Category: 2013


Jan
2013

The Beginning of the End

categories: 2013, goals, weight

First of all, I cannot thank you all enough for your comments, e-mails, texts, and phone calls yesterday after I revealed my biggest skeleton. The outpouring of support and love that I received throughout the day brought me to tears more than once. I am, however, a total sap so it wasn’t a long trip. I have realized that I’m full of love that I want to share with everyone. And yesterday showed me that you all are exactly the same and your words meant the world to me. I carried them with me all night and am still thinking about them. I am forever touched by your kindness and encouragement. I have the greatest team of friends and family behind me and I can’t wait to get started. I want to show you all, but more importantly myself, that I CAN do anything and I will. I hope you will join me for this ride. It will be bumpy and there will be bad days and setbacks, but there will be far more happy days and success stories.

Secondly, yesterday we were to revamp our ‘About’ page on our blog as part of See Jane Write’s 31 Days to a Better Blog challenge. I have done just that and you can find my new page here. Please let me know what you think and if you have any input, ideas, or edits, I welcome them. I love feedback and it helps me learn.

Lastly, we were to redesign our header image. That’s going to take me a bit longer as I am still thinking about it…deciding what should be reflected in my new image..my new me. We are changing everyday – hopefully for the better – and growing inside our skin. I am not the person I was at 18, 25, or even 35 (two years ago). I’ve evolved so much in the past few years thanks to reflection, hurdles, love, and friends that guide me through thick and thin. This is the beginning of the end of my old self. As many of you noted in yesterday’s comments, we are not defined by a number, but rather what’s inside. I will always be me on the inside – goofy, youthful, intellectual, talented, loving, happy – but I assure you that the outside is changing. And so I’m letting it go….the end of old Sherri’s limitations. I am going for it – everything I’ve ever wanted. I am going to lose the weight, I am going to start a business or non-profit in Birmingham to help the city I love so much, I am going to get as involved as humanly possible with people, events, fitness, writing, charities…everything this city has to offer. As my dear friend Sarah said to me yesterday, “We got this!” She’s never been more right (and she’s right a lot). 😉

Tomorrow is the start of my first planned week of 4+ work out days at Iron Tribe Fitness. Wish me luck! And I’m sending lot of luck and love out to you with your new slate.  Let me know how you’re doing with your goals…writing, fitness, professional, whatever you’re working toward. Keep me updated on your progress and share your strengths and weaknesses. We are in this together and I’m here to help you with yours just as I know you’re here to help me with mine.

We got this!

Love yourself.
Find peace inside.
Share happiness.

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Jan
2013

Under Pressure

categories: 2013, Life

I’m a very different person than I was at 20 and even 30. I love how we constantly evolve and change through the years. I’ve been “tightly wound” for most of my life. I don’t know if it was due to pressure going through school to do my best or being an only child and pretty selfish, but I have kept things in their respective boxes – and only in their respective boxes – for years. The last few years I have started to let go of a little of that anal retentiveness and tried to learn to let go. Daniel has been monumental in those exercises. He is most definitely the ying to my yang and meeting him is one of those pivotal moments where positive change started to happen. He is an easy going, laid back, all around funny guy while I am a detail oriented, neurotic, crazy-at-home, all around funny gal. It always makes me laugh to see people’s faces when I tell them what a monster I am at home. Or was. I want things picked up, clean (mostly), back in their original places (do NOT move my toothpaste), and wherever you found them. Daniel has a nickname for me – “CSI Sherri” – because I can walk into a room in our house and immediately tell if something is amiss or different. I used to go bonkers if something was not the way I left it or in the same place or if there were things of his sitting on the table or a coat not hung up. In the year+ that we’ve been together I have learned, the hard way, that those things aren’t worth fighting about and aren’t important in the grand scheme of things and life. My stress level, just from learning this behavior change, has dramatically reduced. Couple that with working out and I’m *almost* as relaxed as a normal person. (Actually, are normal people relaxed? I don’t know that I know any. Lol) All that to say this: coming from a self-diagnosed neurotic, OCD love bunny – Don’t sweat the small stuff. In the end, worrying does no good, doesn’t change anything, and can affect your health. It comes down to picking your battles and lemme tell ya, toothpaste ain’t worth fighting over. 🙂

Love yourself.
Find peace inside.
Share happiness.


