Goal Digger 2017

I've been thinking and obsessing A LOT lately about what I want to accomplish in 2017, and I've already started hashing out my goals and intentions even though we still have 2 months before 2017 even starts. I prefer to go in prepared! Haha! There is a LOT going on this coming year, so I feel a lot of self imposed pressure to have all my goals and dreams beautifully organized with made to match action plans and long term and short term objectives. But it's not that easy!

It's freaking hard to set goals and follow through. This is why only 8% of people actually achieve their New Years Resolutions. 

It's really scary to trust yourself enough to set a long term goal because who knows what will happen! The great unknown is a big obstacle.

Will I actually be able to make this happen? 

There's only one way to find out. Obviously you have to have faith and give it your best shot, but the fear of failure can be self sabotaging and my own fears have been holding me back.

I'm obsessed with the big picture and long term dreaming and visioning, but I also struggle with a lot of self doubt, which prevents me from setting and accepting really big scary goals. When I decided to start my business and to follow my dreams in the fitness field, I was surprised to discover that my self doubt hit me even harder and stronger than ever before!

You would think being self employed that I would have complete control over how I spend and manage my time but let me tell you, someday I don't. And its because I have two little ones who are still home with me all day...every day. Some days it feels more like a curse but some days its a blessing. Some days I just throw my hands in the air and say "fuck it" and veg out on the couch with the kids because they need all my attention and that's what they are going to get. Yes, this makes being self employed very difficult but its okay because I'm my own boss and just like everything else. I know this time, this stage, this season soon will pass. By September 2017 Sebastian will be attending Kindergarten and the baby will be attending nursery school 15 hours a week, so then I'll have more focused time to work. 

I am a chronic over thinker and I hate the unknown. I hate not knowing what to expect, I don't know what my end goals should be. I don't know how to plot out the details and baby steps and its because I'm not able to see exactly where I'm going.  

Sooooo yeah. All this is what I've been dealing with this week, HA! But I'm starting to finally feel like I'm developing a plan. I've discovered mentors who have amazing perspectives on goal setting, and I've found some resources that are pretty useful so far! Once I get my year mapped out, I'll share it on here. I'm hoping to have it complete by December. 

Core De Force...Get all the juicy details about this AWESOME NEW program right here!

I am so excited to announce that a brand new Beachbody home fitness program is going to be launched on the 31st of October!  

Core De Force is a 30 day total body transformation program that will rock your world.  

The best part about the program is that the only equipment you need is YOU!  Core De Force is an MMA inspired program which inludes 3 minute “rounds” where you will get boxing, kickboxing and Muay Thai, knee-elbow combinations, bodyweight training and cardio spikes that will help you lose belly fat and shred your body.  If you can focus on hitting it hard for 3 minutes at a time before you know it the workout will be over.  

I have had the opportunity to do Core De Force as a preview to the release date.  This workout gets your heart rate up, it gets you sweating and I couldn’t believe how sore I was the next day.  I noticed that it really does focus on your entire core and getting your midsection defined, which of course is a woman’s top area to spot treat right!!!  

So check out all the details here if you are interested in changing up your workout, breaking a plateau, getting started with your transformation or holding yourself accountable over the holidays.  I am going to be hosting a private test group for people who are ready to join me in this 30 day program.

What? 

Core De Force is your 30 day countdown to a total body transformation.  This workout was created by Joel Freeman and Jericho McMatthews, it is the ultimate mixed martial arts-inspired workout that is going to really knock off the belly fat, get rid of inches and tone and tighten your entire body with no equipment.

I love this workout because in every workout there is a “learn it & work it” section that breaks down the moves so that you can learn them before you do the workout.  So if you are new to the MMA style exercises this will give you confidence to go right in and kick some butt.  Core De Force is also not on a beat or rhythm so you do not have follow a specific routine per se.  There are modifiers in every single workout so no matter what your ability level is, you can go at your own pace.  As you get stronger the goal is to challenge yourself with higher intensity and increased focus.

I also like that there is no equipment needed except yourself.  This is key for those that are budget conscious, don’t have a lot of room to workout or are traveling and want to workout in a hotel room.

Core De Force takes the barriers away to getting started in your health and fitness journey because it is EASY, SIMPLE to follow and all you really have to do is show up and PRESS PLAY on the workout of the day!  My goal is to EMPOWER YOU AND GIVE YOU CONFIDENCE TO MAKE THE CHANGES NECESSARY SO THAT YOU CAN LIVE A HEALTHY AND FULFILLING LIFE.

