It’s ironic that my last blog was about consistency because I haven’t written anything in a long time. Things changed, and really, that’s the only constant in life, isn’t it? Change.

What if that isn’t a bad thing?

My music is on a shuffled playlist right now and the song that is currently playing is talking about making a moment last forever (“How Does A Moment Last Forever” from Beauty & The Beast). Maybe we have to go through some bad times for our lives to be complete. Maybe we need to have those low moments to decide change is necessary. Maybe we need to have that craving for something more before we say enough is enough.

For years, I resisted change and fought it with everything in my being. And then, one day, I asked myself why I was fighting so hard when the new thing, the improvement, the change, was in fact better! Sometimes I just need some tough love to say get over yourself and make it happen.

That moment happened for me in March of 2023, when I finally decided to just “do the next right thing” (yes, another Disney movie reference – Frozen 2). I was sick and tired of feeling sick and tired! I was tired of spending thousands of dollars on classes, programs, workouts, memberships, and supplements searching for the magic solution when in fact, what I really needed to do was just invest in myself. I needed to stick with something longer than a day and really invest, allowing the process to yield results!

Day after day, I started showing up. It was slow at first and I often missed days at a time, squishing multiple workouts into a single day to check the box of getting it done. Eventually, after starting over a couple of times, I got into a groove and finally finished my first 21-day program! I had built belief in myself again. I had learned how to not quit on myself.

In retrospect, the workouts were the easy part. The next step was to figure out nutrition, a vague concept to me at the time. I didn’t know what macros were, why protein was important, why it was necessary to balance enough fuel with the right kind of calories, and how to fit a healthy diet into my busy life! But I learned how to fuel my body for strength, quit starving my body of essential nutrients, and started craving “the good stuff.”

It wasn’t until I was about 6-months into the journey that I realized the workouts and nutrition were only a couple pieces of the puzzle. I was missing a key ingredient – mindset. Sure, I was reading the books recommended by my coach and I was listening to podcasts… but I wasn’t internalizing any of it. Not until I started actually listening to the trainers in my workouts as they tapped into the emotions that were stuffed deep down inside my soul, as they reminded me of my inner warrior strength, and as they affirmed that I was meant for this.

The mindset shift, the mental change, was mind blowing. Who knew that was the foundation to everything? Who knew that the stronger I would become mentally, the stronger I would get physically? So, I kind of did things backward by focusing on the foundational building blocks of my mindset last but it wasn’t too late. It’s never too late. And, sometimes, I think you need to focus on the tangible, quick wins like seeing the scale change or the muscles get more defined first before you truly believe that change can be good.

So, I’m going to challenge you. What you are not changing, you are choosing. Are you going to level up today? Are you going to make a small change that will ultimately yield big results? Are you going to invest in yourself, say yes to yourself, and decide today that you are worth it?

For a simple plan and guidance through this growth phase (lifestyle), please send me a message. I would love nothing more than to support you as you find your own strength again.

It makes sense logically that staying consistent would equal results. I’m not a physics major but it makes logical sense that an object in motion stays in motion unless there’s a change in applied force. It makes logical sense that it is harder to start and stop repeatedly rather than keep going a little bit at a time.

Success comes from consistent effort over time in all areas of life, hobbies, education, business, health, community, etc… I’ve said it for years but seemed to forget this simple concept over the last year or two. More recently, I’ve been focusing on the small habits in my life that lead to big results. And guess what. It’s working. Strangely enough, the work works.

I made a choice a little while ago to say yes to myself and to make my needs a priority. I realized that I’ve been trying to pour from an empty cup for years and the fact was that I was exhausted! It was a stunning discovery because I thought that I had been handling it and managing it all pretty well but you can only compensate for so long before you get tired. If you burn the candle at both ends, eventually it burns out.

In this season of life, my priority became my own physical health, mental health, financial health, spiritual health, emotional health, and overall wellness. It became important to focus on the things that mattered rather than continuing to spread myself so thin. I was juggling all the things – all the stuff, tasks, lists, calendars, obligations, busy work, worries, stresses, and unproductive distractions. I forgot the simple fact that if you make everything a priority, nothing is a priority. But I made a choice to focus.

The choice to focus meant that through consistent action and movement, I became more inspired, more motivated, and more excited because I was seeing results. They were small at first. It was one less Dr. Pepper during my 12-hour ER shift. It was the ability to wake up with energy. It was a small boost of confidence when I made it through each intentional workout with just the right amount of challenge. The results compounded over time and I started to see weight loss, muscle tone, and augmented confidence.

