I guide growth-inspired women to cycle through the seasons by living in alignment with realistic expectations of their time and energy one week at a time.
GIRLetter #020: Are You Faking It Or Making It?
"Every great move forward in your life begins with a leap of faith, a step into the unknown."
-Brian Tracy
Hey GIRL (that’s you, our Grace In the Race Ladies):
Last week we touched on the pursuit of happiness. In life, happiness - however we define it - is the ultimate goal. We all strive for happiness. It drives nearly every decision we make. That is, until we come up against the unknown and happiness starts feeling further out of reach.
The world has been wrought with unknowns since the onset of the pandemic. And I don't know about you, but it's taking its toll on me! I'm tired of living in a state of wonder and worry and being left to feel like happiness is a possibility but not necessarily a probability.
Sickness, death, home-schooling, racism, murder hornets, masks, social distancing, politics - all the things that keep layering on top of the last thing. It's a lot to carry in our hearts and minds and frankly, I could use a break.
So, how do we escape it when it's EVERYWHERE and impacts every decision and every person we interact with?
The answer: we can't.
BUT, we can dig into our arsenal of tools and take back those things which are in our control.
If you are well, you can work to keep it that way. What are you doing for your personal wellness? Did you know that the healthier you are when/if you get ill, the quicker you tend to recover? Move your body daily and make good decisions about food AND beverages! There is much debate about caffeine out there and less yet still some debate about alcohol but experts everywhere tend to agree that drinking water is forever on-trend!
You can make an effort to have a positive attitude. This isn't always a walk in the park if or when overwhelm sets in but it IS a decision you can make. It's also the tone you set for your family. Be aware that your mental and emotional states can be contagious - keep them positive! I find it helpful to take deep, relaxing breaths and to actively focus on inner peace. Smiling (even when you don’t feel like it) helps too.
As life gets busier again, you can control your schedule. Get back into a routine - even a light, scaled-back, summery routine can help things feel "normal-ish" in your home. And be prepared to make difficult choices if the schedule starts to feel like it’s falling back into crazy mode. If crazy-mode doesn’t serve you, then it’s not aligned with your pursuit of happiness. Reevaluate and reign it back in!
Carve out time to be productive around the house and delegate tasks to your people. A daily 20-minute tidy session with all hands on deck will make a significant impact! My family is well aware that my "mommy-voice" comes out less when there is order in our house. Win-Win!
Also, consider getting back on a meal plan if you've fallen off that train in lieu of keeping things summer-casual. Remember, order = control!
If the unknowns have gotten the best of you lately or things have gotten so relaxed over the last few months that having even one thing on your plate throws you into a tizzy, take this opportunity to reset. We may not know what the fall will look like, or even what Tuesday will look like. But, we can start by penciling in Taco Tuesday and just like that next week already feels less daunting.
Consider joining our upcoming (FREE) series on overcoming procrastination and reset with us! Think of it like a new year's resolution do-over. Only, this time we're going to give ourselves grace and focus only on the things within our control. As for the rest of it, we're going to fake it 'til we make it because that is grace, and the only way to truly strive for happiness through all of this!
Thank you for being here. Enjoy the rest of your weekend and may it kick off an extraordinary week!
Love & Grace,
Rachel (& Amanda)
Co-founders of Grace in the Race, LLC
p.s. We hope our weekly newsletter positively impacts you and inspires you to give yourself (and others) grace. If so, hit reply and drop us a note to let us know. Additionally, we invite you to forward it to a friend and encourage her to subscribe as well!
Grace in all things...
GRACE IN FAMILY
- Do your kids procrastinate? Do you worry that they will never know how to prioritize because they avoid all of their responsibilities? Find out why some kids procrastinate - it may be for reasons other than what you think.
- Now that you know why they procrastinate, read 4 Steps to Help Your Child Defeat Procrastination.
GRACE IN WELLNESS
- You may be reading this newsletter while sipping your third cup of coffee, so this is your reminder to drink some water! You know this already, but water helps deliver oxygen to your body, helps lubricate your joints, regulates body temperature, flushes waste, boosts performance while exercising and aids in weight loss! Half your weight in ounces each day will keep you hydrated and feeling great. Go do it!
- If you're crawling out of your pandemic funk, a return to exercise may be in your future. Expert advice suggests taking it slow to prevent injuries. The last thing you want is to throw your back out while doing a jump squat. (This is actual advice from Amanda; nothing good comes of back pain!) Start with brisk walks and ease into weight training if that's your goal.
