Persistence Pays Off

Today, I had a wonderful massage. This is huge for me. Usually, they are so painful that I want to cry. But, today, it was great. At the end, when I was relaxing for a few minutes, all I could do was thank God. 

Twenty-three days ago (yes, I’m counting), I started a new workout plan. Well, let me back up a little. Months ago, I cancelled my gym membership and decided to workout at home using Beachbody on Demand. I was hesitant about the process and even had a little resistance. I had been exercising at the gym for three years and doing something totally different scared me. All in the same, I knew it was the right step for me. My new workout program, Core de Force, is working for me. By exercising at home I can get my workout in at 6:00 a.m. before I get started on my day.

When I first started, the punching and upper body moves made my condition worse. The first few days, my ribs came out of place. At that point, I wanted to quit, but I talked to my doctor about it and he encouraged me to keep trying. He really thought it would help me in the long run. 

This is the first time in my life that I have exercised for twenty-three days straight. And it has made such a difference in how I feel. I’m so thankful that I didn’t give up. Pushing through pain, the early morning workouts, and my determination to be well are paying off. 

Just because other programs haven’t worked for you in the past doesn’t mean that your soulmate workout isn’t out there. You just haven’t found it yet. I can help you. Send me a message at candidasullivan@yahoo.com and we will talk. 

Love and blessings, 

Candida

Trust The Process

It can be disheartening when we are working so hard and not getting the results that we desire. When we can’t see real progress, we automatically assume that the process isn’t working. Usually, that’s when most people quit. What we need to do, however, is stand firmly and trust the process.

Sometimes we need to modify our efforts and be honest with ourselves on the amount of effort that we are giving. When I take a look at myself, I can usually find the problem. For example, I started a new workout program a few weeks ago. Three weeks in, I gained a few pounds. I could have quit then, and assumed that the program did not work. What I decided to do, however, was take a look at my nutrition. When reading about the program in the insert booklet, I discovered that this sometimes happens with intense programs. So I am going to trust the process and finish the program. Not to mention, I love it.

Anytime we do anything that is beyond our comfort zone, we will want to quit—often throughout the journey. We will ask ourselves continuously if it’s worth it, and wonder many times why we are even doing it. We are resistant to change. Instead of embracing it, we often fight it. 

The Bible tells us not to be weary in well doing. We will reap the rewards if we don’t faint. Whatever you are going through, trust God to see you through the process. The devil is a constant thorn in our side. He is always trying to sabotage us. In order to defeat him, we just need to seek the Lord and do what is right. If we continue to put in effort, in any area of our life, then we will eventually get the results that we want. 

If we quit, however, we will never get to where we want to be. When the devil is aggravating me, instead of cowering in the corner and taking it, I fight back. He may defeat me, but it will not be because I gave up. 

Love and blessings, 

Candida

Finding Your Motivation

People ask me all the time to motivate them to workout. They want to exercise, but they just don’t feel like doing it. Trust me, I understand.

For years, I dabbled in it myself. I worked out occasionally to make myself feel better about it. It was something that I knew I should be doing, but I never really made it a priority. If I had time and felt like it, I would workout a little. Otherwise, I would only talk about it. 

When I woke up one day, barely able to walk, with numbness and tingling down my legs, and in so much pain that it made me cry, my health took on a whole new meaning. Suddenly, being able to walk again without pain was very important to me. 

It didn’t just happen for me. I had to fight for it. It was one of the toughest battles that I have ever faced. Reclaiming my health through changes to my diet, my mindset, and fitness was hard. Many times throughout the process I broke down in tears and wanted to quit. Living without constant pain, however, was my motivation. 

The reason why we do certain things is so important. The force driving us to change has to be stronger than the one trying to stop us. If we have a strong enough why, we can accomplish any goal and overcome any hardship. 

Every time that I want to snooze instead of doing my workout, I think about what it felt like to lie in the bed for months. Every time that I think about eating too much sugar, I am reminded of how it feels to be filled with inflammation. When I want to forgo my gluten free diet and have a doughnut, I think about how it feels to be covered in a rash, with my throat swollen, constant brain fog, headache, and overwhelming pain. 

My health is very important to me, and it is the reason why I am so determined and disciplined. I have lived the life of not exercising and eating whatever I wanted. When I look back on it, I am reminded of tremendous pain. I never want to go back to that place again. So every day I make the decision to heal my body, instead of hurting it. That is my motivation. 

Once you establish a strong enough why, nothing will be able to stop you. If you’d like for me to help you, send me a message: candidasullivan@yahoo.com. 

Love and blessings, 

Candida

God Loves YOU

So often we live in the shadows, and try to blend in with the crowd. We mimic others and are afraid to be the person that God created us to be. When we try to become like someone else, however, we deny the world the pleasure of getting to know us. 

