Are you GROWING? Tips for Living Up to YOUR Potential

Are you GROWING? I'm not talking about the new heels you bought, I'm asking are you really growing? Like are you mentally growing in your way of thinking, in your friendships, in your work, in your capacity? Are you living up to your full potential every day?  Honestly, I would love to meet someone that can say they do.  I think we can all aim to, but we definitely can strive to, and I believe that is more than half the battle. My goal for this year is to not waste time, clog my mind on pointless flicking of social media and be absolutely intentional about my days-as much as possible.  This is what I plan to do and what I believe will help us grow and live up to our potential (well at least half way) 1: INTENTION Wake up each morning and BE intentional on WHO you spend your time with. Friendships need to serve you both. You need to be happy around your friends and importantly both offer positivity, a little give and take, plenty of trust and mutual support. This is the making of a solid and long lasting friendship. Not only is our time precious and full but we must take a moment to sit, stop and see if the friendships we have around us are best for us now and moving forward. If you are intentional of who you spend time with, your days will be more positive, productive and efficient. 2: PLAN It may sound like a cliché, daunting and boring word, but it really shouldn’t be. Planning ahead whether it is for setting aside time for yourself to exercise, read a book, a date night with your partner, ensures that you are more likely to actually stick to it.  Planning produces consistency and consistency produces results. 3: CHALLENGE What’s the biggest challenge you have this year and how do you go about dealing with it? Don't wait for it to come around, start thinking how it can shape your year. Are you ready to ask for a promotion in your job; would you like to write, time to date more, meet new friends, run a 5K?  Each year we hear of all these new resolutions but what will be your changing gear this year? Let your mind start the process; write it down and get to it! Challenge yourself for the win! 4: EXPANSION Whether we like it or not every year we WILL change. We will grow, it will either be forwards, backwards or sideways. It’s OK if your path looks different than those around you-do not compare the direction they are going in to your own. You are on your own journey in life. You need to go through your own lessons and expansion. 5: NEVER COMPARE Don't allow yourself to scroll social media comparing the life you have with another person. Remember we all put up our show of the best moments of our lives and your time is valuable; its priceless. We all have our own purpose, our course and our own unique names. As the year rolls on promise that you won't let your imagination take over and think of being someone else. Who you are is more than enough and the level of influence you have on others will grow stronger as you keep on the bright road you're meant to travel. I promise you, if you can follow these steps, you will more than reach your potential and inspire others to persevere when attempting to achieve theirs. And as always, remember to #justkeepclapping Xo Gina

Perseverance = Inspiration

Inspiration is something I value and something that I sometimes struggle with. Not only to be an inspiration, especially to my boys and to others when I can, but to be inspired myself. I find myself challenged everyday with trying to achieve my goals; pushing myself, and always looking for ways to improve, versus just being in the moment and being inspired by it. 


Often, we create goals with the best of intentions. At first, we’re super motivated, then unfortunately, somewhere along the way, our shiny inspiration and tasks to achieve our goals become a little overwhelming or difficult to manage. We may falter, stall, fall flat or completely give up.


Sound familiar?

What I am learning is that inspiration can’t be something that we plan. Why? Because when we set goals it may become hard to achieve them, no matter how much we plan for them, what the execution is and especially if those goals rely on the help of others. We need to rely on our own healthy dose of perseverance. Goals can seem daunting and even unattainable without it.


It is our perseverance that becomes the inspiration.


So, if as adults we have difficulty persevering, how do we inspire our kids to stick through it when the going gets tough? How can I make sure I do my part to teach my boys not to give up during trying times?


First we need to make sure we have their full attention. We need to teach our children to persevere when it comes to their goals. Teach them what perseverance means.

This is what I believe it means:

Persevering means we don’t give up even when it’s hard.

We do not let obstacles get in the way of our goal.

We enjoy the journey and do not get discouraged even if it does not go the way we hoped it would.

We need to lead by example. If they see us working hard towards our goals, it will be easier for them to model it themselves one day, or even take our motivating advice when they need it most. As long as they can see that we are learning something new while persevering in a positive way, modeling is a great way to reinforce our message.


We also need to sit back and let ourselves be inspired by our kids.


The young and inspirational minds of our children can spark something inside our adult minds that reminds us to be a little more creative, (just like when we were kids) and take life a little lighter. Parenthood can be tricky but as much as we’re here to teach them, they’re also here to teach us. As parents, we could even say that we persevere through parenthood. Let’s face it, it’s not always easy and it can be really trying at times, but at the end of the day we all have the same goal of raising our children to be the best they can be.


Let’s hope that they keep the cycle going, crush their goals, adapt and adjust where they need to, persevere and inspire others along the way. Applaud themselves and their accomplishments and as always...#justkeepclapping

xo

Gina

Let's Cheer Each Other On!

Let’s Cheer Each Other On.