Who is this program for?

 Core De Force is for EVERYONE.  Whether you are a beginner, intermediate or advanced level in your fitness you can do this workout.  You will enjoy the challenge of taking the intensity higher to improve your cardio strength, speed and endurance.  Each MMA inspired workout has an optional move breakdown to help you get familiar with the combinations.  There is also a “modifier track”  so you can follow a split screen if you would like as well.

Core De Force also focuses on rotational moves which means you will work your core from 360 degrees every time you hit play. That is going to be awesome for all of us who really want to tone that trouble area!

 What Is the Eating Plan Like?  

The nutrition guide was created to be simple, clean foods, that you can easily measure out and combine to give yourself a well balanced nutrition plan that will fuel your body with the energy it needs to crush the next workout on the schedule and get the results that you want.  If you really want to know what this program can do for your body make sure that you are 100% committed to the nutrition plan because what you eat is 80% of the results that you get.

The nutrition plan follows the portion fix, but you will not receive another set of containers unless you want them!  Each food category is measured out and explained in detail to you.  The plan is meant to be SUPER EASY to follow so that you don’t get overwhelmed with to many options.  Plus, in the test group I am hosting I am going to be walking you through the entire nutrition plan as well.

How long are the workouts?  

The workouts are 30-45 minutes in length and you workout 6 days a week with a stretch on the 7th.  The workout program is 30 days in length.

There are 8 workouts in the program...

• MMA Speed- ∫ Upper body and core focused boxing influenced workout. (27 minutes)
• MMA Shred- Muay Thai inspired elbow and kicks for total body shred. (37 minutes)
• MMA Power- Uses explosive and defensive style movements in this fast paced cardio conditioning workout (47 minutes)
• MMA Plyo- Core De Force is an MMA style home fitness program that will transform your entire body in 30 days.   When you combine boxing, Muay Thai and plyometrics in one workout you get a huge calorie burn and RESULTS. (47 minutes)
• Power Sculpt- Total body burner that uses explosive power and interval training to lean and sculpt.  (37 minutes)
• Dynamic Strength- Low on impact but high on intensity. (47 minutes)
• Active Recovery- Recharge for the week ahead with this rest day that focuses on form and technique to help fight fatigue and sore muscles. (21 minutes)
• Core De Force Relief- A quick 5 minutes stretch before bed session. (5 minutes)
• Team Beachbody Exclusive MMA Mashup– All the best Core De Force moves in one workout.  (26 minutes)
• Core Kinetics- A unique core workout inspired by Mixed Martial Arts movements.
• 5 minute Core on the Floor- the ultimate core finisher- 5 minute challenging plank movements that gets your abs on fire.

If you want to take your fitness to the next level after your 30 days you can get these 3 additional advanced workouts too:

• Agility Strength- combines fast footwork drills with body weight resistance to help improve coordination and blast major calories.  (9 rounds- 37 minutes).
• Agility Power- Grab your agility ladder and rip through multifunctional training that ignites every muscle and helps shred fat for serious definition (6 rounds-27 minutes).
• MMA Kick Butt- This workout is meant to target your legs and butt with nonstop mix of powerful kicks and calorie burning conditioning spikes (9 rounds- 37 minutes).

When Can I Get This Workout?

Core De Force will be available on the 31st of October to customers of Team Beachbody coaches.  So if you do not have a coach right now make sure to sign up with me so that I can be your coach and guide you from start to finish through the program.  Here is your link to create your Free Team Beachbody Account

Make sure that you complete the application below to be considered for a spot in my Core De Force Test Group so that you can also get the support and accountability to start and complete the program.  To complete the application click here:  Core De Force Application

How Much Does It Cost?

Core De Force has a variety of options.  The one that I recommend the most is the Core De Force Challenge Pack because it comes with everything you need to be successful with this program.  It comes with the entire Core De Force workout program, nutrition guide, program manual, Shakeology, access to me as your coach, discounted price and shipping plus it gives you entrance into my Test Group where I will be personally walking you through the nutrition guide, helping you to create a food plan that meets your needs, giving you recipes, tips, daily accountability so that this program does not become another dust collector on your shelf.

The Challenge Pack is $140 on Sale 

starting October 31st through November 2016.

How Can I Get Involved In My Support & Accountability Group?

