Cloud Nine Girl

Setbacks can make really great comebacks

http://www.fromheretome.com

It’s been an interesting couple of weeks. The flu has been a difficult pest to shake. But It’s also made me think about the importance of speed and goals.

Maybe setbacks are purposeful things. Maybe we’re supposed to have them to help us appreciate where we were when we were so close to the top of that mountain. I’m not sure.

What I do know is this week has seemed extra hard to get it together and get something done. I’ve felt all out of sorts, and in more ways than one. But I won’t think about the bad. I want to focus on what went right.

And here’s my short list I’d thought I’d share:

I managed to get up early three out of the four days this week. I pushed through some of the brain fog and I came up with a few great scenes for my next chapter, which has something to do with a lighthouse, a few scary characters and two best friends discovering deep secrets about each other they should have never been hiding.

And potty training the two-year-old? Well, I saw progress in her actions. She now verbalizes when she needs to get there and is definitely dry most of the day. There’s still a bargaining chip on the table, like getting her to do the unmentionable in the potty instead of where she seems comfortable going. But with a trip to Chuck e Cheese as a giant reward at the end of the week, repeating that reward with her and what she needs to do to get it, slowly, I’m seeing progress there, too.

I taught a really great PiYo class Thursday night, leaving the entire class shaking and trembling from exhaustion. If you want to visit a link to the exercises we did in class, here’s a great tidbit. Challenging workouts are fun for me because I’m in love with fitness, and I have been ever since I started working out at 13 to battle my weight. The gym is oddly a peaceful place and I hadn’t been back there since my Yoga class on Saturday—right before the flu settled deep into my bones.

And today? My energy is back. My brain is a little better and positive vibes are pulsing through my muscles once again. I have a goal for my weekend. I plan to get through one entire chapter, hopefully hitting the 60,000 word mark on my rewrites. Goal number two is of course, to hit the gym at least once.

And now for the bad stuff. Na. Doesn’t really matter. Not when I can still see my dream in front of my face. Not while I’m already heading straight for it and I plan to get there—at a snail’s pace? You never know. But never give up. Eventually I know my push will pay off.

Ever had a setback in your life teach you more because you fell backwards? I’d love to hear…

~Erika

http://www.wordstoliveby.com

Posted in cloud nine girl, cloudninegirl, don't stop, dreams and goals, Erika Beebe, motivation, speed doesn't matter

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Knock the filth off. Jump up and Live.

Jan 17

Posted by Erika Beebe

I have this vision of being buried under a giant pile of debris. I wake up. I realize I shouldn’t be where I am and I fight my way through the crap, knocking off boxes and broken junk, freeing myself, standing up straight on two wobbly legs-

The sun beats warm on my face

The air smells fresh

The sky overhead stretches blue and beautiful

I can’t get enough of the moment.

We’ve been fighting down the flu in our house for about a week and a half. It’s sort of suffocating, isolating yourself in your house, away from everyone and trying not to spread all the germs. ICK. But now we’re free! My son, my daughter and yes, I swore I wouldn’t get it because my husband never gets sick, but never swear. The flu is a mean little bug. It found me anyway and tackled me down with a vengeance.

So even though I stole this vision from my 7^thgrade history teacher, recalling a story he shared with the class about how he’d cope if a tornado every struck our building, his being a way funnier version using student bodies instead of rubble, the story in some weird way just fits.

There’s always a light somewhere. There’s an end to the way you feel and a beginning of something else. The flu is done in my house. I still feel a little under the weather, but I’m drawing the line.

I’m waking up tomorrow and I’m hitting the day as hard and fast as I can.

I’m going to let life fill me up and be a version of myself I LOVE, all over again.

Posted in erica beebe, Erika Beebe, live, live what you love, love, make something of your life

It had to be done. I made myself happy.

Jan 10

Posted by Erika Beebe

Yesterday, my head was out of commission. I couldn’t get my brain to cooperate with my mouth. Delayed speaking. Messy phrases.

Ever had a day like that?

The worst part was, my day never had a chance. That’s just the way I woke up.

Something had to change. I didn’t like struggling to put my thoughts together. Talking, laughing, that’s what I wanted.