- When you're ready for something more intense, try a Tabata workout. We found this workout that is sure to get your blood pumping! Tabata training is a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workout featuring a rotation of 8 exercises that last a total of four minutes. During those four minutes, you do each exercise for 20 seconds then rest for 10 seconds. The idea is to repeat the series several times for a "full" workout but Rachel's family has been doing just 4 minutes a day and has noticed a difference. Start small - that's grace!
GRACE IN PRODUCTIVITY (NEW NAME!)
- As we mentioned last week, we're gearing up for a Productivity series on overcoming procrastination. We'll be working from the book Eat That Frog! by Brian Tracy. The book outlines 21 ways to stop procrastinating and get more done!
- Pick up the book today and click the button below to join the waitlist to receive more information about this FREE virtual series.
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GRACE IN GROWTH
- Exercise is a great way to stay in shape and keep your heart healthy. But exercise is also important to keep your brain strong. There's evidence to prove that exercise reduces stress, boosts your mood and energy, and even slows age-related mental decline. A good mind-body connection means regular exercise, of course, but to take full advantage, you must be deliberate to take mind-body breaks throughout the day.
- Brendon Buchard, author of High-Performance Habits, suggests taking a break after 45-60 minutes of sitting. This break should be physical; no checking email or social media. Take a short walk, meditate, or do a quick yoga flow. After just 5-10 minutes you'll feel a total renewal of focus and productivity.
GRACE AT HOME
- If your house is anything like ours, meal planning has fallen by the wayside over the last few months. Between less frequent Costco runs and not always reliable grocery deliveries, we all made do with what was in stock, what our shoppers substituted for us, and what our husbands didn't forget when they braved the stores. It's time to take back control of mealtime. Meal Planning saves you time and money, and reduces grocery store trips. In Meal Planning: The Nuts and Bolts, we share 4 steps to a successful meal plan:
- Plan meals based on your calendar for the upcoming week (don't forget about breakfast, lunch and snacks.)
- Make the plan visible to your family either online or on paper. (Print our Meals & Activities Planner below.)
- Build a grocery list based on the meals you have planned.
- Grocery shop on a day when you have time to prep some of the meals as soon as you get home.
- If your freezer is still full of food you (over)bought during the quarantine, why not use what you have to meal plan? First things first, do an inventory and follow the steps above to meal plan.
GRACE IN AWARENESS
- Many mothers are feeling anxious and are experiencing feelings of inadequacy during the COVID-19 pandemic. They are burdened with excessive worries and feel out of control. This article, Fighting Family Burnout During the COVID-19 Crisis gives you ideas to help recognize and deal with these invalidating thoughts and emotions.
- Quarantine forced many of us to temporarily part ways with our hairdressers, workout trainers, nail techs, massage therapists, etc. And, while you've surely made the connection that three months without seeing these professionals may have had adverse physical effects, has it occurred to you that all those months without those appointments were also lost "therapy" sessions? Hour by hour, the engagement during those appointments had a significant impact on our mental and emotional well-being! If you're not yet ready to put all those appointments back in your calendar but could use someone to talk to, consider an online therapist. Betterhelp is a service that offers affordable, online counseling anytime, anywhere. Visit betterhelp.com/QOD for 10% off your first session. Please note: this won't do much for your unruly roots or calloused feet, but it might help you worry about it less!
GracePace: Sensible Solutions at Your Pace!
FAVORITES OF THE WEEK . . .
#1: Podcast: 7 Good Minutes Podcast Episode 738: Brian Tracy: 7 Habits To Adopt For A More Productive Day
#2: Book: Declutter Your Mind: How to Stop Worrying, Relieve Anxiety, and Eliminate Negative Thinking by S.J. Scott and Barrie Davenport
#3: Printable: Meals & Activities Planner: Plan out a week’s worth of meals based on your calendar
The Grace Experiment
THE SUMMER CHALLENGE: CONQUER A MICRO-HABIT
Spend your summer being your favorite YOU. What habit would you change to be the best version of yourself? Start with a really small one - a micro-habit - and share your progress with us in The Grace Experiment!
LISTEN: Tiny Leaps, Big Changes, episode 555 - What is Action Faking?
Action faking is all the stuff we do that makes us feel good about our progress without actually making any meaningful progress.
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Masks by Mihaela are available for purchase on our website: Mihaela Cobb is making and selling face masks. For every mask purchased, she donates one. Masks by Mihaela are available for purchase here.
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Rachel Antone
Capacity Coach
I guide growth-inspired women to cycle through the seasons by living in alignment with realistic expectations of their time and energy one week at a time.
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