So now here is the MOST important part.  How do I REALLY succeed at this program??  Well, anyone can go out there and buy the Core De Force Challenge Pack and do the workouts.  Unfortunately I have seen many of times (I am also guilty of this) where we purchase a program with the best of intentions and before we know it, the workout is sitting on our shelf collecting dust and we make excuses for why we don’t have time or it isn’t the right timing.  So don’t let this be another program that you have good intentions with!  It’s time to take charge of your fitness and nutrition and get involved in a closed online community of support that is going to help you start and complete the program and get the RESULTS that you want just in time for the holidays.  Better yet, we are going to help you create a holiday plan that is going to give you the flexibility to enjoy the holiday things you want to eat but still get results.  Does that sound like a good plan?

Do you want to join???  Here is the requirements and how to get started:

• In my Test Group I am going to be requiring that each participate for the entire 30 days of the program starting on the 15th of November.  Each participant must have ME as their assigned coach.  You cannot already be working with another coach or be a coach yourself.
• You must commit to both the fitness program and Shakeology to join the group.  You will be getting everything you need for this group when you sign up with me.
• You must be willing to participate daily in the closed online group.  I will have you log your workouts, your daily food activity and provide you with tools, tips and recipes to help you get to your goals.
• You must be willing to give it your all!  Change is not always easy but it is totally worth it.

There will never ever be a perfect time to start your fitness and health transformation.  You literally just have to take that leap of faith, bite the bullet and go for it.  If you do not try, how will you ever know if you can succeed! This just might be that 1 thing where everything comes together and just finally makes sense to you and your lifestyle.

Connect with me on my Facebook to see even more details on the event and news and announcements: Mandy Irizarry Facebook

Are you in???  There is limited space in my Test Group so make sure you complete the application to get your spot!

I want to see you crush those goals and feel confident and empowered to take on the rest of your life!!!!

My Top Ten Ways Not Be Successful...

My top ten list of ways to not be successful in direct sales. Basically things that I did when I was first starting out that I wish I had not done, haha. But hey we live and we learn right?! I want to share this post today to give encouragement and support to those who are just starting their home-based business or for those who may be struggling!

I am by no means a direct sales expert, simply a women with a dream and a home business.