Discipline and consistency, while unsexy and sometimes inconvenient, is the secret sauce to creating lasting change and inspired freedom. Sometimes the things around us seem too heavy to carry and too big to handle. But when we lean into the discipline of our habits, when we are consistent in what we know makes a difference in our lives, we are better equipped to handle what is in front of us.

Everything is better on the other side of a sweat so I’m going to workout today and tomorrow and the day after that. I’m going to intentionally move my body so that I can gracefully and confidently manage all that life throws at me. It’s more than a workout though. It’s more than fitness. It’s a vehicle for increased confidence. It’s a vehicle for results. It’s a vehicle that will launch your life to the next level.

I’m inviting you to join me in the journey of consistency starting with making yourself a priority, intentionally moving every day, and feeling better about yourself. You get to decide if you’ll put yourself off until someday or if you are going to take charge and make today day one.

Email me for more information at lauren@heyitslauren.co.

Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” – Dale Carnegie.

I am a dreamer, a visionary, and some might say a little on the irrational side. Dreaming big and thinking about all the possibilities fills my cup. It can be overwhelming because the logical next step is to think about how to accomplish those dreams but we’ll talk about that in a later post.

I’ve taken a few different classes recently and they have all talked about fear. Fear holds us back and prevents us from taking the leaps of faith required to do big amazing things but Walt Disney said, “if you can dream it, you can do it.” We may lie to ourselves and say we aren’t afraid of failure, we’re afraid of success but the reality is that fear of success is actually a fear of losing success which is, in a roundabout way, a fear of failure. What are we afraid of then? Well, we’re afraid of two things… spectators and outcomes.

One of the courses I took recently talked about the “FISHBOWL Effect” which perfectly describes how we respond when we feel as though all eyes are on us, as if we were in a fishbowl. We become afraid of failure, imperfection, spectators, harm and humiliation – all because we are being watched. We become afraid of: being judged, our opponents and the opinions of others, winning and losing, and letting someone down – the potential outcomes of our efforts.

So if we have these fears of spectators and outcomes, how can we possibly reach our big, crazy, audacious dreams? What makes us believe that we can achieve that level of fulfillment? Well, we have to EMPTY the fishbowl.

Focusing on the effort over the outcome will give you the confidence and courage to take action and make forward progress. Focusing on the message over the mess gives you permission to make mistakes and learn from them which gives you confidence and courage to continue. When you give yourself grace and focus on being patient over being perfect, you eliminate the fear that you are not enough. It’s ok to be disappointed if something doesn’t go the way you thought it should, but instead of getting stuck in the vicious cycle of being a victim, turn the pain into purpose and do something different next time. If nothing changes, nothing changes. Remember that playing small doesn’t make someone else’s life better but playing big has the chance to dramatically improve the world.

Get out of the gravitational force of mediocrity and find the courage to go after your dreams. Huge dreams change the way that you think and maybe they aren’t attainable right now, but by dreaming big dreams and constantly striving for them, you become the person who can attain those dreams. Appreciate the journey, choose an abundance mindset over scarcity, and take the leap of faith to make your dreams come true.

As a friend of mine says, “make your own pixie dust and find your Disney!”

For more than 2 decades, I have worked around horses. My life is full of lessons learned at the barn, one of which is the art of intentionality. Horses have a strong intuition for the energy fields around them and can sense your intentions, your fears, your anxieties, and your excitement. They feed off the energy they are presented with so whatever you are feeling, you will see it reflected in your horse like a mirror. Intentionally controlling your emotions helps you be successful whether you are working with horses, other people, or by yourself.

From the moment you begin to interact with a horse, you are teaching them. You are telling them whether you are a predator or not. You are telling them if they are safe and can trust you as their leader, or if they need to figure out a plan B in case your way doesn’t work. While they can be extremely tolerant, horses are not forgetful. It can take a long time for them to forgive and forget a bad experience. This is where the art of intentionality comes into play.

I say it’s an art because there are many interpretations of correctly executed intentionality. Some might argue that it’s more of a science because you have to know exactly what the end result is and have the perfect concoction of ingredients to reach that result. Intentionality is more of an art, however, because when you are working with living creatures (horses, humans, or others), the same method may not work for every individual.