So it’s 2017 and I have to say I don’t have any resolutions this year. Just promises and commitments. 

I am embarking upon my 40^th year this August and while it scares the bejesus out of me. I also have been thinking, hopefully not morbidly, but more naturally about my life, my family and mostly the legacy I will leave.  Especially for my 3 boys.  I often wonder what they see when they see me.  What do they think of when they look at me, or describe me.  Recently they have watched me physically transform myself back into who I was mostly before they came into my life.  Baby weight and me do not get along well—for some reason it wants to hang on for dear life and overstays its welcome.  I have worked my a$$ off over the last 5 months to lose 50 of the 60 pounds I gained from baby #3, so I hope when they look at me, they see someone now that is determined, although exhausted, and on a mission to not only look better and feel better, but to just be better.  I want them to see me as strong and confident, versus who I have been for a while which was the opposite of that and it was not fair to them.

So now that that is out of the way.  I also want them to have something else to “remember of me”—(notice how I didn’t say remember me by, I mean I am turning 40 not 80).  But I feel like they kind of got short changed sometimes in the “mommy department”.  Not when it comes to love, because they know I love them more than anything and I would do anything for them.  But when it comes to the other little things, like cooking, baking, crafting, sewing…that’s not me.  I mean I can cook, bake, craft and sew, I just don’t do it well, something will burn, be crooked, warped, you name it. We may get a good laugh out of it but that’s about it.  I feel like someday they won’t have a book of my recipes or tell their wives and children how I was a great cook, or made a mean chocolate cake.  They won’t have a blanket I knitted for them to pass down, or whatever else those crafty types make.

Maybe it’s me, but this is the stuff I am thinking about these days.  So it got me thinking, who am I? What can I do to show them who their mom is or teach them who I want them to be? Recently I explained to my two older sons that in addition to my “day job”, I am intuitive and try to help others, coach them, advise them, but they really don’t fully understand what exactly that means yet. Heck, I still am trying to understand it myself.   

What I aim to show them is that I am trying to make a difference and help others, and it has provoked me to start to get them to make a difference, just in the small gestures we may take for granted on a daily basis.  For example, when you are out somewhere and someone compliments your hairstyle or shoes, it makes you feel good.  I have never been the type to openly do the same, it’s not that I don’t want to complement others, or don’t have a complement to give, I think I am just in some weird way worried about making them feel awkward maybe?  But recently I have decided to go out of my way to point out the good in others, complement what I like of someone’s outward appearance, gestures, achievements, etc.  Why? Because it just makes others feel good and offers something other than the mundane for a change, especially when there is so much negative out there.  Even more importantly, I started celebrating my own successes, even if small, like a pound lost, finally reading a book, etc.  How often do we applaud or cheer ourselves on? Not often enough.

This is what I want to teach and influence over my boys.  I want to show them positivity.  I want to teach them to point out the good in themselves, look for it because it is there, even if it is something small.  Hell even to celebrate and be okay with their defeats. 

Look for and cheer on the good in others, and furthermore-tell them, point it out, make them feel good.  MAKE SOME NOISE. Don’t be afraid if you are the only one to do so either.  You know that feeling when you are in a crowd, and you want to clap, but no one else is clapping yet?  Don’t wait—be the one to start! That’s what I want to teach them. To start it.   

If we start to cheer one another on, and others on, those people will hopefully do the same, and the people they applaud will in turn do the same…and it will start a ripple effect.  We will all be able to hear the applause.

This is how I was inspired to start what I hope will be a movement (even if it is just one among me and my boys)  #justkeepclapping.  It is my promise to do what I can to keep it going in 2017.

I am hoping that by starting this, we can all lift each other up, post the good we find in ourselves and in one another, using the hashtag #justkeepclapping and see it go around many times over.

Who’s in?!

I applaud you.

#justkeepclapping

Xo

Gina

Below is an explanation from my blog on my website www.ginaclapprood.com.

Just Keep Clapping. We are all a work in progress. We often place unnecessary pressure on ourselves to be better and do better.  For what? Who are we trying to impress? I say we take a step back and stop the madness. 

We need to first celebrate ourselves.  Applaud ourselves.  Celebrate the small wins.  Heck, celebrate our imperfections and failures too! Clap more.  Have you ever noticed the vibe in the room when you are in a crowd and there is applause? That electrifying feeling you get? It’s infectious.  Clapping for someone to show your proud of a job well done, they made you laugh, you are on board with their vision and message, or a concert performance that touched your soul?  

We need to feel more of that! 
 
We need to learn to applaud ourselves.  I am a work in progress. I am learning how to applaud myself, celebrate my wins and learn from my defeats.  Let’s applaud one another, complement one another, and lift each other up.  I will always applaud you, support you and encourage you.  

So let’s keep clapping for one another in this crazy little thing called life.  Stand up and make some noise.  Start a ripple effect.  #justkeepclapping