It’s Your Choice

Image by TW Collins via Flickr

There are a few things that I find really sad about Christmas time, but the number one thing is seeing people that struggle to buy presents for their loved ones. I realize that Christmas is over commercialised, but considering that buying presents is an overwhelming fact of Christmas, I really am saddened when I find out about people who are not able to do to it, for whatever reasons that may be.

I heard a story recently about grandparents in Portland, OR. that “saved all year just to be able to buy their grandkids a few presents” just to have them stolen by a thief that broke into their house. I know of other grandparents, aunts, uncles, parents that have had the same struggle to buy presents for at least the kids in their lives.

This is going to sound harsh, but I feel that this struggle is their choice. Now, hear me out. I know that people are losing their jobs at a staggering rate in this country the last few years. I know that Social Security doesn’t come close to helping seniors make ends meet. I know all of this, and plenty of these stories may be out of the control of those affected by it. But, the fact that they are in that position IS their choice.

We all need to plan for the “rainy day”. We need to have a “plan B”, especially in this day and age. We need to know that our job may not always be there, that we may unfortunately be struck by some illness that is out of our control, that we may lose our spouse and have to survive on our own.

That is why I’ve decided to build my own business. I work as a personal trainer and a Beachbody coach. Now, I LOVE personal training. But, if I take a week off, I won’t be getting paid. That is why Beachbody is my “plan B”. It is something that I can consistently build and if I want or need to take a day or a week or longer off, it will still be there, creating an income for me, unlike if I took that same time away from personal training.

What my challenge is for you, is to find your “plan B”. Regardless what you do, in less than 12 months, we will once again be facing the holiday season and another year will have passed us by. It is the choices you make TODAY that will determine if you are struggling to buy your kids, grandkids, nieces and nephews presents or are able to provide the people you love with gifts you are happy and excited to give.

What steps can you take today, this week and the next month to choose to create a “plan B” and be able to be in a better position this time next year?

~Rebecca Ingham

www.RebeccaInghamFitness.com

So Long To A Great Year

What can I say, 2010? We’ve had a great run. It has been amazing spending this time with you. There have been years that I couldn't wait to get over, but we’ve really had a special experience together, haven’t we?

I know there are others that don’t feel the same way about you, but together, I’ve grown more as a person than any other time in my life. I started out by rethinking my diet and eliminated meat and virtually all other animal products (for the most part, baby steps). This has made me, not only feel better in the health department, but brought more awareness to what happens to animals when they are grown to just end up as someones dinner. This started out more on a whim but sometimes it is those decisions that turn out to be the best ones, in my opinion.

On a fluke, I talked my husband into going to a health expo where, if it weren’t for him, I may not have met an amazing person who has now become not only my chiropractor, but also a good friend, and through that friendship, so many more doors have opened in the process. One, of many, examples is an incredible woman who saw more in me than I saw in myself and has pushed me, with love, to be a better, stronger woman myself. This is just a couple of the amazing people that have come into my life this year, all because my husband stopped at this little booth to talk about back pain! Goes to show the Universe works in mysterious ways, and there really is serendipity at work in our world.

I met another fantastic person, who turned out to be the most interesting and fun wellness appointments (and people overall) I’ve ever had at the Y. He is definitely not like most people, but I imagine both he and I wouldn’t want it any other way. He’s also become a good friend, and is one of my biggest cheerleaders. It’s so fun seeing where 2010 has taken his life as well, and I can only imagine, in my wildest dreams, where 2011 is going to take him.

2010, this was the year I finally stopped making excuses and even though I didn’t train nearly as well as I should have, I completed my first 20K race. This most certainly became a mind-over-matter experience after a certain amount of time, but I did complete it and I’m a much better person for it.

This was also the year that my first baby boy grew up. He is an amazing young man and even though it was touch and go on him graduating high school, he did and I couldn’t have been prouder even if he was valedictorian. Part of me is sad on how fast the time has gone, but I’m also excited for the future and seeing him make his mark on the world. I love you son, more than you will ever know!

Summer brought another new friend into my life, one that encouraged me to take that scary step of pursuing my love and passion for helping people be fit and healthy and start my own personal training business. Although it hasn’t always been easy, it has certainly been extremely rewarding. I’m eternally grateful for the force that brought us together (Facebook and the Universe!) and that she saw something in me that was good enough to trust her studio and clients to me.

My other love along the same lines is my Beachbody business. Getting to spread the word and encourage others to be healthy through this company has been most rewarding and I know that, even though I haven’t quite yet reached the goals I’ve set for myself, I have been able to reach people that I may have otherwise not and it is only a matter of time. Just like Christopher Columbus, I know land is there and it will be reached! This company is my future and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. My relationships with my Beachbody family have become stronger and I’ve also been blessed to meet new friends, especially one kindred spirit that has become a good friend; can’t imagine life without her now. She is the main person behind encouraging me to write like this, that will eventually lead to more doors opening in my future. I love seeing these relationships grow and blossom and can’t wait to see where another year takes us.

Facebook has become such a great place to meet people that I may not ever get the chance otherwise to meet and connect with. I’ve made some friendships on there that I cherish as much as the friendships I’ve made in person. There are some friendships that have grown over the year, and these people have been a great support for me. There are others that are still fairly new, but I am already learning and growing as a person just from knowing them and look forward to watching our friendships grow.

The relationship with my husband has also grown. It seems he is finally gaining confidence in his sometimes hard to understand wife and seeing the future as I see it. We are more in love than ever and I’m excited for our future.

I could go on and on, but you are getting ready to ride off into the sunset. Part of me is sad to let you go, but I know you are leaving me in good hands. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, 2010, for the wonderful memories. You will be missed!