Working with intention means that you have a purpose for your actions. There is a method to the steps you are taking to reach your goal. Intentionality is prioritizing a list of tasks, thinking through how words and actions will be received, and continually asking if these steps are getting you closer to your goal. Take a moment to think beyond the immediate future and to the longer term consequences of your actions.

If your goals are health-related, you must be intentional about how often you workout, what you eat, and how much you sleep. If you have financial goals, like it or not, you have to have a plan for your money and be disciplined, trusting the process. Your goals may include completing an educational journey, climbing the corporate ladder or starting your own business, or maybe even slowing down to enjoy the time life gives you. Maybe your goals include improving familial relationships or reconnecting with old friends. These things don’t happen on their own or overnight and require intentional effort to find success.

My dad always says, “There are consequences to all actions.” This small phrase has helped me evaluate my intent as I approached various questions in life. Sometimes the consequences we face are really bad. I try to stay away from those! Sometimes though, those consequences can be incredibly positive and those are the consequences I strive to approach with intention, focus, and grace.

When you make a choice, you change the future. – Deepak Chopra

Traditionally, the time for discussing goals or dreams for the future is around New Years Eve and the month of January. We make resolutions and commit to new habits but while exciting initially, the reality is that most people do not stick to those resolutions. According to a study completed by Forbes.com, over 55% of people do not keep their self proclaimed goals for the entire year.

When we make a decision to set a goal, resolve to do something new, or chase a dream, there needs to be a catalyst that spurs us into action. When you identify why you are inspired and truly grasp what motivates you, it will allow you to persevere when the initial excitement dissipates. 

Accomplishing tasks and moving forward in your life takes time. Usually it is not the flip of a switch or luck of the draw. It requires consistent effort over time. It is a constant decision to take the next small step and asking yourself if each step is getting you closer or further away from the desired end result. You are in control of your efforts and you get to write the story you are living.

Be inspired. Be motivated. Be excited! And then do something about it. Define the goal with an attainable end result. Decide how you will know when you have accomplished the goal. Ask yourself, “what does success look like?” Give yourself a timeline for completion. Without a deadline, there is no urgency to prioritize the tasks and the goal will likely never come to fruition.

My biggest caution that I will share from countless examples in my own life is to be realistic with your goals. I am not saying that you can’t have big dreams! Have you met me? I’m the queen of big dreams. But the smaller, bite sized goals that will help you reach those giant dreams must be realistic for the timeline you have set.

A quick example is from a personal finance client I recently worked with to eliminate debt. She had a mountain of debt and wanted to clear it up as quickly as possible which is a great dream but there are steps that must be taken to achieve this big task. We broke it down into weekly goals. Instead of focusing on over $76k in debt and getting overwhelmed, her job was to find an extra $250 each week. Some weeks she was able to sell a piece of old furniture or outdoor equipment. Other weeks, she picked up a couple extra hours of work. This woman also had some larger assets and even though it took longer than a week, she was able to sell a $20k trailer and immediately knocked off a big chunk of the debt which was not only exciting but also motivating and kept the momentum going.

Big dreams are accomplished by making a choice, defining attainable goals, and continually working toward a better future.

To start making tiny changes to achieve remarkable results, I’d recommend reading Atomic Habits by James Clear. If you need specific encouragement, accountability, or guidance for your next steps, contact me. I’d love the opportunity to lift you up.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, which are not a penny more for you. I couldn’t be more grateful for your support!

Hey, it’s Lauren! I wanted to talk to you today about an experience, or multiple experiences, that I have had recently. There were stuck trucks, jackknifed trailers, and severe icy conditions. The skills that I learned during this wintery week are probably skills that I will not use on a regular basis. I will, however, use the gritty mental skills that were required through the whole process every day. 

For me personally, it is very difficult to ask for help. I like to do things for myself and on my own. The skill of knowing when to ask for help is invaluable. Realistically, we can’t do everything ourselves. Over the last week of challenges, I have had to call upon my entire network for help and education as I problem solve my way through the icy conditions and vehicle challenges. Getting stuck on an icy hill with minimal traction and a heavy load of hay, horses, or other loads, is precarious and a little scary. I didn’t have a winch, sand, and other practical tools for getting unstuck. It was just me, a pair of chains, and a shovel. I learned how to use tire chains and called upon all the laws of physics to get unstuck on multiple occasions. Over the course of a week, I put these new skills to use on more than one occasion at each time I found myself thinking, “ OK, this has to get done and I’m the one to do it. There are no other options. I have the knowledge and the skill to make it happen but there is no one else here so figure it out.”

