Sharpening the Saw

There is an old Irish legend, a story of two lumberjacks.  Both men were skilled woodsmen although the first was much bigger, welding a powerful axe.  He was so strong that he didn’t have to be as accurate for he still produced due to his sheer size.  He was known far and wide for his ability to produce great quantities of raw material. Many hired him just because he was bigger.  After all, his customers reasoned, everyone knows that bigger is always better!! 

In spite of his size, the second woodsman’s fame was spreading for his skill was in his accuracy.  There was very little waste in his efforts so his customers ended up with a better product for their money. Soon the word spread that his work was even better than his larger competition! 

Upon hearing this, the larger man became concerned.  He wondered, “How could this be? I am so much bigger that I MUST be better!” He proposed that the two compete with a full day of chopping trees to see who was more productive.  The winner would be declared “The Greatest Lumberjack in all the land.” The smaller man agreed and the date for the bout was set.

The townspeople began talking.  They placed their bets.  The larger woodsman was the favorite to win with a 20 to 1 advantage.  After all, bigger is better!  The evening before the bout, both men sharpened their blades.  The smaller woodsman strategized to win the bout.  He knew he would never win because of his size. He needed a competitive advantage. Each man went to bed confident that he would be declared the winner. 

Morning broke with the entire town showing up to cheer on the lumberjacks.  The competition started with a the judge’s shout, “GO!” The first woodman, strong and broad, leaped into action.  He sawed vigorously and continuously without stopping knowing that every tree he felled brought him closer to his coveted title. 

The second woodsman, wasting no time and jumped into action as well, attacking his trees with every intention of winning the distinguished title.  But unlike his larger competitor, this man stopped every hour to sharpen his blade. 

This worried the townspeople greatly.  They murmured among themselves.  Surely, he could never win if he didn’t work longer and harder than his competitor.  His friends pleaded with him to increase his speed, to work harder but to no avail.  This pattern continued until the end of the day when both men heard the judge yell “TIME!”, signaling the end of the match. 

The larger man stood, winded and exhausted but proudly by his pile of trees knowing he had given his best.  Surely, he was the winner! The smaller woodsman also stood by his pile of trees though, unlike his competitor, the smaller man was still fresh, ready to continue if necessary.  He also stood confident of his efforts having toiled mightily for the prize.

When all the trees were counted, it was announced that the second woodsman had indeed felled more trees and had won the title of “The Greatest Lumberjack in all the Land!”  He happily shook the judge’s hand gripping the new blade that signified the win. The larger man, and most of the townspeople, stood in stunned silence at the announcement for he was, after all, stronger with the larger axe!

But the smaller woodsman, well, he was not surprised.  For he knew all along that in order to win especially against a larger competitor, his instrument had to be continually sharpened.  His axe was smaller and therefore each swing must be more accurate in order to produce the better product. By stopping the sharpen his instrument, he had proven, once and for all, that he was the better man for the job.

Sharpening the Saw

In his book, "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People," Stephen Covey talks about sharpening the saw. He says: 

"It means exercising all four dimensions of our nature, regularly and consistently in a wise and balanced way. To do this we have to be proactive." 

The "dimensions of our nature" that he is referring to are the following: Spiritual, Mental, Emotional, and Physical. Keeping balance between these four areas in our life brings greater peace, happiness, and purpose. You define what it is in your life that you are committed to. 

I'll admit, my situation is and has been very similar to where it was when I started THR over a year ago!  I've been up and down in dress sizes, and have not focused on my health the way that I should have. I have found myself going over old posts to motivate myself again and put ME back into the spotlight. Yet, most of the time I feel like I am spinning my wheels. 

Now, I as stare at the mountain of laundry ahead of me (a side effect from moving,) I realize that I am getting back to where I can focus on myself and my family.  Although it was really nice to be living with my parents and spending quality time with them, I have to admit, I am ready to be just us again. My life is still crazy busy! "High School Musical" doesn't open for another month, I am recruiting for a children's music education program that I am teaching from my home called Let's Play Music, and I still teach voice lessons.  Top this off with the HUGE garden that I have planted and I don't really have down time. Alas, I find myself sitting at my computer trying to organize my life into something bearable. My life FEELS overwhelming, and I am letting it affect me! Therefore, today, I have decided to "sharpen my saw." It's time to sit down, prioritize, and make room for the important things in my life. I find that if I am put together, the rest sort of puts itself together. Anyone else notice that? 

