#this is 50

I guess the signs are telling me! Texan woman 🔥💃☀️ Come back to Texas!

I'll be in the Dallas area this summer for about 2 1/2 months if anyone is wanting a session or experience with me! ⭐🌻😇💌💡✨⚖️💥🥳💡

Today, I am 50. I am not sure how to feel, tbh, but I do think it feels a bit more "milestone" than any of the other birthdays. Almost like I did finally make it to be an adultier adult..

An, true to course, I feel like crap today. My stomach is bothering me and I am hoping to head off a diverticulitis flare so I can get the colonoscopy next week (yea, you young 'uns will learn about that soon enough".

My head is killing me....I think there was some kind of scent someone had on at IKEA when we went earlier that now it is really settling behind my eye.

But, I do feel good. I don't feel like life is passing me by or "where did the time go!" I know where the time went. It went to raising kids. This is my era. Writing and working and helping others write.

This is for me.

I need to remind myself that we all wander off the path. It’s ok. Just be aware and get back on it.

I wrote this awhile ago. Time to read it again...

“M.A.K.E. your goals a reality this year."

Usually by the 3rd or 4th week of January the gym crowd thins, the desire to adhere to resolutions made wanes and, for a good many of us, the wheels completely fall off. Staying accountable is vital to growth, to progress and, if nothing else, the secret to any amount of success. Whether you use vision boards, journals, tape quotes to your bathroom mirror, or post ‘before’ pictures on your Socials, staying focused is key. Personally, I struggle to remember anything past 4 or 5 ‘rules’, welcome to being 50+ I guess, so the acronym M.A.K.E. is a simple way to help hold myself accountable to my goals.

M is for Mindset. For any progress to happen, you first need to get your head right. Know why you’re doing this not just the ‘what and how’ of it. If you don't have a concrete reason, then you probably won't stick to it since it's not that important to you, and when the going gets tough, you'll likely quit. Why invest and make sacrifices for something that you don't see a lot of value in?

A is for Accountability partner. Having someone in your corner, someone to remind you to stay on track, or workout with, do food prep with, discuss disappointments and triumphs with, makes it feel like you aren’t wallowing alone. The key is finding someone reliable and truly committed, besides - guilt goes a long way. No one really succeeds by themselves. This can include mutuals online as well, especially anyone on the same journey as you.

K stands for Knowledge. Knowing more about your personal goals will help strengthen your "why". By reading blogs, books, watching documentaries, and talking to your friends and/or experts that care just as much about being healthy as you do, enables you to gather insight. You slowly learn to make a conscious effort to better your life.

And E, Evaluate. Take stock of what works for you, the improvements you’ve made, the setbacks, listen to your body, assess workouts and your diet. Record all of it. Revisit it and change accordingly. Alter anything that isn’t help you move forward. Be trenchantly honest with yourself. If bad habits are interfering with your goals, then only you can do something about it.