To push or not to push...that is the question today!

Greetings & salutations, poppits!

I'm sitting at home, watching the Canada/Germany Olympic Men's Hockey Game. For those of you who know me well, you're asking the question..."who are you and what have you done with Yvonne?" It's true, I've never been a hockey fan. My distaste for it started when I watched, at the tender age of 8, a former brother-in-law get rammed up against the boards, ending up with a bloody mouth. That didn't go over well, with an impressionable, melodramatic child such as myself. That distaste later continued when I was ... um ... older than 8...attending an Edmonton Oilers game while living in Edmonton. I got to see "The Great One" on ice, which admittedly was cool. However, I had "great" seats and felt my stomach flip as I saw two REALLY BIG players smash up against the glass in front of me (we had very good seats, apparently). For the rest of the game, my view was blocked with the combination sweat/blood that was smeared up against the windows. My stomach flips just thinking about it...sigh...

ANYWAY, I'm feeling very Canadiana hoping that our boys in red & white take out the humiliation of losing to the U.S. on the German butts tonight. Oh sure, it's all about the game...it's not about winning or losing...sportsmanship is important...yada-yada. At the end of the day, hockey is Canadian and dammit we'd better recover and win a freakin' medal.

Here's me stepping down from my soap box....

Re: whether or not one should push oneself...back to the question. This is the dilemma I faced as I approached my self-directed workout. I knew I'd be doing stairs. The challenge was, the last time I did stairs (Friday and I did 1200, btw!) my back felt "twingy" all weekend and was thrown out completely by Sunday. I had to miss a hike with the Inca Chicks in the morning and, believe it or not, I was actually disappointed to miss it...write that one on the calendar!

Remembering the twinging back weekend, I wondered just how far I should push myself. Then I thought about some key successes....
1) I'm officially 75 lbs. lighter as of this morning.
2) I'm wearing my newest "skinny" jeans. These are the jeans I bought in Phoenix over Christmas...on sale and a size lower than what I was wearing. This size, by the way, is the lowest I've been since high school and FIVE dress sizes from when I started this journey.

With these victories in mind, I said ... "Oh yeah, baby, I'm pushin' myself today!"

And I did...

And I feel FREAKIN' AWESOME!!! Well, actually, I'm REALLY sore, but I feel GREAT about how I pushed myself!

Today's workout consisted of the following...
- 5 reps of 100 for a total of 500 stairs where I did double steps (ya know, 2 at a time)
- 5 reps of 100 for a total of 500 stairs where I RAN UP the stairs

Here's what I learned:
- I can do anything I make up my mind to do
- when I challenge myself, I rise to the occasion
- I can actually see my heartbeat in my neck when it's pounding like crazy (OK, that was a little scary for me!)

What an amazing feeling, that's all I can say.

I was thinking about this blog and what to say, on the many occasions while I recovered my breath. Thinking about the blog helped me from passing out on the spot. I got to thinking about so many people in my life who rise to challenges daily, providing such inspiration to me...

- friends like Brian, Emmanuel & Panagiota who are struggling to pursue their passion & stay positive, despite the financial challenges building a business can bring

- my coaching clients who consistently amaze me with their creativity, inspiration and true grit

- my coaching peeps who offer such tremendous insight and honesty, making me want to up my game in the coaching arena... all the time!

- my awesome family & friends who consistently and constantly show me unconditional love and support

Wow! With all this support, 1,000 stairs seem easy-breazy, don't they?!?

What's challenging you, poppits?!?
(a) yt xox

SHAMELESS PLUG, TIME!!! I am offering a workshop...see below and contact me if you're interested!!


DEFINING YOUR UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION
(In a smorgasbord of talent, what is your MEAT?)

WHAT IS YOUR "Unique Selling Proposition"?
- it sets you apart from everyone else
- it defines who you are as a person
- it proves your value to an organization in conjunction with your work accomplishments

WHAT IS THE WORKSHOP?
- a strength-based approach that combines self-reflection exercises with group discussion

WHO WILL BENEFIT?
- anyone experiencing a career change
- anyone anticipating a career change
- anyone looking for a new job

WHAT WILL YOU WALK AWAY WITH?
- a unique perspective on yourself
- at the very least, a rough draft of your own Unique Selling Proposition

WHAT TO BRING?
- something to write with
- something to write on
- a copy of your latest resume and cover letter
- an open mind

WHAT HAVE PAST PARTICIPANTS SAID?
- "thought-provoking"
- "inspirational"
- "extremely worthwhile"

WHEN?
- Saturday, March 27th; 9:00 am to noon

WHERE?
- 401 Bay Centre, 16th floor, Toronto
(corner of Queen & Bay - accessible via TTC through Queen Subway stop; parking underground)

COST?
- $100 in advanced
- $150 at the door (cash only)
(register early as space is limited)

HOW TO REGISTER?
- email Yvonne Toma at yvonne@ymtStrategies.com