What I Did...

I did something recently that stopped me in my tracks.

I evaluated my key priorities including those priorities that are quite easy for me to fulfill without accountability and then the the key priority that is currently right in front of me that needs focused on whereby I DO NEED ACCOUNTABILITY.

This is me, authentic, vulnerable and putting it all out there. One of my biggest strengths is to encourage others emotionally and physically, even spiritually and mentally but the area that I struggle with hands-down in my health are: my emotions.

They sway me, they ebb and flow. They taunt me. They have become a tool for the enemy and my worst critic. THIS is the area, along with strengthening by surrendering my spiritual soul to Christ, that I believe I need to begin to refocus on during this season.

This impacts my pace, my mentality and how I cope. I do believe that we tell ourselves (mental) deeply impacts our emotions and thus our behavioral. My mental world feels like chaos at times. I'm driven, I'm passionate, I'm intense.

But I'm also critical of myself (my message is to be GENTLE), I'm expecting of myself (my message is to have GRACE) and my tendency is to hold on when in fact I need to LET GO.

I know I'm not crazy but the way I think sometimes drives me crazy; hence it's time for a change. My emotional health MUST change. 

I can ask myself all the therapeutic questions and motivational questions I want to but at the the end of the day I HAVE to do the work. I must be accountable to trust girl friends and to Mark to do the work. And sometimes the work means SITTING...RESTING...READING...STOPPING.

This is so counterintuitive especially in this culture of MORE, MORE, MORE. I know I'm Made for MORE than this struggle. I know He is working within me for the next season. It's just sometimes hard to accept the PRESENT season.

 

Realizations: Investing

 

Every season holds deep truths and tests that imperatively grow us. Often we look over these nuggets of life because we are too busy "doing" and hurrying around being the people we believe we are suppose to be or "should" be for others.

I am struck with the realization that who I am does matter to God, who I am does matter to my husband, my kids and my family and friends. So if this matters so much then why don't I invest in helping myself grow more?

Why can't I believe and trust that the path I am walking is exactly where I need to be if I am seeking out God's help?

Why can't I let go of perceiving how people see me? Or more importantly, what is it about others' views of me that mean so much? I feel held captive at times by my own perceptions.

What we see is NOT all there is! How we cope and experience life is not the DONE DEAL. There are 4 sides to any story: your side, another person's side, what really is happening and that what others assume is happening.

In couples counseling years ago I would discuss this concept with couples because so much of the "issue" or "issues" was/were more about how the individuals were viewing what was said or done. It really had nothing to do with what was really going on. We had to get to the heart of the process and not be so stuck in the content.

Welcome, now to this adventure of healthy mind, body and spirit. It's more about the process than it is about the content. 

People buy what they believe in and they buy what they think will help. But often we go for buying things that won't last and only give us immediate relief. There is a process that works and that has been proven to work AND can last.

If you find that you are interested in knowing more about how to mentally, physically and spiritually grow then please message me, text me, email me.

I am a real person with struggles too AND I'm overcoming and will overcome because it's not solely me doing this. I have someone greater behind me.

You can find me at on this BLOG, my Facebook "Made for More" LIKE page, at karamessmore7@beachbodycoach.com or more frequently kmessmore@hotmail.com,

Resetting and Succeeding through the Holidays

This holiday season we want it to be good. We want to focus on the important and truly enjoy this season and not just live through it.

Hello! Be blessed this day! A piece of my plan is to ask for this 3-day Refresh for Christmas so that I can continue to maintain where I am and be successful in not emotionally eating. 

Stock up at this amazing low price! This holiday season, don't let indulgent meals be the reason to throw away your health goals. 3-Day Refresh will help you feel lean and clean and stay on track with your nutrition. It's a great time to stock up with one for now and one for later at this limited-time sale price! 3-Day Refresh can help you:* • Feel cleaner, lighter, and healthier in only 3 days • Get back on track with your nutrition goals • Break bad eating habits • Visibly shed a few pounds You can either order it with shakeology or without shakeology order as a stand-alone reset. Remember we prioritize what we believe in and invest in what we believe in. When you believe in a healthy body, mind, spirit then life's viewpoint changes. DON'T get stuck in the "cold weather blahs" or the "I deserve this" mentality. It has eaten me alive every year BUT NOT THIS YEAR. Please let me know if you have any questions at all. I am here for you and my schedule opens up always towards the end of the week but regardless I want this for you too. Feel no pressure, this is simply more knowledge and tools to build a healthy and intentional lifestyle. You are MADE FOR MORE! Happy Early Thanksgiving! Kara Messmore "We inhale hope and exhale gratitude". You can find me at on my "My Mess is my Message" BLOG, my Facebook "Made for More" LIKE page or this email or more frequently at kmessmore@hotmail.com

Breathe and do not Resist

I want to share this because Andrea has been in my inbox for years now and although I don't fully believe in her worldview, I do receive a wealth of encouragement from her.

"For many years, I tried to keep my life tidy, clean and tended to judge others who had drama... or perhaps, more accurately, complexity. I can see now that thinking I was above drama (ha!) was the way I tried to manage my life, keep it simple and pared down because I wasn't sure I was capable of managing the mess of a real, full, life.

Sometimes it feels like the failures (even the tiny ones) will destroy me, so it's easier to say no than to say yes. But here's the thing: If we want to say yes to joy, we also have to say yes to uncertainty. It's like Brene Brown says, "You can't selectively numb emotion. When we numb the painful emotions, we also numb the positive ones." Saying yes to aliveness and joy might also mean saying yes to the discomfort of vulnerability, rejection, loss and all of the other things we prefer to avoid. 

Anyway, every once in a while I realize that I'm living a life I never envisioned for myself - 44 years old, divorced, several boyfriends, 2 children, my own business... you get the picture. So apparently even when you try with all your might to keep things simple and tidy it doesn't work out that way! Life is messy and full and I'm learning that that's okay.

"It's all been mapped," Kelly said. "It was mapped before you got here. You can't mess this up. There is no way for you to be off your path. Your only job is to breathe and not resist."

And I think there are two camps of people - those who are horrified by this, by the idea that their free will has been compromised - and those in Camp B (like myself) who feel utterly relieved by this news."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is my take-away; not that I'm Calvinistic because I'm somewhere in the middle. I believe that we do have free will and I believe that God has a path for us if we choose to follow Him. He has to modify that path often due to our free will and going our own ways but it's a path nonetheless. I love the "breathe and not resist" and the concept that if you numb the painful emotions you also numb the positive emotions.