strong confident woman open arms to sunrise at sea

Welcome to the first post of my newest blog – Passion for Thriving. The desire to start this blog, and community, has been on my heart for quite some time. Yet, I needed to make sure I have the bandwidth to give this my all.

I’ve owned my business, Power Up for Profits, for over 22 years. (I’ve operated under a couple of different names, but most people know me as the Power Up for Profits expert)

As a consultant to solopreneurs and small business owners, it’s important for me to know that if I’m going to put time into something, I need to have the wherewithal to do it right.

After careful consideration, and the desire to continue to impact my market in the most genuine way possible, Passion for Thriving has become manifest.

Passion for Thriving is born out of my desire to inspire, educate, teach and motivate “women of a certain age” to live their best life possible. Passion For Thriving is designed for those who want to live fully to have a vibrant, passionate, excitingly healthy lifestyle.

Passion for Thriving is also about transparency and honesty.

Although I am considered by many to be very successful in business, there are areas I have not been so successful.  Like many women, I’ve struggled with body issues and weight for much of my adult life.

There were times I simply resigned myself to the belief that I had the fat gene and there wasn’t much I could do about it. Today I know this is not true.

With my ups and downs on weight, times where I had very low self-esteem and times my esteem was incredibly high, I realized much of what is reflected on the outside, is a direct result of what is going on inside.

I’ve been actively interested in health and fitness since my early thirties, three decades ago. It was at that time I became obsessed with body building. I was newly clean and sober, had gained some unwanted weight and found weight training was a great way to not only lose weight when combined with aerobics, it was a great way to take control of my life.

I studied all I could about the sport. I started taking supplements and got a trainer. I actually considered competing at one point; that is until my trainer wanted me to take steroids. Thank goodness I had enough sense not to toy with this. I’ve seen the long term impact of anabolic steroids on men and women. Much of the impact is irreversible.

Fast forward to today. A lot has happened in 30 plus years since starting my health exploration.  Over the last thirty years I have had times when I was in peak shape and other times I was as much as 50 pounds overweight.

One of the unhealthiest times was during my mother’s last two years of her life. I was one of her caretakers and to mask the pain and deal with the stress I used food as a way to numb my feelings.

Even though I knew this wasn’t serving me, I turned to sugar, junk food and became a couch potato. I knew this was not the answer, but I chose to ignore this in favor of numbing my feelings.

As a result, I got to my heaviest weight ever in 2011. I found out the hard way the older I get the more difficult it is to release the excess weight and to change bad habits to good ones.

And yet, it’s not impossible. In order to achieve something that is somewhat difficult, it helps to pull off our own blinders. This is one reason I chose to create the Passion for Thriving community.

A bit of the backstory

A few days before my 61^st birthday I completed my first ever full marathon. I power walked my way around the 26.2 course. Actually, there were a few times I limped my way around the course.

Prior to the full marathon I did a few short races. By short, I’m talking 5 and 10k’s.

Crossing the finish line at the 26.2-mile marker was my gift to myself for my birthday which happened shortly after the 2015 Eugene Marathon.

It’s likely I hold the distinction of being the last to cross the finish line. Many of my friends and colleagues were very supportive by saying, “You finished.”

Although I appreciate the support and encouragement, I’m smart enough to know that finishing doesn’t mean I did the best I could have done.

There were some major disconnects in what I did.  Truth be told, I know I could have done a heck of a lot better. Here’s why…

From the start, I hired a coach to work with me. My coach recommended a three-prong approach to the process.

• Power walk training
• Healthy eating
• Resistance training

I chose to only do the power walking training. I didn’t change my eating habits, nor did I do any resistance training. Even though I had done a lot of resistance training in my thirties, I chose not to add this to my training mix.

The thing I had to get really honest about is why I hired a coach, but continued to do most things “my way.” I wanted the result, but didn’t want to put in the effort required.

I see this in business all the time. People hire a coach/mentor, but fail to implement the recommendations offered.

