Daily Opportunity

Approach each day with the understanding that opportunities await you....because they does. To many times we have the mindset that opportunity is only this huge moment in life. So we cower away from most opportunities because we fear the changes associated with that opportunity and because we fear the unknown. Most of the time, opportunities aren't like that at all. Most of the time, opportunities are small, seemingly insignificant things that we pass on every day. When these seemingly small opportunities present themselves, we very nonchalantly turn away from them, thinking that they are just insignificant and won't change our lives liked we were hoping. We miss so many opportunities in live because we have the wrong mindset. Wake up every morning with the mindset that opportunity awaits you. No matter how small the opportunity may seem, you will seek it out and capture it. The reason this opportunity is there for you, is because you are ready and able to take it. So don't allow fear to hold you back. Don't allow what seems to be insignificant now, hold you back from something that could turn into something huge in the future.Opportunities, come in so many forms that we need to broaden our definition of what we think opportunity really is. Most of the time we only equate opportunity with financial gain. Every day we have the opportunity to brighten someone's day, to lend a helping hand, to educate ourselves, or to broaden our horizons. Sometimes, we are someone's opportunity. Become more open to all this journey in life has to offer. I don't believe that any opportunity is insignificant or pointless. We just merely need to become more open and receptive to what is happening around us. What opportunities will you come into contact with today? What opportunities will you take action on and which ones will you miss because they didn't fit the mold of what you thought opportunities looked like? This blog was inspired by an opportunity that I took just yesterday. I stopped and talked to the branch manager of a bank ,that had expressed some interest in my life coaching, to let her know about my up coming "Val-You Conference." She looked at her calender, and discovered that she will be gone on vacation that day. We discussed some of the difficulties that I was having find a conference room in our local community to hold that conference here as well. She told me that if I would get some materials together, they might have an opening the be a featured business of the month for their branch. What an opportunity. All because I saw an opening to share my upcoming event, it turned into something else and we will see where it takes us. Find daily opportunity in your life and take it...period.

Dream Big...Pursue Big...Live Big

Guaranteed R.O.I.

They say that if something sounds to good to be true, it probably is. But, hear me out. This investment is guaranteed to give you a positive return on your investment. Not only that, but the returns compound over time. The government has no way of taxing it and no penalties for earlier withdrawal. No need for a broker, so you will save those fees as well. So are ready to hear where you can make this amazing investment? In you. That's right, invest in you. With this investment comes happiness, peace, confidence, a better self-image, probably more money, and better health. Who wouldn't want these things? Now that I have shared with you some of the things that this investment will bring to you, let me share what it could cost you. After all, it is an investment. This investment will cost you time, sleep, and money, but you get to decide how much of each you are willing to invest. But remember, the more you invest, the bigger and quicker your R.O.I.(return on investment). How do you invest in you? That is somewhat up to the individual, but some of the basics don't change. You will have to read and/or listen to audio books on self improvement. You will have to listen and/ or watch motivational seminars. You will have to apply the knowledge that you have gained from these books and seminars to your life. These are not options, but musts, for this investment to work. You can't do these things occasionally either. They must be completed a minimum of 5-7 times a week for at least an hour each day. But Dan, I don't have time. Most people get a break or two and a lunch period at work. Instead of gossiping in the lunch room, use that time and invest in you. Turn off the TV and skip watching another "reality" show and invest in you. I don't have the money for the materials that I need, get a library card. The library has an almost endless supply of the materials that you will need and, most likely, if they don't have it, they will try to get it for you. You can also use the internet for videos and I have bought several books from Dollar Tree over the past couple of years and guess what, each book only cost a dollar. Here are some added returns that you will get by making this investment. Your personal relationships will improve, you will have better job performance(even if you don't like you job), you will become a better parent, and best of all the sun seems to shine a little brighter(even on cloudy day, or at least it has to me). I know, I made it sound so simple, but it works. A couple more things before I let you go out and begin your investment. You can begin this investment at any age, you will develop habits that should inspire the next generation, and you will change your world.

If you aren't sure what to read or watch, please contact me at aiaolifecoaching@gmail.com and I can share some of my favorites with you.

Dream Big...Pursue Big...Live Big

My 100 Pounds

 The picture above shows me, on the left, on May 1st, 2003. I'm not quite sure how much I weighed in that picture, but I believe it was around 240lbs. Even in this picture, I had lost some weight from my heaviest. I'm not really sure what I weighed when I was at my heaviest. The last thing that I wanted to look at was the scale. I has a very poor self image. I was living my life with the mindset that I was the "short fat kid in school." I had never really watched what I ate let alone exercised, especially since High School. In 2002 I have left retail for a warehouse job. I needed out of the stresses of being a manager and just go to work, punch a clock, do my job, and go home. The warehouse job was perfect for me. What I didn't realize, how physical this job was going to be. This job kicked my butt! I'm not afraid of hard work, but holy cow. I was even sore after a couple of days. With this increased physical activity, I began to lose weight. Imagine that, losing weight with increased physical activity. So, I decided to start watching what I consumed to help this weight loss along. Sure enough, it helped. Now, when I say, I watched what I consumed, don't get that confused with "dieting." I still ate what I liked, but just ate smaller portions. I limited myself to just one can of soda per day as opposed to the 4 or more that I had been drinking. Over the next year or so, the weight just kept dropping and I soon got to under 200 lbs. I felt amazing and my body was getting down to what I had weighted in High School. The weight seemed to stop dropping at around 185lbs. I was able to maintain that weight for the couple of years. Even though I knew that I was still overweight, I didn't feel obese. I had a different self image. In 2006 I began to realize that even though I had lost all this weight, playing with my son was still a struggle at times. Sure, I had more energy, but I had no stamina. I was out of shape. In early 2007 I decided to purchase P90x. I was going to work on my body and get in better shape and lose some more weight. What I found out was, P90x is not for beginners! Exercise and I had been mortal enemies for so long that jumping into this program insane. To make a long story short, I managed my way through the program the program, not once but twice. In 2008, in order to replace the cardio days of the program with something I could do outside, I began running. Once again, running, a form of exercise, we had been mortal enemies. I motivated myself through it and in 2009 ran the full 6 mile of The Great River Bridge Run in Burlington, IA in just under an hour. Also in 2009, I got down to around 165 lbs. I am guessing that in total I had lost almost 100 lbs. As of today I have put back on about 30 lbs, but I began running again this week and plan on losing 20 lbs. This weight loss journey had many ups and downs. I wanted to give up and I wanted to quit. But what I understood was, all the effort and pain that I am going through today, will pay HUGE in the end, if I just stick with it. I wasn't disappointed.

Dream Big...Pursue Big...Live Big

That's me in the orange shirt crossing the finish line of the Great River Bridge Race in '09.