overachievers...

"Overachievement is aimed at people who want to maximize their potential." 

o·ver·a·chieve

[oh-ver-uh-cheev] Show IPA

verb (used without object), o·ver·a·chieved, o·ver·a·chiev·ing.

1.

to perform, especially academically, above the potential indicated by tests of one's mental ability or aptitude.

2.

to perform better or achieve more than expected, especially by others.

i find myself often annoyed by people who like to think of themselves as "overachievers," but they are truly not performing above the potential of their ability, and they are not performing better than expected...they just like to "look" like they are. i think many people who think of themselves as overachievers are mislabeling themselves (and possibly are being mislabeled by others), when really they're just show-offs.

overachievers follow through and usually do things to challenge themselves, not to try make others look bad. overachievers go over and above what's expected, and actually do it, not just come up with great ideas they never accomplish. anyone can come up with a good idea, anyone can follow through and see it to completion. an overachiever will see it to completion and be phenomenal about it.

if you start with a gem and do nothing besides mount it nicely on a ring or a necklace, it still looks like a gem, just in a nice setting. if you start with a piece of coal and end with a diamond, well now, that's something...that's overachieving! take your gems and show them off and gloat about how pretty they are. i'll gladly take my coal and work as hard as i can to make it turn into diamonds. when you use a scale of 1-10 and show how much has changed, i guarantee my coal will have moved on the scale, from beginning to end, higher than your gems every time. a gem is a gem, is a gem...only coal can be turned into a diamond!

i think it's time to bring back my "overachiever diva"...she's been preoccupied and it's time for the leave of absence to come to an end.

my word for 2013 is "success"...i am determined to make it happen in every facet of my life... 

pretty? muddy? pretty muddy...

 

last weekend, i "ran" my first 5k...tampa's pretty muddy with friends from my old school. it was the BEST thing EVER!!! (you'll see why "ran" is in parenthesis if you read on...haha)

my friend cris is the one who bamboozled convinced us all into doing this crazy thing, and i absolutely LOVE her for it!

we signed up for the 8:00 a.m. start. the first thing we encountered was a "bubble tunnel" where a mountain of suds welcomed us with chilly dampness. after we got through that little obstacle (the smallest of them all, really) we turned the corner to find ourselves wading through chilly water...as you can see, i was laughing about it, and my friend cris was just LOVING enduring it!

 

after that trek through the water, we ran down the road and came upon this great little mud pit just before the big barn. one friend was totally planning to run the whole race without getting muddy. 

seriously? you think you're going to stay clean with the crew you're hanging around for this? 

think again, sister!!!

several of us were having NONE of that! so we chased her and corralled her into the mud. we sludged through and continued on our way. just as my friend was bending to tie her shoe on the other side of the barn, another brilliant idea came to the mind of one of our running mates...push her into the nearby swamp! (that would've been amazing, had it happened, but alas, it did not.)

just as she ran up to her, someone noticed a bright red streak oozing down her leg in the middle of the brown sticky mess of mud that was covering her skin up to her knees. we made it to the next obstacle (where you pick up a log and run down and around, and drop the log off before going on), and luckily there was a water station there also. we all stopped, helped her wash off her leg, and realized that she had a fantastic, mud-filled gash on her shin.

the medics were called, we all waited until they came and cleaned it up as much as they could, and she decided she was better off to ride back with them. a few faithful friends stayed behind and waited for her departure, and a few of us decided to continue on as we agreed that she was in good hands, and that she should survive.

we continued on the course, up and over, under and through...mud, mud, and more mud! it was a great experience for a first 5k "run" (with the "injury detour" we took over an hour total to finish!) those of us who finished in the first group hung around and went back to finish again with the rest of our group, along with our injured teammate who ran the last little leg of the race (skipped the last mud pit, of course) and was given the fire hose to spray on the group crawling through the mud. 

i'm so glad my friend hookwinked convinced me to do this with them! i did absolutely ZERO training ahead of time and i was fine! i'm definitely going to do more of these, and want to do "real" 5Ks too. eventually i'd love to do some sprint triathlons, but for now, i'll start "small" and go from there.

...gathering up my clothes and shoes to be ready for an early morning run tomorrow...here i go!!!

strength...

i went out for my first workout in forever (you can read about it here) this morning and i was going to make a whole post on goals. i thought about it while i was running/walking. i have been working on getting my goals in writing and being concise with them. i have a tendency to be too wordy (no kidding, right?) and want to keep them simple. one of my personal goals is to lose weight and get back in fit shape. the biggest thought that was dancing in the forefront of my head was that it's one thing to write down your goals so that you can see them, but it's clearly a whole other thing to actually finally take that step to act on them. i have been planning to get fit and healthy for a long time, but that's all i've been doing...planning. i've been doing that in a lot of other areas too, and realized it's time to get off my butt and get busy with all of the things i need to do.

when i got back home, i opened my email and the following article from dailyword was in my email inbox, how timely! (this seems to be happening a lot lately!) check it out...

Friday, August 05, 2011

STRENGTH

I have inner strength.

As I embark on any new endeavor, the excitement of a fresh start can be exhilarating. Sticking with it, however, requires that I develop the spiritual faculty of strength and use it daily.
Whether I am adopting a new healthy habit or leaving an unhealthy one behind, raising a child or starting a new job, I remain steadfast. Obstacles may arise and I may experience my motivation waning, but my inner strength carries me through regardless of any obstacles. I meditate and invite in new awareness. I listen for guidance from within, while affirming my strength and resilience.

The spirit of God within me is my source of spiritual strength. In God consciousness, I overcome any challenge and experience the joy of success.