Oftentimes in business, we, as business owners, find ourselves in this lonely place of feeling like there are no other options, it’s an impossible task or goal, and it would be easier to give up or at least wait for the ice to melt in the spring! In that moment, you need to dig deep and find your gritty inner self to really focus and move forward one baby step at a time. When you can’t do everything, do everything that you can. Know who your resources are. Know when to call for help. Know that you aren’t truly alone, even if it seems so at that moment.

You were made to do hard things. It is in your DNA to overcome obstacles and challenges. It’s OK to flex your muscles and be powerful, conquering the hard things in life. Allow yourself the ability to think outside the box, be creative, and problem solve in a way that shows off how amazing you truly are. Don’t be afraid to dig deeper than you even knew was possible. You can do whatever is required to move forward even just an inch.

When it all seems impossible, grit your teeth, ask for help if you need it, and push forward just that little extra bit because you are capable of big, amazing things. Whether you are learning how to put tire chains on a very stuck truck or you are solving expensive problems in your business, learn the skills, get gritty, and be successful.

“Good enough to move on”

There are times in our lives when we just need to keep moving forward. Whatever we are working on needs to be good enough to move on and keep progressing forward. It doesn’t need to be perfect, just needs to be done. We need to ask the question of ourselves about what we can control versus what we can’t. When we can’t do everything, we need to focus on doing everything we can. Thinking fast and sorting through all of the options does not mean that we need to act quickly. It is a skill to think fast and act slowly, act calmly, and act rationally. It is a skill to respond rather than react.

When we are doing everything we can, we must give a perfect effort. Perfect effort does not mean perfection, but rather having integrity about the effort we present to the task. Slowing down is not the same as calming down but by staying calm, it is easier to make decisions. The brain equates safety with slow and predictable responses, rather than spontaneous reactions.

“Good enough to move on” sometimes means that we need to let go of what can hurt us. The law of subtraction says that sometimes subtracting something might make the situation better. This might mean subtracting yourself from a toxic situation but it also might mean cutting your losses on an endeavor that has drained your energy, resources, and time. If you gave a perfect effort, be ok with the outcome, even if it isn’t what you had hoped it would be.

There is no strength without struggle. If your struggles are mental, you must train mentally. If your struggles are physical, you must train physically. It is important to train for more than what is going to be expected so that you can approach the task with confidence. We as humans are more prone to seeing the negatives in the world than the positives. If we train ourselves to see the bright and shiny, however, it becomes easier. On average, there are 3x more positive things in our life than negative but it is 5x easier to find the negatives.

You get to write your own story. You get to decide how you are going to respond to the world. You get to choose when it’s good enough to move on.

“It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35

I recently read a book called The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann. This book made a huge impact on how I approach the world and the people around me. My whole life has been centered around doing things on my own, being a strong and independent woman, not relying on others to get ahead. It was not only a lonely path but I quickly discovered that it doesn’t matter how amazing I am, it still will never be “enough” to reach the level of success I thought I should reach.

The first chapter of the book started talking about a man who had a similar mindset. He would do whatever it took to reach his deadlines. Joe is his name, and he strikes me as the kind of person who has to work hard for everything he gets in life. Nothing is handed to him and nothing is easy. He’s an ambitious go-getter. Like me!

I don’t want to give away the entire book – it’s short, sweet, and an incredibly easy read – but the cliff notes that I do want to share are essentially that the world treats you more or less how you expect to be treated. This concept doesn’t seem like rocket science but it isn’t a simple idea either. How do you expect to be treated? Do you expect to be respected for your clout and resume or be recognized for how you treat others? Do you expect to be belittled or empowered? This question stumped me.

The “Five Laws of Stratospheric Success” are logical and simple but they are not easy. The law of value, meaning that “your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment,” made me realize that when we under promise and over deliver, the perception is that we offer more value. The law of compensation tracked along the same line that our income is determined by how many people we serve and how well we serve them. These first two concepts made sense to me. Basic math and simple ideas.

The law of influence, “determined by how abundantly you place other people’s interests first,” hit me hard! I’ve spent years developing a network of people but never thought of them as an “army of personal walking ambassadors” who are personally invested in seeing me succeed. The part about this law that challenged me was the requirement to stop keeping score. How am I supposed to know who to help next if I don’t know what the scorecard says and who I owe favors to? As soon as I stopped keeping track of what others have done for me and what I’ve sacrificed for them, I immediately noticed that I was happier and more engaged in the present moment.

