The Next Step

20 lbs. lighter and 4x faster on my feet.  Back to basics works!  

The next step of envisioning my goal is to remove all negativity out of my head.  People tend to be negative towards change, especially those who fear it.  Change can be absolutely painful, I understand this.  One minute everything's cool and then the next minute the rug is swept out from under you and there was nothing you could do in the first place to prevent it from even happening... Or maybe you could have.  But hindsight is a bitch like that.

One's past has the capacity to be one's ally.  Forget yesterday.  You did what you could with what you had, and it probably wasn't much.  Overcoming our own personal obstacles and fears ensures we are in control of our own lives.  I sincerely wish I had this mentality back then (even if it was only last year) so I could regain my confidence and take back what's mine.  I've made mistakes that I'm certainly not proud of... But regrets?  I have none.  I'm not perfect, but at least I'm reliable.  At least, people can count on me to get it done.  Now it's time to do something for me.  Now it's time change direction and fulfill my goals and take hold of what is mine.

I'm eternally grateful for the friends in my life and the family that supports me unconditionally (did I mention my mom is awesome?!?!?!?).  With people like them, I know I can do what I was born to do...

I sincerely hope you all have people like them in your lives.  They are the reason anyone gets out of bed and solves the world's problems...

Back to Basics

Studying the fundamentals of why you took up your passion in the first place is quite possibly the best way to revamp your appreciation of said passion.  Once I decided to take my workouts to the next level, I realized that this concept needs to bleed into other areas that I know need improvement. Even though it's only thursday and it's the first week of re-training myself, so far it's been crazy helpful.  Underscore "crazy."  It's not exactly up to par yet, but so far so good...

Dig this: I wake up at 5am to get my girls' and my lunch ready, then I go practice.  Today was feet and coordination.  This time around, I decided to use fundamental snare drum books, i.e., Stone Killer, Syncopation, etc. and apply them to the double bass drum.  I always taught that what you do with your hands should also be applied to your feet.  I think it's high time I practice what I preach.  

6am: Workout like a muthaf@cker at the karate school/Max mecca.  I don't care how insane the workouts are; they're AWESOME.  My day is not complete without them.... and sticks.  Can't forget sticks. 

7am: the rest of my day commences with the usual shower, get myself and kids ready, feed everyone, make H's coffee, prepare the slowcooker and hit the shop for work time.  Hopefully, at the end of said day I can hit karate class.  I already have my black belt.  Now, I get to learn the COOL stuff...

The support has been overwhelming especially from my co-workers in the office (one of them is an amature fitness model, the other is my awesome cousin) and my children.  Just gotta keep the momentum going...

New Beginnings

Sup. It's been a while. But I must admit, even though this passed year has been eventful, it has put many things in my life into perspective. So this post may seem somber and candid, but hopefully insightful (at least to someone). I gave birth to my 3rd child (hold your applause; but she is actally quite breathtaking :) Before having her, though, I had lost all my baby weight from my 2nd child, Lily, through an amazing program called the Max. It was started by my karate instructor, Bryan Klein, in September 2011 and it has since help hundreds of people. Holy cow, that litte progam exploded into a 15 center franchise and it's still growing. I truly admire him for accomplishing such a feat! It made me take a look into my own life and see exactly how I, too, can take it to the Max. When I tested for my black belt this past April (again hold your applause), my class (which was all kids by the way) were taught different pattern forms that represented the essence of what makes individuals successfull. They were: Conceive, Believe, Acheive, Inspire, & Legacy. The concepts were simiple enough. However, once put to practice, the mere notion of attaining a goal you felt was out of your reach becomes increasingly difficult to grasp. In other words, taking the first step is terrifying. During my black belt challenge, I was obligated to write an essay describing what earnging my belt meant to me. It was by far one of the most candid pieces I had ever written. I talked about all of the obstacles that interfered with acquiring my goal. Single motherhood, soupkitchens, WIC, deep rooted family issues (which are still palpable, b the way), etc., had robbed me of my ability to dream and create opportunities for myself and my music. Once I had acheived my goal of earning the belt that had eluded me for so long, I realized anything is possible... Anything... My goals for this year and next spring(cuz for my sake, I'm putting the out there without fear): - Fight in an amature kickboxing match (cuz I win that match, I know I can do anything) - Begin auditioning for my dream job - Acquire my dream gig - Gain enough income teaching where I won't have to work anymore - Take my daughters overseas for vacation - Make myself and my husband proud Take it or leave it. This is happening. Time flies. Grab it by the balls if what you want keeps escaping you and show it who's f*cking boss. Everyone deserves theirs. It's time to get mine.