty successful in itself I must say.

Am I scared? Hell yeah, but dwelling on fear won't help me to get ahead.

:)

Religion

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IAhDGYlpqY

I just came across this viral video that so many are talking about. This poem raises questions which I have yet to settle with my own beliefs. I was raised Roman Catholic by my parents. My father; whom was raised by devout Catholics his whole life, and my mother; whom was raised Methodist until she married my father. Her reasoning for becoming Catholic I am certain, was not an option, and was necessary in order to marry my father. My parents are no longer married, and following the divorce my mother continued to take us kids to Catholic church where most of us finished out the sacraments (leading up to marriage). My mother remarried my now step-father whom was raised in a very religious household (his father a baptist preacher). My stepfather willingly attended Mass with us despite being raised Baptist. My father continued to attend Mass regularly.

Mom(Methodist turned Catholic)

Dad(Devout Catholic)

Step dad (preachers' son)

Siblings & I (Catholic)

When we were younger, we never missed Mass & I recall praying the rosary together as a family on a weekly basis. We always prayed before meals; in fact I remember thinking my food would be poisoned if I didn't pray before eating. We attended Religious Education classes which I completed leading up to College. Junior high is when I became active in the church, volunteering my time and participating in dances, trips, and lock-ins. In high school I was a Catholic camp counselor, I volunteered twice a week and my church mates were my best friends. I had lead many of the prayers as a youth leader at that time.

If you are not Catholic or not familiar with the religion, then it may be hard for you to understand some of what I discuss. I was taught to believe certain things and too often I failed to ask, 'why?' From the moment I was born til the moment I die, religion would have a great part in who I was & am.

Sacraments are one of the major differences in the Catholic church versus a protestant or non-denominational.

1.) Baptism

2.) First communion/Eucharist

3.) Penance- Or confession.

4.) Confirmation

5.) Marriage

6.) Anointing of the Sick

7.) Holy Orders

When conversing with a non-catholic on religious issues I always feel as though I am defending my religion. There is a lot of mis-information out there about Catholics and it is difficult to clear the air because so many non-Catholics are extremely opinionated.

Ultimately the question we must ask ourselves is, 'does religion matter?' This question lingers in my mind on a daily basis...it is something that I struggle to answer. As a catholic, interested in marrying a non-catholic, it is very important for me to determine. What I have concluded from my research and own prayer is this:

God wants us to believe in him and encourage others to do the same.

Religion is simply the way we express our love for God as Christians.

Religion for non Christians...well I believe we all pray to the same God and are too stubborn to recognize that. The bible was written so long ago & by so many different people in many different languages....this isn't a matter of who is right or wrong.

Religion is an interpretation of what we want to have faith in. It is the way we like to learn...a 'method' if you will.

Without religion, you lose structure and direction. Religion keeps us reminded of God's love and sacrifice for us. As for Catholics, this is what our sacraments are; a reminder, a practice.

People are sinners and hypocrites alike. We all make mistakes, say things we don't mean, and hurt each other; that is not the fault of religion, rather a misguided group of people...or simply human error.

It is unfair to blame religion for wars...for the government blends too closely with these notions.

Cathedrals are immaculate and ornate but non-denominational churches with rock bands and flat screen televisions were not cheap to build either. It is by the gifts of God that we are able to build such wonderful sanctuaries. These churches will withstand the test of time and continue to give to the hungry, the needy, the poor, the widowed, and divorced.

Religion is like a team of sorts. Each team practices differently, has a different coach, a different tactic, but ultimately all of the teams share the same goal...and that is to win, or in religions case; to make it to heaven.

What do you think?

Brain game

Why is it that I find myself really enthusiastic about eating well and working hard in the gym one moment then dreaming about junkie food and skipping my workout the next? Last night I told myself I would start doing my workouts before work every morning to free up my evenings...I thought it would get my day started earlier and provide me with an abundance of energy. Sounds great in theory. Then suddenly I remember if I workout before work, I have to shower at the gym which means take all of my toiletries, towel, clothes, make up, meals for the day, etc. etc. etc...I easily became overwhelmed with the amount of organization it would require to simply work out before work and ultimately, did not even give it a chance....yet.

Same goes for making my lunch for today. I prepared lemon-rosemary chicken baked with brussel sprouts last night so that at lunch today I could have a nutritious meal and something besides a sandwich (which has lately been my diet staple). It sounded awesome last night so why am I not crazy about it today?

I wanted to get more psyched about my brussel sprouts so I looked them up on the web to see their nutritional stats. Seeing why they were so good for me really made me want to eat them more. They have cancer-fighting nutrients, more Vitamin C than an orange, folate, potassium, Vitamin K, and carotene. That is a nutrient-dense power food if you ask me! Plus they are cute, like miniature cabbages & they taste like broccoli.

One serving(4 brussel sprouts)

33 Calories

7g Carbohydrate

3g Protein

3g Fiber

I think it is very normal to teeter with motivation and some days you just have to push through. For me, reminding myself why I eat the way I do and why I workout is what keeps me on track most of the time. Am I perfect? No. Is there someone out there working harder and eating better? Definitely. But I am balanced healthy and constantly trying to better myself.

http://www.lesliebeck.com/ingredient_index.php?featured_food=77