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There are things that happen, then there are the things you make happen

2015 was one of those years. Nothing was going the way I'd imagined. I turned 30 with very little fanfare on a Tuesday, at home, 7 months pregnant eating cupcakes I made myself. Sophia went a full week past her due date. When she did finally come, it was the one night we didn't have anyone to watch the kids. The labor was so fast, Darren wasn't able to get there in time. After she was born, I had the usual postpartum emotional issues combined with the additional baggage of knowing she is, in all likelihood, going to be my last baby. The bright spot on the horizon, spring 2015 was to be the time we finally tied up our to-do list and started looking for our dream home. Then Darren received his lay-off notice.

Fortunately he was in maintenance and continued working longer than the guys on the operation side. Eventually, though, his turn came. He applied, and was interviewed, for a job he was really excited about and was turned down. It was a pretty big blow for him, but, shortly after, he was called back to work. Whew! Then he was laid off again.

The whole year has been like that. Every time we felt a little glimmer of hope, something came along to dash it. The first half of the year I wasted feeling helpless and discouraged. It would have been really easy to continue that pattern and go into 2016 with a fatalistic attitude. Instead I feel hopeful, optimistic and eager. Do I think the new year is somehow going to be easier, more charmed than the one before? No, absolutely not. In fact, it's probably going to be more of the same, maybe even a little tougher. So, why am I so eager to begin the slog 2016 is likely to be? Because I learned something this year, something I am going to use to make the new year the best it can possibly be. Things happen. They just do. You can sit there feeling sorry for yourself and whine about it, or you can count your blessings — and make something better happen. This year, I learned how to be a participant, rather than a spectator, in my own life; and that is exciting.

In June, I was approached about joining a group of people working through the 21 Day Fix Extreme. I'd been making a half-hearted attempt to get in shape for a while, and was getting nowhere. In fact, I was losing ground! I really wanted to give 21DFX a try, shake things up, but it was intimidating. There was also the cost factor. Darren's work situation, and, therefore, our finances were really unstable, but he convinced me it was something I needed to do for myself. So, I signed up.

It sounds silly, but joining that group, has changed my entire outlook. My life felt like it was beyond my control, but becoming fit and healthy gave me something I could control. I don't get to decide when, if ever, Darren will be called back to work, but I do get to decide to do my workout, make myself stronger, every day. I have no say so in whether or not Darren will get the job he just interviewed for, but I do get a say in what kind of food I'm going to put in my mouth every day. These may seem like such small things, but small victories have a way of adding up. Asserting control over certain aspects of my life has made it easier to deal with the things I can't control. It has also been rebuilding my confidence a little at a time. Instead of sitting around waiting for things to happen to me, I am ready to start making things happen.
This is what I'm working for. To build a meaningful life for those I love most.
Merry Christmas and Happy New year from the Dahl house.

Getting involved in the business end of Beachbody is something I never saw coming. Actually, I was pretty certain I was going to become a Jamberry Nail Wrap consultant. It seemed like a fun way to bring in a little extra money and ease some of the pressure. I had a Jamberry party with that end in mind. That same week, my coach approached me with the idea of becoming a coach myself. Talk about a week of angst and indecision! I knew I would love selling Jamberry, and it was definitely more in my comfort zone, but I kept coming back to Beachbody and the difference it had made in my life. Jamberry would have been fun, and so much easier, but Beachbody seemed so much more substantial with lasting reward. Being able to share that reward with others was the final push I needed to just go for it!

Beachbody doesn't guarantee any level of income, and to be honest, I haven't exactly established one. But I'm working on it! Darren had a job interview on Wednesday. What comes of it is beyond my control. If he does get the job, it will bring a new set of worries and uncertainties. Where are we going to live? Where will the kids go to school? Will we be able to sell our house in this economically depressed area? I don't know the answers to any of these questions right now. I do know the steps I'm going to take to grow my business and to improve the lives of my friends and family along the way. It's about so much more than losing weight. It's about starting, or ending, each day with a victory. It's about making things happen in your life, rather than just letting things happen to you. It's about building a life on your terms, building up those around you and empowering them to do the same.

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I am an Independant Beachbody Coach. If you would like to join my team visit www.dahlhousegym.com to find the challenge pack that is right for you.

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