I believe that to be great at anything you must be willing to learn and grow as I go. So to help you learn and grow I thought it would be fun to share my top 10 "DON’T DO'S" that I have learned over the last 15 months in hopes it will save someone a bit of time or frustration starting out.

~~~

10. Don't Just Focus on Yourself - Focus on Others

When I started with my business I constantly focused how much money I would make on selling this or that, how much recruiting a new team member would benefit me and how doing this or that would help me rank up within the company.

Then one day I snapped out of it and realized, my benefits would come back to me tenfold when I focused on how to best HELP every around me. Helping others reach their personal health/fitness goals and or financially goes in the long run meant a bigger paycheck for me but the joy I felt just helping and leading my team was so much more rewarding. 

Sharing the opportunity, training new team members, making sure they were successful and felt a sense of accomplishment with their business & helping them reach personal and business goals in their lives – meant building a successful, close knit team, forming new friendships & growing my business. It’s important to focus on yourself from time to time, but remember it’s not all about you all the time. Give back to others & the rewards will be even sweeter!

9. Don't Be Something or Someone You Are Not

My first 100 emails I sent out were terribly awkward & very uncomfortable for all involved.

I read copied from a script (which is perfectly fine if you need to!) but it sounded like a pre-recorded message or was not how I spoke in real life. Every time I sent a message I felt rigid, nervous, and awkward. When you send an email while feeling that way the universe feels it. And the person receiving it totally picks that vibe up too. Each time I would sit there hoping no one would ask any questions or want more information on anything. Sad, I know but its the truth. I just wanted responses like "Heck yeah, sign up me" or "Hey here's my money do as you please". I was so ridiculous. No wonder I struggled in the beginning. I wasn't having fun and being true to myself while sending these messages. 

As I began to learn and grow thru youtube video's, podcasts and personal development books I began to relax and be the real Mandy. I was myself – no script, no robotic sales pitch, just Mandy….and I actually now have a BLAST talking to others! 

People like real, approachable and sincere.

8. Don't Be Embarrassed

I can remember telling people who asked me what I did or where I was working and I'd totally leave out that I'm a fitness/health coach & personal trainer. I'd say “Oh, I'm just a stay at home mom.” Which wasn't far from the truth, I just left out what I passionately do every day and how I make an income while being home with the kids. 

The truth was, I was embarrassed to share with them what I was doing. I thought for sure they would take off running for the hills or laugh at me. I had that stigma that home businesses didn't work stuck in my head & I didn’t want people to avoid me, afraid I would try to “recruit” them or sell them shit they didn't want.  

In reality, I would have had a lot more success early on if I would have shared what I was doing with everyone who asked me! Be proud of your company, your product, and your choice to be a direct seller.  If you aren’t busting at the seams excited about your business & ready to share it with the world, you may not be in the right place!

7. Don't “Vomit” On Others

Vomiting is the best way I can describe it this, seriously. In #8 I talked about how to be open and excited to share your new business with everyone — now I’m going to tell you not to overstay your welcome or VOMIT it all over everyone.  

Sharing is caring ... but vomiting is just gross.

Sharing your business and products is one thing, but people like to have relationships based on trust, compassion, and fulfillment.  Posting on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram constantly about your business, begging for hostesses or bribing someone to join you is not appealing and will only make your followers overlook your posts.  Only about 10% of your posts should be directly business related, everything else should be engaging, fun, and help to create a relationship with you and your followers.

6. Don't Bite Off More Than You Can Chew

I began my business with so many ideas – great ideas at that! I wanted to create an online following via Facebook & Instagram for my business, I wanted a customer newsletter, customer loyalty program, wish list service, personal & team webpage, birthday card list…the list went on and on.  Many of these things I do currently but trying to launch a successful business with all the bells & whistles immediately was a recipe for disaster. I over-promised and under-delivered on so many of my “projects”.  

When I sat back and focused on building relationships and sponsoring new members for a few months it seemed like everything fell into place at the right time.  Don’t worry if you don’t have an awesome newsletter or a really cool customer punch card – you can worry about all those little extras when you get the basics under your belt! 

5. Don't Focus On The Money

Goal setting is so important to your business & having specific, dollar amount oriented goals are a great way to plan and operate your business. BUT your financial goal shouldn’t be the only thing you focus on with your business. Make sure you set personal goals, educational goals, fun goals.  Balancing the money side with the personal fulfillment will allow you to enjoy your business so much more – and when you enjoy what you do it definitely shows!

4. Don't Expect Instant Success

Direct sales isn’t an overnight get rich gig. If it was don't you think we'd all be millionaires by now!  Building a customer base, training and leading a successful team, learning the basic of your business, booking, and sponsoring skills takes time and energy. 

I have seen so many bright & determined individuals jump ship when they didn’t see the success they wanted in a few months. And it kills me! I just want to shake them silly and tell them just to "keep going...don't stop now". Slow & steady wins the race – don’t give up if you don’t see instant results. Create short term goals for yourself & make sure you celebrate when you hit those milestones in your business. This will give you lots of be proud of as you work toward your larger goals.

3. Don't Make Excuses

You are the only person who is ultimately responsible for your success (or lack of) and YOU are the only person who can make a difference in your business.  When my challenge group had zero challengers in it – I made excuses left and right on how everyone was just too busy, no one was spending money right now, and I didn’t know anyone to ask to join me……  

If I had spent the time that I had used coming up with excuses on making calls, sending emails, working my business and getting out in front of new customers I probably would have had my challenge group filled in no time at all! When I sat down & got real with myself, telling myself I needed to start helping others & stop making excuses — that’s exactly what happened!

BTW, Excuses are my biggest pet peeve. I roll my eyes so hard when I hear an excuse from anyone. Absolutely my biggest pet peeve. Don't tell me an excuse just tell me the real reason...YOU ARE SCARED!

2. Don't Just Wing It

I never knew the huge impact that having a business plan and goals could have on my business until I sat down and wrote them out for myself! If you don’t know where you are headed with your business, how will you ever know when you get there? 

Creating an overall plan for my business with short-term and long-term goals took me a bit of time, but now looking back I have no idea how I ran my business when I wasn’t able to compare or measure my success.  Even if your goals are something simple such as “I will help 4 new people each month for the next year” – it gives you something to focus on and something to work toward.  

If you don’t have goals in place and aren’t able to hold yourself accountable for reaching those goals, what will motivate you to grow in your business?

1. Don't “Hoard” The Opportunity

The biggest breakthrough I think I’ve had with my business was when I was introduced to the concept that the business opportunity with your company should be presented and treated as another product you have to offer. {MIND BLOWN, RIGHT?!}

I was always too shy and felt pushy when I mentioned the business opportunity, but then I realized that by NOT sharing this amazing opportunity that my mentor shared with me, I’m being selfish. You never know how your business could impact someone’s life!

 ~~~

More than anything – just remember not to be hard on yourself, you are learning as you go and you will be constantly improving your business practices and growing as a person.  If something works for you – don’t change it and don’t worry about what others are doing. 