Give it a shot! Take some time to re-set goals.  I mean REALLY set them, like, write those suckers down! Start with ONE goal for each dimension in your life: Spiritually, Mentally, Emotionally, and Physically. Come up with a game plan for each goal, and focus on those things for a week. I'll add my weekly goals at the end of my posts for awhile to help me stay on track.  Let me know how it went for you! 

My Goals

Spiritually: Take time to have REAL, heart-felt, prayer. Too often, I end up spouting off the "go-to list." That needs to change. I need time to have a one-on-one with God.

Mentally: Put some time into studying and preparing for rehearsals, voice lessons, and Let's Play Music recruiting. The "work" aspect of my life seems to be "treading water." I attend to it when they call, but then I'm only half as good as I could be because of lack of preparation. 

Emotionally: FAMILY TIME!  My life is so busy that I need to PLAN family time. I want to have at least ONE night a week where we GO OUT and DO something as a family.  Golf, Mini-Golf, Hiking, Bikes, Lagoon, whatever.  We need it.  I have about 10 other goals for this category, but those will come when I get a handle on this one.

Physically: Here it is! Time to pay attention to my body again! My goal is to pay attention to my hunger scale. I KNOW that I am eating past the time when I am no longer hungry. There seems to be this small line where you aren't hungry anymore, but you aren't full.  THIS is when I need to stop eating.  I just have to slow down and NOTICE it!

Ways to Sharpen the Saw

Physically
Organize a space dedicated to yourself
Play
Meditate
Go to the Spa
Read

Mentally
Stretch
Have quality conversation
Complete a "bucket list" item
Listen to music
Learn something new

Spiritually
Read Scriptures
Enjoy Nature
Write in a journal
Pray
Smile

Emotionally
Laugh
Hold Hands with Someone
Apologize
Forgive
Date night!

If you'd like, go ahead and share your goals with me! Having someone to account to really does help!  I'm not even sure that people read this, but it certainly helps me! Don't forget to check out our Facebook Page! 

A Letter To My Children- How a LIVING a HEALTHY Life Will Make You a Better Person

Baby Corbyn

My 1 year old nephew, Corbyn, passed away two weeks ago.  We traveled up to Utah for the funeral and to be with family.  I was inspired by how many lives this little boy had touched.  It was so inspiring to hear people talk about this sweet spirit.  As events like this usually do, this all made me reflect on my own life, and the life of my boys.  Do they know how much I love them?  What am I doing to SHOW them this love? One of the many things that came to me was that I am doing my best to live a healthier life so that I can be with my kids on this earth for LONGER than I would have been had I continued on the road that I was on.

Corby and his mommy, Krystle

Both of Corbyn's parents are quite active.  Facebook shows loads of photos of half marathons, triathlons, and various activities that they shared together.  Just last Saturday, three days before the funeral of their son, both of his parents ran in a half marathon (something they had signed up for months earlier,) in Corbyn's name.  Being active is a part of their life, a part of their family. It is inspiring.

This year, after all the events that October brought, I pondered my thoughts and feelings for my boys (their birthdays are 3 weeks apart.) I found myself wanting to talk a lot more to them about HEALTH and LIFE. Although their letters aren't quite finished, and I DID say "my two bits,"  I thought that this would be a good place to share those thoughts.  So, on a perhaps more...tender... note, I am taking the time to share what "we" have learned over the past 5 months... well about healthy living, that is.  And, surprisingly, these same thoughts can be applied to most anything in life.

Every year since they were born, I write a letter to my sons.  It started out as a way to purge my fears of parenting, desires and dreams for them, and an open "pre-apology" for the many, MANY mistakes that I will make as a parent. Every year since, I have taken the time to write down little stories about that year, insert pictures, tell them my favorite things about them, and again, apologize for the mistakes.  I take the time to tell them that even though they have told me that I am "the WORST mom- EVER." I take that as proof that I MUST be doing SOMETHING right. So, here we go.  What I want my kids to know.