Jan
2013

Climbing Everest – How Far I’ve Come (2012) and What Lies Ahead (2013)

categories: 2013, goals

“Canon in D” just came on my Pandora radio station. I absolutely love this song and not just because it makes me think of weddings. I love the song for the melody, the crescendos, and the lulls. It is, quite possibly, the most beautiful song I’ve ever heard. I can listen to it over and over, getting lost in thoughts of love and hope. It was fitting that it came on as I was starting this post. I’ve been pretty reflective the past few months and that culminated in a great discussion with my fiance about our futures – together as a couple and for each of us personally. I spent the better part of today in complete silence, not doing much of anything besides staring into space thinking about the past year and my future. I have never been one to list personal highlights of the previous year or goals for the new one, but it feels like the right time to start. Not to toot my own horn, but a few of the things that brought me great joy last year were:

  • Starting Birmingham Dance Walk
  • Joining together with friends to start a very tasty and intellectual Supper Club
  • Supporting, donating to, and volunteering with more charities and non-profits than I ever have before – most of them local to Birmingham
  • Building a remarkable relationship with Daniel Walters
  • Getting my first freelance writing assignment (Artwalk article for Magic City Post)
  • Starting some fitness regimen again, first with G57 Training and Fitness and now with Iron Tribe Fitness
  • Joining See Jane Write – possibly the most exceptional group of women I have ever met.
  • Hearing First Lady Michelle Obama speak in person
  • Completing 2 5Ks – the Color Run and the Race for the Cure
  • Fundraising with free hugs for the Crisis Center of Birmingham at Naked Art – truly one of the best nights of my life
  • Rescuing a pup and finding her a home
  • Developing some of the most meaningful and empowering female friendships I have ever had. We are doing GREAT things in 2013!
  • Learning more about myself this year than any previous year. And it helped me realize my biggest passion along with focusing on the direction I want to take with it.

My friend Jen West recently wrote about a new iOS app called Everest – where you can live your dreams by setting personal goals and then breaking them down into smaller steps to help you achieve them. I downloaded the app today and spent most of the morning thinking about what dreams I have for the years ahead. Here are the dreams I came up with and posted in the app, along with the rough time frame that I set for them. As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I have never been one to set goals, but this seems like a great (and fitting) year to start. Here we go (in no particular order):

  1. Volunteer with children. I’ve thought about this a lot the past year, off and on, and I really want to pursue this dream. Children light up my life and I would like to give some of that back if possible. I thought about McWane Science Center, but am leaning more toward Big Brothers & Big Sisters or something akin to that locally. By When: 3 months
  2. Create 365 blog posts. Yup, I’m going to do my BEST to blog every day for a year about something. Fingers crossed on this one! By When: 1 year
  3. Ride a bike again. I know the saying, but I’m telling you – I’m scared to death to get my big ‘ole butt on that tiny seat. My knees aren’t good and I can see me falling right over. But I have to start somewhere..even if it’s going to Cahaba Cycle and baby wheeling it around the show room floor for a few. I would like to get a bike and ride around Birmingham. By When: 6 months
  4. Meditate. I did this for a Chopra Center challenge earlier this year for the first time and loved it. I would like to make it a part of my daily life. When: Ongoing
  5. Work out at least 3 times per week. Enough said! When: Ongoing
  6. Read 1 book per month. By When: 1 year
  7. Run a 5k. I HATE running. Let’s rephrase that..I can’t run. Not for more than about 200 meters currently. I get too winded to keep going without passing out. And I hate it. So, I walked the 5ks that I did this past year. I would like to run one and I know I can do it. It just takes practice. Running practice. Lots of running practice. Ick. Blech. Whatever. By When: 9 months
  8. Lose 100 lbs. I originally had 50 on there, but I changed it to 100. Fifty is more realistic, but let’s go for gold and see what happens. #GetAfterIt By When: 1 year
  9. Get 100 people to participate in Birmingham Dance Walk. We can make this happen, but I will need your help. 🙂 By When: 1 year
  10. Give back to Birmingham; figure out the who, how, and why. I recently talked about starting a non-profit to help the sponsors of Birmingham Dance Walk make tax-deductible contributions while also sharing with other non-profits in the area that need help. I still like that idea and want to do that, but I’ve thought about my original intention some more and realized that a) I am most passionate about Birmingham and all she has to offer and b) I love doing things for other people. So I plan on figuring out exactly how to put those two together and what that means for me…how I can give back to Birmingham, exactly who I can help, and definitively state why I want to help. HOW, WHO, and WHY will be my 3 words for 2013. This will also help with today’s 31 Days to a Better Blog challenge item: Create the blog you want to read. By When: 1 year

There you have it. My 10 goals for 2013. Here goes nothing!

Love yourself.
Find peace inside.
Share happiness.