Your success is your own & isn’t measured by anyone else!

My Weight Loss Story

I posted earlier on my FB about being surprised about seeing someone had pined my Beachbody transformation from the Team Beachbody website. I mean, I guess it could totally happened but I was not expecting to see MY picture while browsing pinterest for some menu idea's for my challengers. Haha! I'm pretty proud of that picture so it's kind of a big deal to me. I worked my ass off (literally) to get where I am now. Its been quite the journey and I'm still going!

Whenever people learn that I've lost a large amount of weight, the first thing they want to know is HOW I did it. So I will dedicate this post to answering that question and get it out of the way now.

The short answer is: beachbody workouts & running (aka exercise) + shakeologoy & eating clean (aka diet). Sorry to disappoint, but I did not take any magic pills, magic wraps, eat magic food, or any type of surgery. I did not sit on my couch all day and stuff my face with food and lose weight! Shocking, right? I actually put in a LOT of hard work, dedication, and made lots of sacrifices to get where I am now---and it was all worth it.

Now, if I still have your attention, I'll give you some details. 

I am a binge eater, and when I was upset, I ate a LOT of food in one sitting. We ate a shit ton of fast food, cooked fattening meals at home, and in order to "relax" at night, I would eat large amounts of comfort foods. 

June 2004, I worked up the nerve to finally leave my toxic marriage. Being a single mom, running a home childcare business and trying to find the real me was hard. The first year after my divorce I put on 37 lbs. I went from 118 lbs to 145 lbs. I went and saw my dr because I was exercising daily and not seeing the scale change and I had a few other issues I was concerned with. Come to find our my thyroid was crap. I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism. The dr wasn't the best and just told me to take the meds and continue working out and it'd work its self out. Well it never did but I had so much on my plate I just thought that's who I was meant to be. I did continue exercising 1 hour a day at the gym because it was my therapy time. 

September 2009 just a few days before my birthday I was at the gym on the elliptical doing my thing when I felt my left leg separate at my knee. I dropped from the treadmill in horrible pain. Usually there is no one else in the gym since its a tiny 24 hr fitness but that day there was some meathead looking guy lifting weights. He came running right over and helped me up, got me some ice and wrapped up my knee. I waited a few days and the pain was only intensifying so I went to the ER. After a few X-rays later was in a whole leg brace and on crutches and I had a referal to see a specialist. They were pretty sure I tore my menicus. I went to the specialist but all he talked about was surgery this, surgery that. And this girl was not down for that. Espically since I had been all over the interweb researching for myself. I instead went and saw my family chiropractor. He adjusted me a handful of times and started doing physically therapy with me for 6 weeks. After that he said it would just take time to heal but it would heal on its own. The only catch was it could take up to a year to fully heal. I would try to workout but each time my knee would really both me. So I pretty much gave up.

Fast forward to 2011 when I gave birth to our beautiful lil man Sebastian. I was sick all 9 months with this child. I threw up 1-2 times a day without fail. It was horrible. But I craved sooo much food at the same time. I ate horribly during my pregnancy everything salty, fried and sweet I ate. I ended up gain 80 lbs with this boy. I started the pregnancy around 140 lbs and ended up at 220 the week I had him. He actually came 2 weeks early so I can only imagine the rate I was going if I would have made it to full term that I would have topped off around 230 lbs. Thankfully with Sebastian I was able to drop the 80 lbs by the time he was 10 months old and was holding steady back at 140 lbs.

Then came baby number 4 in 2014! We found out two weeks after we found out we were moving to England, that I was pregnant with our lil Rowan. During the next 7 months, we had to plan our military move halfway across the world AND deal with a HORRIBLE custody battle with my ex. After my 5 months of morning sickness subsidded the weight started really packing on. In May alone I put on 25 pounds...no fucking joke. We had all our stuff packed up mid month, we were living in temporary military housing, trying to see all our family & close friends to say our good-byes and work out the last few kinks of our custody battle. My ex's lawyer was really good at trying to fuck us over at the last moment. And I ate my feelings to coop. I've always held my emotions in so eating them was the only way I could handle everything that was going on around me. Rowan was born August 23, 2014 (1 day before his due date) and the day I went into labor I weight in at 235 lbs ... I'm 5'1".... that's a whole lot of weight on a short person!

October 2014, 6 weeks after Rowan's birth, I made a decision to lose all the weight and get back to the 120's. I've made this decision at least a thousand times before, but for some reason, this time I was very determined to stick it out to the end. I wanted to quit so many times, but I persevered and in December 2015, I weighed in at 150 pounds (85 pounds lost). 