At lunch, I drove home like usual. A flash of trees whizzed by me. I thought how nice it would be to feel the sunshine on my face. Even the birds were chirping from the tree tops. I veered the car to the left, to the trees, and I pulled up to a nature center not far from my house. It was a perfect thought, feeling the need to be one with nature, so I went with it.

I stayed in my car for a minute or so, watching people power walking and running along the trails. Finally I got out of my car. I slammed the door and I started walking toward the woods. A really great tree spanned out high above my head. I stared up the trunk and a memory floated to the front of my mind. Secret Detective Erika. 8-years-old. Dressed in my dad’s best khaki sports coat and hiding from anything I could see. Neighbors. Traffic. A couple of crazy squirrels. I hid in the bushes, behind a trash can, and I rolled across the yard to climb the nearest tree. The breeze tickled my cheeks. I forgot about everything. I reclined in that tree and I dreamed.

So that’s exactly what I did on my lunch break yesterday. Yes, I climbed a tree. I’ve got pictures! Take a look.

After a few calming minutes in that tree I realized switching my environment cured my head. I could breathe. I could think. I went back to the office skipping through the front door. People laughed at me, but oh well. Maybe my skipping shook up their day a little too.

When life feels a little heavy, remember the fun things. Open a window, let the breeze tickle your face. Light a candle and smell the delicious aroma sneaking up your nose. Music works too. Pick something fun you haven’t heard in a really long time. Sing.

These are a few of my favorite things. They work for me. What’s your favorite thing?

Posted in erica beebe, Erika Beebe, happy spots, special places., tree climbing

Monday Motivation: Staring Challenge in the Face

Jan 7

Posted by Erika Beebe

Wouldn’t it be awesome if you woke up and your day was absolutely flawless? You’re mood was perfect. None of the kids were crying. You didn’t have to iron that shirt. The coffee pot didn’t make a giant mess all over the counter and you got in your car, zoomed off to work and there was no bumper to bumper traffic; in fact everyone just sort of moved out of your way, or your car sprouted hovercraft wheels and you zoomed right over it(totally my dream once while I tapped my fingers on my steering wheel). Maybe when you got to work, you were in that meeting and everyone listened. Everyone agreed your solution was the best. You just became a hero on the spot.

Wow!

I’ve been known to swear at traffic before. I’ve spilled coffee all over my shirt. And ironing? It’s one of the things I don’t like doing because I’ve tended to burn a shirt or two in my past. Even my husband’s shirts and pants. EEK! Meetings? I’ve led them. And once I had a lady start crying in the middle of a meeting, right out of nowhere. She didn’t want to go to work anymore. And this morning, one of my kiddos is down for the count heavy with the flu, eyes watery and nose running, body aches, a moderate fever. Not to mention we’re working on potty training the wee one and that is a HUGE challenge all by itself.

I’m thinking about challenges today. Deadlines. Pressures. How we deal with people we’re around when we feel the heat. How I respond when my little girl, a giant handful, is screaming at the top of her lungs about how she refuses to go on the potty. We sit. We try. And she gets off and goes in her pants two seconds later. So this time, we’re using bubbles as a distraction technique. A great suggestion by a coworker by the way.

I love this Michael Jordan quote. Heck, growing up, I plain loved Michael Jordan. All he had to do was step out on the court and I’d get all giddy. I remember the excitement I felt every time I watched him dunk a ball. Maybe it was his giant smile in all the commercials and his bright eyes that smiled just as big. It could have been Bugs Bunny because I loved cartoons—who knows, but I liked him.

So when he says words like this, it really makes me think. I wonder about the reason why I didn’t succeed in the past. I wonder about the reasons in every challenge why I stopped or got frustrated and why I hate ironing so much. It’s that human thing again. We are on fire the first time. We’re a little shaky the next time. And maybe the third time we try, we end up totally pulling away because it didn’t work. Again.

Failure. Burnt clothes. Angry attitudes. And a warm bed that just might keep me there after the alarm has gone off. Ugh. But it’s all part of the process. Not everyone is going to agree with me, or get out of my way on the road, or want to change their life in order to go potty in the pot because it’s easier for me—sometimes it’s that stupid iron. Oh well. I just have to laugh. I have to shake it off. And I’ll keep trying.