Minion 1 and Minion 2.  I know he looks drunk.  Just go with it.

TO MY CHILDREN:

1. Enough is Enough!!  I mean it!!  Don't use outside forces to tell you when you are finished with your food.  You're body will tell you when you are hungry and when you are full.  Although I don't care if you finish everything on your plate, please try to save it for another time (and actually eat it.)  I would LOVE it if you became the king of leftovers! Just... know when to stop, or not even start at all because you aren't hungry. Listen to your body.  If it won't help you, it will hurt you.

The same applies to real life.  Know when to stop.... or to not even start.  You have a little voice inside of you that tells you when you should and shouldn't do something.  LISTEN TO IT!  Listen when it tells you to walk away from friends, or when you feel like someone has been teased just a little too much.  It's O.K. to argue a point.  In fact, I prefer that you stand for what you believe in.  But listen to that voice when it tells you that your point was made or that it's not the right time to argue.  People would be a lot happier if they stopped talking instead of kept arguing. Again, if it won't help you, it will hurt you.

2. Failure is Not An Option Because It Doesn't Exist. I don't want you to go through life worrying about your weight or your body build or whatever diet you need to "be on."  If you diet, you will fail.  Therefore, my advice to you is to NOT diet!  Eat what you want to eat.  Eat food that brings you to life! Stop eating when you are full.  There is no failure at this!  You will have ups, you will have downs, and it's ok.  It's life. But as long as you are doing what is good for you, you CANNOT fail!

I would be lying if I said that I didn't have dreams for you.  You are my children.  I believe that you are the most amazing thing that ever walked this earth!  But, if I told you what I thought was the best thing for your life, I would not be any different than those that tell us what "diet" is best for us!  (We all know how well the world does with that!)  Now, having said that, it is my JOB, my CALLING, to teach you what I KNOW to be true and good.  And, if I had my way, I would FORCE you to do EXACTLY what I tell you to do because, well, like I said, I KNOW it to be good and true.  BUT, I know that life doesn't work that way.  You will eat lots of sugar, and you will get sick.  You will make bad decisions and you will suffer the consequences from those decisions.  All that I ask is that you take the time to LEARN from your decisions: the good and the bad.  Then, and only then, will failure not exist.

3. Learn between WANTS and NEEDS. Look, I like a good dessert just as much as the next "eating chocolate in the closet" mother, but I also understand that it is a WANT..... ok, sometimes it's a NEED.  You will understand that when you are older.  When it comes to health, our bodies NEED certain things to help us sustain our lives. A man named Maslow came up with a whole entire hierarchy of these needs.  We need air, water, food, shelter, something to believe in. But what he fails to mention is that we also NEED a certain TYPE of these things.  The air we breathe needs to be clean. The shelter needs to protect us. And, the food needs to give our bodies nutrients.  So, as long as you are fulfilling those needs, I don't care if you throw in a few wants.  In fact, I encourage it.  Nothing is better than enjoying your favorite treat after a long day! EXPERIENCE that, don't just CONSUME it!

Fulfilling your needs before your wants is a great way to live your life.  If you live life based upon your wants, you will not be happy.  I know that sounds funny, but our desires often leave us feeling empty.  Please, don't try to fulfill your life with THINGS.  Family, friends, hobbies, things that make you smile.  THAT is what life is about.  Fill it with GOOD, with SUNSHINE, with CHARITY.  You will find that at the base of all of your "wants" what you really want are these things.  You don't want the big house, you want a house big enough to hold your family.  You don't want a ton of money, you want enough money for your needs and then a little to create experiences. You really don't want the fast sports car (that will probably bring heart ache through speeding tickets and possibly a spinning death- just sayin) but you want a vehicle that will take you where you will experience life! You will be happy when your needs are fulfilled in the best way possible.