God made each of us for His glory. We all have a purpose. Our Lord loves each of us the same and He loves us unconditionally. If He knows all of our faults and failures, and still loves us, then we should learn to love ourselves as well. 

It is often our flaws and vulnerability that attracts others to us. No one can relate to someone who appears and tries to be perfect. We should all learn to embrace our imperfections and become authentic. 

For so many years, I hid my scars as well as my challenges. I was so afraid to be me. When I finally embraced my scars and started living my life, everything changed. When we accept our imperfections, they no longer have the power to hurt us. 

Isaiah 64:8 KJV

But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.

When we get down and think that no one loves us, we just need to remember how much that God loves us. He works on us continually. 

Love and blessings, 

Candida

Facing Our Fears

How often do we allow fear to dictate our life? It is the number one stealer of our dreams. Usually, we would rather stay in our safe haven, then to step outside of our comfort zones. However, beyond our comfort zone is where we find our dreams. 

Every moment of every day we are making choices—whether we realize it or not. So often we chose to not make a decision about something because we don’t want to be wrong or to fail. Our choice to not do something is still a decision though. We are either making progress in our life, or we are failing. Being neutral is not an option.

We have to decide if we are going to live courageously or if we are going to live in fear. The comfort zone that we love so much is really harming us. Every day we should do one thing that scares us a little. That is the only way for us to grow.

Without fear we can’t exhibit faith. When we stop being comfortable, we really start living. A few years ago, I lived every day in fear. I was nearly paralyzed by it. I was afraid to travel, afraid to shop, afraid of crowds, afraid to try anything new, etc. My mind was always in the worst case scenario mode and I lived in misery. Every day I expected something bad to happen. I created a prison for myself and I lived with constant limitations. 

Now, I continuously do things that scare me. I try new foods, new workouts, and go beyond what is comfortable for me all the time. I’m more creative and adventurous. Instead of allowing the fear to stop me, I use it propel me forward. And I’ve never been happier. Every day I feel as if something great is about to happen. 

Love and blessings, 

Candida

Lessons On Giving

Recently, fires blazed through one of our neighboring towns. The fires destroyed homes, businesses, and took the lives of some. While it was not close enough to impact us, the devastation still affected us and broke our hearts. 

My children watched it on the news with me and we talked about it. Their school district decided to reach out to the community and take up money for the affected children. What a wonderful lesson! In a world where there is violence and tragedy, it is so wonderful that there are still communities where people help people—and that they teach that kindness to our children. 

Growing up, I watched my parents give selflessly to others. If someone knocked on our door in the middle of the night and needed help, my parents helped them. Every time that various situations happened I was moved by their love and compassion for others. It made a difference in my life. From a very young age, they instilled the value of helping someone else inside of me. Now when it’s my turn to show that same kindness to others, it feels natural to me. 

It feels so amazing when God blesses us to have enough to give to someone else. That is what we should strive for. And what we should teach our children. Our lives should never be just about us. Every day we should wake up and ask God how we can serve someone else. 

Love and blessings, 

Candida 

How To Develop The Mindset Of An Overcomer

This morning I had an awe moment. As I was holding the plank in my workout, I was thinking about how I could help others. Before I realized it, the time was over. For anyone that’s ever held a plank for any length of time, then you understand how challenging it can be. It was my last move in my hour long workout, and I was exhausted. Usually, my whole body trembles and I have to breathe through the last one and really concentrate. 

The only thing that changed for me was my mindset. Since my mind was occupied, I didn’t think about quitting or my pain. And that simple thing made such a difference for me. It also reminded me how powerful our mind can be. 

For months now, I have been trying to figure out how I can help other people in my challenge groups and in their every day life. When that moment occurred to me this morning, it became abundantly clear what God has been trying to show me. In order to reach our full potential in this life and tap into our inner wisdom, we have to listen to what we are telling ourselves. 

Every negative declaration that we make silently and aloud, affects us in some way. If we tell ourselves that we can’t do something, then we accept our declaration as the truth. We don’t challenge it, therefore we can’t change it. 

 God has blessed me with the beautiful gift, through trials and tribulations, to know how to change my mindset and develop the mindset of an overcomer. And that is what I want to share with you. 

The difference between where we are in life and where we want to be depends greatly on what we believe. When we believe wholeheartedly that we can do something, then we will find a way to make it happen. Will it be easy? Probably not. But if it’s on our heart, then it will be worth it. 

For the whole month of December, I am going to focus on how I can help you. By sharing my stories and journey, I want to show you how I have learned to overcome my challenges and how you can, too. 

If you’d like to go on this journey with me, please send me a message candidasullivan@yahoo.com) or leave me a comment by December 12, 2016. If you’d like to get started right away, then I encourage you to buy my book, Despite Your Circumstances. It is filled with stories of overcoming and it even has a section at the end to help you discover the things you’d like to change in your life and then how to go about it. 

Love and blessings, 

Candida