The last two laws, the law of authenticity and the law of receptivity, rocked my world in such a positive way that I forgot that I was trying to be an independent and, frankly, a selfish person on the path to success! Authenticity is about being real and about recognizing that you are a valuable gift to those around you. The law of receptivity was a big deal for me because I had never really allowed myself to ask for help or accept the generosity of others. I always thought I had to do it myself which is most certainly not the case! I have always been good at giving and helping others but according to this little book, the key to effective giving is to stay open to receiving.

It’s always interesting to finish a book that has so much incredible content because as you close the back cover, you are faced with a crossroad of actually doing something with the content or moving on without applying it. I chose to meditate on these principles which has, in turn, shaped “Hey, It’s Lauren” and my interactions with the rest of the world.

In a way that is authentic and valuable, I choose to lift up others to make the world a better place. It is my goal in life to straighten the crown of others when they need a little extra help without highlighting shortcomings for the world to see.

Order your copy here: The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, which are not a penny more for you. I couldn’t be more grateful for your support!

My goal for 2023 is to focus on integrity. Integrity is an interesting concept because it should be common and yet is not. It is a word that has a weird connotation. In many aspects, it is a word that creates feelings of guilt and shame. On the other hand, the word integrity can be inspirational and encourage us, or empower us to step up our game and be better.

Holding ourselves accountable to our word and the expectations set for us is the definition of integrity. So often we encounter people who do not act with integrity and it ends up feeling scummy. It is difficult to trust people who don’t act with integrity and hold themselves accountable showing that they are indeed trustworthy. Having integrity is doing the right thing when no one else is watching, when it’s not a performance, and when the only one who will know what actually happened is yourself and God.

The lines of what is right and wrong have gotten blurred over the many generations since God’s 10 commandments were inscribed on stone tablets, however it is not as complicated as we sometimes make it seem. When you promise to do something, it is your responsibility to accomplish the task. If you are unable to do so for whatever reason, speak up and communicate the change in expectations. If you have clients and they expect a correctly completed project but you cut corners, it is true that they may never find out but the point is that it was completed without the highest level of integrity which then could lead to disastrous consequences and distrust.

The golden rule is to treat others the way you want to be treated. Whether it is treating other people a certain way, completing a project, or following through on a promise, it is essential that we care enough, respect ourselves enough, and respect others enough to do what is right from start to finish.

We are of course all just human and we do make mistakes, but there is a difference between making mistakes and cheating the system. My advice, for what it’s worth, is to listen to the nagging thought in the back of your mind, take the extra minute or two, and respect yourself, the client, and the work to do the right thing to the best of your ability.

From Frozen 2: “Then I’ll make the choice to hear that voice and do the next right thing.”

 

“You are stronger than you believe. You have greater powers than you know.”

– General Antiope from “Wonder Woman

Riding horses is one of the greatest privileges on this earth. Each day at the barn, I have the opportunity to work with these individual, free-thinking, and majestic creatures. Every horse, however, reminds me on one occasion or another that they could spook or otherwise embrace their natural flight instincts instead of looking to me for guidance. It is my job to be strong. It is my job to think past the scary plastic bag crinkling in the wind. It is my job to convince a 1,200 lb fearful animal that I am not afraid and therefore they shouldn’t be either. I know, it’s sometimes easier said than done, but “you have greater powers than you know.”

The same can be said for interacting with society. We have the incredible opportunity to interact with other humans on a daily basis and yet so often we do not recognize how powerful we are. With one seemingly simple word, we can change the entire course of someone’s life. We can use that power for good or evil, and sometimes we may not even realize it’s an impactful moment in time. What may be a spontaneous reaction could be devastating to another person or, quite possibly, be the open door they were needing for the rest of their life to begin.

I will challenge you to be quick to think but slow to speak. Be ok with 10 seconds of silence as you formulate your answer, response, or follow up question. Take a moment to think about the possible consequences, whether positive or negative, and weigh the risks and benefits of what you’re about to say.

Also, notice if the other person is uncomfortable with the small pause and ask yourself why. There is strength, power, knowledge, and wisdom in that moment of silence and whether you are dealing with a flight animal or a flighty human, remember that you are stronger than you believe and have greater powers than you know.