4. The Purpose of Temptations. I wish that I could say that it is going to be an easy ride.  But the fact is that eating healthy really doesn't include doughnuts.  But LIVING healthy DOES!  That doesn't mean that you should give in to the temptation to eat two, three, or more of those yummy, fried, sugar filled dreams.  You WILL be tempted to "bite off more than you can chew."  That is NEVER a good thing.

Throughout your life, you will be tempted to make wrong decisions.  As much as I want to control every single move that you make, I know that I need to trust that I have taught you well. As you grow, you will learn right from wrong.  It's easy to say "YES."  It's hard to say "no."  It's even HARDER to say no when you know that it's something that you should ALWAYS say no to. Things like, drugs, smoking, pre-marital sex (yes, I DO believe that you should wait until you are married,) and other things of this sort will be hard to say NO to.  It's funny, for me, food temptations are very often just as strong as the temptation to do things that I know I shouldn't be doing. I cannot stress to you the importance of controlling your physical appetites and desires.  You will be a better person and a healthier person for doing so.

5. The Real Deal.  REAL is SO much better than "fake" for SO MANY things!  From food, to faces, to diamonds, fake is NOT good.  We need to be so careful about what we put in our bodies.  Processed foods have so many bad things in them that can do harm to our bodies.  We try to keep our diet focused on whole foods.  I can't explain to you how much better you will feel if keep your body fueled with REAL food. You can always tell if it's real by how it feels!

When it comes to other things in life, this concept is no different.  Real is better in so many ways.  I want to take the time to tell you about REAL love.  I mean, love that you would literally DIE for.  This love comes in different forms. You will first feel love from your parents.  We love you so much it literally hurts sometimes. You might not think it, but EVERYTHING that we do is so that YOU can have a better life. Right now, you feel warm, cuddly feelings when we hug and kiss you, read you a story, or tuck you in at night. This is just the first step of love. It's real.

The next time you will feel real love is when you meet and know your spouse.  This love will be intense.  It will literally draw you closer to this person until it hurts to be without them. Your heart will feel like it has wings and you will ache for their touch.  You will smile constantly and, even though you will have only known them for a short time, you will walk the world over to get a single blade of grass that they wanted.

After this, you will experience the love of BEING a parent. This love is different. No one told me that when I held you in my arms for the first time that I would feel a love so intense that I wouldn't understand it.  Until that point, I had only only felt wonderful, tingly, feelings.  Now, I felt a love so strong that it made me cry... a lot. I wanted  so much to guide you and direct your every thought and move from the time you were born until you left this earth just to make sure that we would be together again as an eternal family. The thought that I was going to have to let you make your own decisions only scared and frustrated me!  This love was so real that the only thing that would completely satisfy it would be to make it un-breakable, to seal it forever. Yup, I KNEW that I NEEDED you forever.  YOU are a part of me.

Now,  I know that I sound like an overbearing, crazy, psycho mom.  But, I said that I only FELT this way. Just be glad that I haven't ACTUALLY acted upon those feelings!  I know that I can't protect you from everything.  Ultimately, you are not just my child, but a Child of God. When your time comes to go home, I want HIM to be proud of the way that I took care of you.  I KNOW that He is proud of Corbyn's parents. He is proud of the way they love him and cared for him. They were such great examples of living life to it's fullest!  That is what I want for myself as a parent, and for you as my child. I saw REAL love this past week as we celebrated baby Corbyn's 411 days on this earth.  I saw the importance of family, love, and strength.

Ok, now I know that I went off on that a little bit.  I promise you that you will know REAL when it happens, and believe me when I say that it's the REAL things in life that make life worth living. 

These 5 principles will make you a healthier person, both inside and out. The same principles that we use to take care of our bodies also can take care of our lives!

I'm sure that I missed so many principles and ideas.  Anyone reading this is more than welcome to add their words of advice as well....it takes a village.... ;)

My MOTIVATION to a Healthier Lifestyle

It's time for another GIVEAWAY (Click HERE to enter) and, to get one entry, people have to answer the question:

What motivates you to live a healthier lifestyle?

I thought that it was probably only fair to answer this question myself. And, since it's my blog, I get to EXPLAIN my motivation as well.