My ultimate goal is to weigh 125 pounds, which would be a total of 110 lbs lost. From January - June I was stuck at 150-152. In June I was laid off from exercise due to a sever hip flexor strain and I ended up gaining some weight. Not a ton but July-September I was fluctating between 157-160. I started back to exercising and eating right mid August and I wasn't losing again. After getting no where with my dr on our military base I took my health into my own hands and late September I started seeing a UK specialist that helps people that battle thyroid issues and weight loss. I started seeing her September 25th and as of today October 20th I'm down 5 lbs. That's a HUGE deal for someone that has hypothyroidism.

As far as the changes I made to my diet? I did not cut out carbs, or eat just fish and broccoli. I didn't live on salads for the last few years. I cut back on my portions by weighing and measuring my food, tracked my calories and meal planned and prepped. Right now the dr I'm working with has me elimanting soy and sugar from my diet. I have already elimantated diary because my stomach doesn't agree with it. It doesn't mean that I occasional enjoy some ice cream because I do its just not monthly. HA!

At first, I ate all the usual stuff that I was eating before--I just ate less of it and counted those calories. Over many months, I began to make healthier changes (because I WANTED to, not because I felt like I HAD to). I was eating roughly 1200-1400 calories per day. Right now my dr has me on a 1200 calories per day and that's because of my thyroid condition. We will be changing it as I begin to lose more. 

As for exercise Turbofire is what helped me lost the 80 lbs after I had Sebastian so of course it was my go to after having Rowan. I did Turbofire, 21 Day Fix, Insanity Max 30, ChaLean Extreme, Cize, Country Heat, 22 Minutes Hard Corps, and Hammer & Chisel (not in that order). March 2015 I started training myself to be a runner using a treadmill hubby bought me. I'm currently back to training myself since I had to take 4 months off completely from running due to my hip flexor issues. 

And that's about it! I'm currently sitting at 151 lbs but I have a feeling I will finally be breaking this plateau real soon. ;) Currently I'm running 2.2 miles, 4 times a week and I'm doing ChaLean Extreme again because this girl loves weight training. 

How to shake a funk...

Have you ever woken up and from the second you open your eyes there’s this FUNK following you around that you just can’t seem to shake.

That’s been me. For the last FIVE days. I thought I’d wake up this morning feeling more like myself again. In fact yesterday I was betting on it so I didn’t take any action towards fixing it. I trusted it would go away on it’s own.

It didn’t.

So today I knew I needed to do something about it before I wasted another precious day not feeling like “me”.

This is my tried and true recipe for shaking the funk and getting back to your normal kick ass self:

1: Flood your body with endorphins. This doesn’t have to be traditional exercise. Have a freakin dance party in your living room. Or better yet…get OUTSIDE into the glorious sun and soak up some vitamin D. For me music, singing on top of my lungs and dancing really helps. So this morning after my lifting session the lil boys and I cranked up so 90's music and danced and sung our hearts out. I started to feel a LITTLE better but I knew my work wasn’t done.

2: Flood your brain with positive voices. While making the boys and myself some lunch I turned on some of my fav podcasts that are teaching me to be better at the things I love. So while I was cooking and cleaning, I was learning and turning on my creative juices. And cooking leads me to #3.

3: Eat a wholesome meal. Todays lunch was eggs with some delicious red grapes!

4: Gratitude – flood your mind with ALL the things you’re thankful for…no matter how small. I like to write a random list in the mornings during my miracle morning time. I have a whole notebook full of gratitude.

5: Shut down technology and don’t let others put demands on your time if you have that option. Take care of you first! I kind of did this over the weekend. I choose to hangout with the family instead of working my normal work hours. Sometimes you just need a few hours, few days (no more then 2 is my rule) away.

6:This is the final and VITAL tip that I use to pull me out of a funk…Meditate.

(Doesn’t have to be a spiritual thing if that turns you off.)

I only started doing this regularly for the last 2 months and it’s been life changing. I’ve struggled with ups and downs and anxiety my whole life but I’ve always looked for natural ways to cope.

Meditation has been a total cure all for my mood swings and my anxiousness! I can tell when I skip a day that I just feel off balance. And guess who didn't meditate Saturday and Sunday...yep this girl. No wonder my funk has lasted for 5 day. I meditated Monday, Tuesday and this morning and I could defiantly feel myself slowly coming out of this funk. 