The Lord is my strength.--Psalm 28:7

gratefulness and goals...

today's sermon was on being grateful, which reiterated a lot of what i have been reading and studying lately when trying to achieve your goals and changing your way of thinking.

i am grateful for my husband, we have known each other for more than 1/2 of my life. (my goal is to be more patient, loving, and grateful toward him.)

i am grateful for my 16 year-old son, he amazes me at some of the most unexpected times. (my goal is to help him realize how amazing he truly is and help him to become an amazing man.)

i am grateful for my (soon-to-be--tomorrow) 11 year-old daughter, whose passion and compassion are wild and unruly at times, just like her mama. (my goal is to help her realize that i love her and accept her for who she is, and how amazing her personality truly is.)

i am grateful for my 2 year-old son, he is turning into such an amazing little guy, loving, funny and smart, and never ceases to bring "delightful"-ness into our lives. (my short-term goal with this little guy is to help him learn to use the potty and live without his "bopi" during our upcoming spring break.)

i am grateful for my home. yes, it is a 3 bedroom apartment, and most of the time it seems to be too small for our family, but it is "home" because it's where all of my most treasured items (see above) are kept. (my short-term goal is to get things in order and ready to move into a 4 bedroom home by june 1. my long-term goal is to begin planning for building our own home within the next 2 years.)

i am grateful for my health. i know i need to lose weight and get into better shape, but i am healthy despite that fact, and can do almost anything i want because i don't have any physical limitations. (my goal is to lose 60 pounds by june 1 and begin training for a sprint distance triathlon.)

i am grateful for my job. i love working with children, and teaching in a title 1 school is definitely different and challenging at times. i would love to have my own classroom and not be a floating teacher, but i love my kids, all 120+ of them, and am so glad i have the chance of getting so many hugs and smiles every day. (my goal is to get hired in a position where i have my own classroom for next school year.)

i have other things for which i am grateful, and definitely have more goals that i would like to meet in the areas of finances and business. as my husband and i begin to really build our own business, those goals will be realized and we will have many more opportunities to help others and do ministry than we've had the privilege to do in the past.

i am grateful for my goals, to better myself, my family, and to help others. this is going to be the best year yet!

my dream house...

i was looking at local homes for sale. this one would be perfect for our family. it's 5 bedrooms, 3 car garage, has a "game room" upstairs (which would be perfect for the kids for so many things), has a den downstairs, and the 5th bedroom is downstairs and could double as an office/guest room. the lot on which it's located is nice and big with plenty of room for a pool and a playset. the cabinetry inside is perfect for my decorating style, and i like how the floor plan is laid out when comparing it to the feng shui bagua.

time to start putting together a decorating "dream"...

(i love making a dream board digitally and being able to share it on my blog too! fun!)

my dream car...

i have been looking at this vehicle for awhile now. it's been on my dream board, i notice them every time i see one on the road, it's perfect. it's not a minivan, it's not an SUV, and it has room for my whole family...it's sleek, modern, and all-around amazing! i will be buying this car within the next 24 months...and as a bonus, i will be supporting my big brother's job when i do. next on my list is to test drive it...maybe over spring break, that would be a great "date" for my hubby and me!

fear, fulfillment and destiny...

"if fear is keeping you from being who God wants you to be, the most important question you have to ask yourself is this: am i fulfilling the life that I know I am called to live? am i living my destiny?" --jeff greathouse

no, i haven't posted on here in awhile. i decided to absolutely, 100% focus on my family and having the best christmas season possible! and let me tell you, it was amazing! we didn't have tons of cash for gifts, but the kids did get things they wanted and liked, we ate well, and we did TONS of baking! i think my favorite baked item this year were the earl grey cookies, but i really enjoyed attempting springerle, making sirupsnippers, and lots of other delectable goodies! the norwegian lefse for christmas eve turned out to be the best batch ever too. my kids enjoyed jumping in and helping make the goodies, but i think they enjoyed eating them much more. funny thing is, i think they're baked out...they have been avoiding sweets for the past week, which is not a bad idea since i am transitioning our eating as a family back to much healthier options like we were doing before the hectic school year and holidays hit.

so on to the main reason for my post...fear, fulfillment, and destiny...

i have been doing a great deal of reading over the past year or so on, simply put, positive and intentional thinking. it's been a process, difficult at times, and i'm still working on it. but i have finally had a mental transformation from being fearful and worrisome pretty much constantly, to being optimistic, hopeful and at peace. i am enjoying life, in spite of and sometimes because of the crazy twists and turns we've taken unexpectedly. teaching kindergarten is fulfilling in many ways, but there is so much more i want to do and be. so this break from blogger and especially during my vacation from school during the post-christmas lull has brought about some clarity of thought, an idea of goals to write, and just a glimpse of my destiny. (btw...my biopsy came back as nothing, woohoo!)

as for goals, i have always had a hard time writing them out, and still haven't, but now i have some concrete ideas in mind and have done a lot of thinking about "where i am, where i want to be, and what i am grateful for" which are the most important aspects to keep in mind when setting out on a new journey in fulfilling our calling, our purpose, and our destiny.

those goals are still a little jumble-y in my head, but tomorrow i have a date with my notebook to continue writing them out, as well as working on my dream board, coming up with a realistic schedule for myself and our family, and adding in my new workout routine (kinect is going to help me out a lot!). i am also looking forward to a phone appointment with my business partner to discuss business strategies and excitement coming up for our company this year...it's going to be amazing!

looking forward to an amazing year ahead...are you fulfilling the life you are called to live? are you living your destiny?