One night, I had a dream, probably brought on by my mother telling me about a similar dream that she had, where I met my Savior. He told me that he was proud of me and how I lived my life. Then, he looked into my eyes and asked:

"But Cindy, I gave you a beautiful body. What did you do with my gift? Did you treat it with respect? Did you love it?  Why did you spend most of your life either neglecting this gift physically, or neglecting it emotionally? You truly loved your neighbor... why did you not love yourself? YOU are a daughter of God. This is a great commandment that was not fulfilled."

Now, keep in mind that this was a dream and I am not claiming to know what the Savior might say in this situation. BUT, this is what he said in the dream. Either way.... it made me think. I HAVE spent a good portion of my life feeling insecure, hating my body, hating the way that I looked and felt.  I was in the downward spiral of apathy. 

FACT: I didn't take care of my body. I didn't nourish it physically OR emotionally. 

Another night, not too long ago, I had a dream that my boys were in danger. I had to climb over a wall and run a up five flights of stairs to get to them. I couldn't do it! I was not strong enough to lift my body weight, and too weak to make it up the 5 flights of stairs! I woke up in tears because I wasn't healthy enough to save them.

FACT: In real life, there is NO WAY that I would have made it over the wall OR up the stairs. 

These are EXACTLY like the stairs in my dream.
Creepy, unstable, and scary. I'm sure that there
is some psychological reason for that.

Finally, on yet ANOTHER night, 5 months ago, I started a LONG journey.  I KNEW that it would be a long journey because I had many stops to make along the way.  I had many things to learn and to accept.  I still do.  But I made the decision to REALLY change, morph, convert into a healthier person. I knew that I wasn't looking for a program, pill, shake, or any outside factor to give me answers.  The answers, and the change, had to come from within. True change is a long, slow, but lasting process. Something clicked inside and, that night, I started The Healthy Redhead.  I defined my goals, I built support, I hoped to become support for others. I started on the journey. And, I'm still here. Still working. Still on the journey, but not still the same person that started. 

FACT: My life changed.... For Good. 

I might not have reached my goal weight in the first 4 months.... I think that's good!!  That tells me that I am taking my time, carefully making decisions that affect my body and outcome. I think that if you read through the blog, you will see that my opinions have changed, my goals changed, I feel like I am on a higher level than I started, and I continue to grow! I started out with the motivation to "lose weight,"  a term that makes me shudder now. 

FACT...MAYBE OPINION: 

We would struggle to find a person in this world that isn't trying to better themselves. 

My way might not work for you, but I share it with you so that you can decide.  I share it with you because I NEED to.  I need to be accountable for my dealings with myself, and I need to make my experiences available to others on the off chance that it might help someone else. Do I think that EVERYONE needs to share their most uncomfortable thoughts, experiences and pictures all over the internet for people to see???  OF COURSE NOT!  I'm sort of wondering about my own sanity for doing that.  But, I DO think that EVERYONE needs to look at themselves in the mirror and define WHAT their MOTIVATION is!  

FACT: I live a healthy lifestyle so that I can have a healthier heart and enjoy the sunshine!

I live to enjoy my boys to the fullest extent possible; so that nothing can come between me and playing with them, or even saving their life one day ( I will conquer the stairs!) I will be strong enough to lift them, out run them (only sometimes,) play with them, and teach them. I live a healthy lifestyle so that my family knows that THEIR health is important to me. It's important to me that THEY eat healthy foods, be involved in healthy activities, and have healthy attitudes. They are my heart and my sunshine! 


       FACT: I will be able to look HIM in they eye and smile with confidence in the life I led. 

I live a healthy life so that I can look my Savior in the eye and tell him that I DID take care of this beautiful body that he gave me. I fueled it with good food, thoughts, and activities. 

Now you know WHY I ask YOU..... 

What is YOUR motivation to live a healthier lifestyle? 

Decide NOW. Make it strong. Make it lasting. Write it down so that you will NEVER forget WHY you are doing this!  WHAT makes it worth the ups, downs, tears, sweat, and struggle.