Hopefully after tonights rest. I'll be completely back to normal. :)

Military Wife/Mom/Entrepreneur ... How I Balance it All!

Can I watch Paw Patrol? ... Asked while I'm working out

Can I paint? ... Asked while I'm folding clothes

I want more milk? ... Told while I'm trying to record a training video for my team

I'm hungry? ... Told 1 minute after I sit down to return work emails

ROWAN'S NAKED! ... Yelled when I'm on a one on one call with a coach or client

I want a banana ... Told 1 minute after I sit down to return more emails for work

Can we go outside? ... Asked seconds after I sit down to typing up my blog post

House completely destroyed and littered with toys ... while I sit down to power thru my work tasks

These are just a handful of my daily struggles. HA! Being a wife, mom, and entrepreneur isn't a life of glitz and glam. Don’t get the wrong impression, I love what I do but it can be overwhelming at times. Amongst all this chaos, I often ask myself; how do I balance being a great mom, a loving wife and a successful entrepreneur?

First let me say, I am NO expert and I don't claim to be. My life is far from perfect, I mess up daily, and have little to no idea what I am doing most days. 

Second, each and every one of us is so incredibly different and I, in no way want my readers to compare their lives to mine and think they should be doing more or less. We only can handle what we can handle and that has to be something that you can identify about yourself. I myself, tend to be someone that likes to stay busy and can handle a lot of activity at once. 

I hope you remember while you're reading, everyone is different but you are still doing an amazing job!

I started my business 16 months ago and its grown substantially in that short amount of time. And while life has become very hectic, I chose to have it this way it, and I love it. I always knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur but I also always knew I wanted to be a stay at home mom and wife. Being a work at home mom entrepreneur is part of how I express my creativity, and I’m convinced it is what keeps me sane.

I want to share with you today how I'm able to balance being a mom, a wife and an entrepreneur all from home.

1. I Get Up Before Our Kids
I know everyone is in different stages of their parenting so I get sleeping in with your kid(s) and there is no shame in that. I was still doing that till August shortly after Rowan turned 2 and FINALLY started sleeping thru the night. I had just finished reading the book Miracle Morning and decided to start implementing it in my own life. I'm not going to lie, the first 2 weeks were fucking hard. Gahhh! I have not been a morning person since before I had my daughter...so its been a good 14 years. But I felt I needed this change and Rowan had just started to sleep thru the night. Now I get up at 445am without any trouble. I love my early mornings to myself. It give me that "me" time, that I've needed for a long time. During this time I like to mediate, pray, manifest my goals and read my personal development. Oh and enjoy that first warm cup of coffee. I'm hoping in the future to start waking up at 415am so I can get my miracle morning routine done and then my workout before the kids wake up. But right now we just aren't in that stage since the boys still wake up early 6/630am and need to me to help get them up and settled.

2. Make sure you set aside specific time for everyone. 
Time that is solely devoted to either family or yourself or work. Each one deserves undivided attention at some point. I like to spend one on one time with the little boys after my workout. We play with toys, play-doh, paint/color, go on a walk or to the park. Now that the weather is a lot colder in the mornings. I'm going to try to talk them on walks later in the afternoons because I know its good for all of us to get out and get fresh air. Days that hubby is home for work, I spend the evenings with him watching one of our favorite shows. Our older two kids are at that stage where they don't want to hang out with me. #preteenandteenager And I always take one day on the weekends off to be 100% present with my family. Hubby and I also plan a date night at least monthly. I'm a HUGE believer in date nights. Ladies you need that one on one time with your husband, trust me!

3. Dress to Impress or At Least Dress to Make YOURSELF Smile
Now I know as stay at home mom entrepreneurs we don't leave the house much, so this might be a little controversial with some moms. But to me, it honestly makes me feel better about myself when I have my makeup on, my hair looks nice (this rarely happens because I workout in the mornings and sometimes it gets pretty sweaty gross that that mom pony tail or mom bun just stays in) and wear something that's comfy but also makes me feel cute (for me that's leggings, t-shirt or hoodie). Try it for a week and see how you feel! Plus, your husband will also notice! :)

4. Set Goals Daily
If you like to check things off your list like I do then make a list each morning while your kids eat breakfast. I like to write down drab things (like doing the laundry) and pointless things (like calling the pharmacy), just so I can "check" them off my list. It literally gives me such a sense of gratification. I also have a check list for work things so I know what MUST get done daily.