There’s a strong parallel in training and competing in a marathon to running a business. I became keenly aware as to why I barely finished and why many people barely reach their potential in virtually anything they attempt.

Since the first marathon, I’ve done lots of 5k and 10k races, a few five-milers, 10-milers and a couple of half marathons and another full.

I’ve also dramatically changed my eating AND I now work out with weights at least 3 days a week for resistance training. To say these changes have had a marked difference in my level of performance is an understatement.

My energy is noticeably better, my stamina dramatically improved and my state of mind much more positive.

Without a doubt, the trifecta approach has paid off. As a woman in her sixties, my goal is to defy the odds. The odds that I will be plagued by illnesses that can be minimized through proper eating and exercise and living a life filled with passion, intensity, clarity and joy.

Getting Honest

In order to be successful at anything we have to be willing to get really honest about what we are and are not doing to reach our maximum potential.

We also have to have a multi-prong approach to what we do. In addition, we have to manage our self-talk. You know the talk… it’s that part of us that tries to get us to quit or to say, “What in the world were you thinking?”

For example, when I did so poorly with my first marathon, I wondered, “What the heck was I thinking?”

But then when I got completely honest, it was interesting what revealed itself to me. The main thing was, I was trying to achieve a great outcome with not so great commitment.

Although I completed the marathon, I can honestly say I could have done much better if I would have balanced the three prong approach my coach recommended.

From the start, my primary focus was on training every day to improve my time and distance with power walking. Although I would occasionally eat the way my coach recommended, I wasn’t consistent. Nor did I add in resistance training.

I wanted to do the “fun” stuff. This is human nature and frequently happens in business.

Entrepreneurs fool themselves into believing they are doing all they can to be the best at what they do, but fail to put as much effort into areas that may not be as much fun as the creation side of things.

One area that is crucial to our success is to have the clarity, energy and focus to get things done. Running a successful business is not just about creating ideas, it’s about implementation. Participating in a marathon is about taking right action a step at a time. Thus, the reason I say, “Success happens one decision at a time.”

If we don’t have the energy for implementation we are shortchanging ourselves and our customers and clients. This is applicable to virtually any area of our lives.

One of the most immediate ways to improve our energy is to notice what we are putting into our bodies. It’s likely most people have heard, “Garbage in, garbage out.”

On the flip side, “Good stuff in, good stuff out.”

The older I get the more committed I am to be the best I can be and to help my clients be the best they can be. For this reason, just as I made a public declaration that I was going to complete a marathon, I am making a public declaration that I will provide you with information, recommendations for books and other resources to increase your energy, well-being and positive state of mind.

Recommendations I make will be based on what I am doing and the resources I find incredibly helpful.

Although I’ve shared my passion for health and fitness for “women of a certain age,” I also have a passion for animals; in particular rescue animals. Over the years, my partner and I have rescued various breeds of dogs as well as a ferret, goat, cats and horses.  A big part of my mission is to raise awareness about the needs of animals large and small.

I’m also very passionate about working with entrepreneurs who desire to build successful, consciousness raising businesses.

Something I’m also very passionate about is reading. I LOVE reading. Everything from business books, spiritual and self development books, prosperity books and those on the meaning of life.

So there you have it… the birth of a community I plan to build on my passion for thriving.

Welcome to the Passion for Thriving Community. It’s great to have you here. I encourage you to comment on the blog posts, join my various social network communities like my Facebook Group Passion for Thriving and start your own movement around those things you value most.

I would love to hear about what you are passionate about. What allows you to thrive? What makes your life full and joyful? Feel free to comment below.

To your health, happiness, success, emotional and spiritual well-being.

If you enjoyed what you read, be sure to join the Passion for Thriving Facebook Group. In there you will find lots of like-minded women “of a certain age” who are living life fully and not willing to settle for the status quo.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/plantbasedeatingforhealth

Kathleen

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