5. Be OK when not all your Goals are hit that day
As good as it is to make daily goals, you have to make sure that you are realistic about them as well. We all know that as moms life is NEVER consistent, each day is different and things always arise. If you are going to make goals for yourself you have to be equally willing to break those goals and be OK with it. Just be honest with how much YOU can truly accomplish. When I over work myself, I end up feeling unsuccessful, and unproductive. Be OK and just "roll with the punches", nobody is perfect.

6. Don't let your Phone Distract You
I know how distracting working at home gets. It can get overwhelming, boring, old, and even depressing. It's so easy to pick up my phone and scroll through my Instagram, Facebook, emails, etc and pay attention somewhere else. Honestly, I struggle with this CONSTANTLY...it's probably one of my biggest weaknesses. I tell myself multiply times a day that now is NOT the time to get distracted. I also try to prioritize my need for it as well (i.e. how important is that email to me right now? Does it require a response this very minute?). 

7. Don't overwhelm Yourself with your Tasks
This goes back to #5. You only can do what you can do in a day. Don't over complicate it and discourage yourself. Laundry is sometimes the ONLY task I have on my list for that day because it's a freakin' HUGE task. If I can wash, dry, fold, and put away every load of laundry in one day I feel like superwoman...but the truth is, there is ALWAYS a load left for me in the drier the next day. Its life and guess what, nobody has died yet because I didn't get that last load done. 

8. Meal Plan or Meal Prep
This is something I have done for YEARS now. Yes its always a little daunting for me to sit down and write out a meal plan out the entire week but truth is, when it's done I feel like I just accomplished something HUGE! I actually typed up a cheat sheet of all our meals and categorized them (i.e. breakfast, lunch, dinner, and Rowan's meals since he's can't have diary) and I just pull that out of my mom binder and fill in our meal planner. This also helps when it comes to grocery shopping. I just look at our menu and write the grocery list according to our meals. Yes I grab extra stuff for snacks, kids school lunch and Will's work meals, but at least I have a guide this way for our weeks meals.

9. Family Dinners at the Table
I don't cook homemade every night, especially when Will is on shift, but we always make sure to sit around the table together, whatever the meal is. 

10. Hire a Babysitter
Thankfully I haven't had to actually hire a babysitter yet. My husband works 48 hours on/48 hours off, so days he's home I'm able to lock myself in the office for 2-4 hours and do nothing but work. This has been my saving grace! Hubby and I have already discussed that when/if he deploys that I'll be hire a sitter a few times a week so I can get work done. Being a military family we aren't lucky enough to have family near us to watch my kids at a moments notice, but if you do take advantage of it. I know some of you are probably thinking "but I'm a stay at home mom entrepreneurer shouldn't I just take care of my kids. Yes of course but I would make this a priority because truth is, it's more life giving then you even realize. Even if you can only afford to get away for an hour at a time, that time is precious and you NEED to make time for YOU. Next school year will be a little different because Sebastian will be in kindergarten and Rowan will be attending nursery school for 15 hours a week so we more then likely won't need the extra help but you never know. With all that being said, you need to do what only you can do/afford.

11. Routines/Schedules
I am such a schedule oriented person anyways that this was pretty natural for mes, but having a daytime and nighttime routine for our kids has allowed me the time to work on business priorities, as well as, have alone time with my husband in the evenings when he's not on shift. We may seem like drill sargents setting such strict nap schedules (which sadly are dwindling away) and putting our littlest two kids to sleep by 6:30pm, the preteen to bed by 8pm and the teenager by 930pm but honestly this has breathed more life into us than I can even explain. Plus, we've found our kids thrive on a schedule so it's a win-win for all of us!

12. Wife/Mom First, Entrepreneur Second
I know I've done things in life because I thought it was going to be good for me but in the long run I wasn't doing it for the right reasons and found myself empty, unsatisfied, and unhappy. Not only that, but when working from home I often have to remind myself of my main priority (I am a wife/mom first and an entrepreneur second). If I find that it's taking too much quality time away from my family, I know I need to reassess my priorities and get a better system in place.

13. Communication 
William and I do a pretty good job of setting expectations for our day/week. We are in constant communication about what we are doing that day and in a way, it keeps us accountable to each other. Plus, it forces us to work together. Whether it be a running errands, taking the family exploring around England, taking care of the kids, giving each other a much needed break, or making time for one another, we do our best to communicate where we need each other the most.

Starting your own business is the most rewarding thing you can do for yourself. Finding the time to make it happen is dependent on you prioritizing what’s important. Balancing it all requires a lot of work. Ask yourself honestly if everyone is happy, and be sure to include yourself. If they aren’t, then it’s time to change to make it work.