Dreaming Big Dreams and Sharing Them With The Universe

“Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”  Shel Silverstein

I know that I use the Shel Silverstein quote quite a bit but I think it really says it all.  

“Only as high as I reach can I grow, only as far as I seek can I go, only as deep as I look can I see, only as much as I dream can I be.”  Karen Ravn

I guess you can say that I've always been a dreamer.  I've always dreamed big for my life and believed that our dreams really can become reality.  For most of my life, I've had a pretty clear idea of what I want to accomplish and I've been confident in what I need to do to get to where I want to be.  I can honestly say that so far, all my dreams have come true.  

A big part of seeing my dreams unfold has been my belief that anything really is possible.  I've focused on blocking out the naysayers and the negative Nancys in life and instead, I've believed in myself and been blessed enough with loving support and encouragement from so many dear friends and family that believe in me.  

It is just recently that I've realized the power of sharing my dreams with the universe and sharing them with confidence and belief that anything is possible.  It is easy to feel scared to put our dreams out there for all the world to see.  This can make us feel vulnerable, scared of looking like fool if we fail, and scared of seeming silly to others.  There are always those people out there that probably enjoy seeing others fail or those that feel better about themselves when they make others feel silly about their dreams but I believe that there are many more people out there that are truly joyful and supportive about our dreams and want to see us achieve great things.  In fact, I think that it is when we finally put our dreams out there on the line for all to see, that the magic starts happening and our dreams begin to become reality.  

As vulnerable as it sometimes feels to put my big life dreams out for everyone to see, I'm going to take my own advice and put a few of my life goals out there!  I also know that our big dreams today might end up changing tomorrow, next year, or many years from now.  That is part of the fun of dreaming big....anything is possible and a dream doesn't have to bind us down....dreams can come and go.  

So, here are some big dreams of mine, long long term and shorter term:

1.  I'd like you all to meet Little Cherie Lynn. 

She is the main character in the children's book that my Mom and I are writing and illustrating.  My Mom is obviously the illustrator (I can't do art like this) and I will write the story.   My big goals for the next couple of months is to read read read about the steps I need to be taking to put this thing together and send it off to publishers.  Once we get the story and pictures together, the trick will be the packaging and presentation...oh, and connections are NICE so please, if you know any tips or contacts, please please send them our way!  I think a dream has to start somewhere and so this is our start!  There is a small part of me that has those doubts that start to seep in my brain but I've got to keep shooing them away and remind myself that "anything is possible child, anything can be."

2.  5 year goal:  Start a nonprofit business focused on parent education and early literacy education.  I especially want my focus to be on helping struggling families in lower socioeconomic areas who are without resources, education, etc.  I think that it is never too early to start reading to our children and helping parents know how to help their children thrive with early literacy.  One of my ideas (an one that my friends has also had and started taking action on) is the idea of having a packet to hand out to new mothers at the hospital that includes children's books and material for parents about things they can do with their child to help them get a good head start with literacy.   Not sure how this dream will unfold but I think just putting it out here for all of you to see is a start in the right direction.  

3.  10-20 year goal:  Open my own children's bookstore.

Here are just a few of the many books on my shelves that you might find in my bookstore:

4.  Recent Running Goals:  Okay, I'm going to say it.  After my hamstring injury I spent a lot of time on the couch.  I had plenty of time to cry but more time to DREAM Big and boy did I have an appetite for some comeback action.  I started dreaming bigger than ever before.  I couldn't even walk normally but I told my husband that I was going to break 3 hours in the marathon.  Ha! Ha! Okay, so maybe I was getting ahead of myself.  Especially since that would mean a 22 minute PR.  Talk about dreaming big.  I had it all figured out as to what I would have to do, the training I would do, and I really had myself believing that I would and could do it.  Maybe someday but my dreams have already changed..see, that's fun about dreams....you can dream them up and sit with them for awhile and then take a new direction.  Yes, a sub 3 would be wonderful but for now, I'm thinking just running another 3:22 would make me happy!  Very happy.   I'd like to do at least one Marathon this year that I really train for.  I've never really followed a plan seriously besides the one I was training for in October when I ripped up my hamstring.  I dream of running the New York Marathon and Boston Marathon over the next 3 years.  

5.  Ironman.  Enough said.  A dream for another day.  

1.  What are some of your BIG dreams?  I'd love to hear a 1, 5, or 10-20 year dream!


2.  Do you get scared to share your big dreams with people? You know the goals you have for yourself that are most near and dear...do you ever get scared that others might think they are silly or beyond you?  


3.  Who are your most supportive people in your life...the ones that make you believe that "anything is possible child, anything can be"?  


4.  What is your favorite book?

Amanda

Training, Racing, and The Purpose It Serves In Your Life

Before I get going on my blog today I have to do a shout out to one of my new Pacific Northwestern blog friends Becca at Frances Kay!  Yesterday on my way to the gym, I checked the mail and got one of my first ever "just because" blog mail gifts.  Becca sent me some awesome tunes to run with!  Can't wait to get my iPod all set up to run with today!  Thank you Becca!  Becca and her husband have their own sandwich shop and catering business in the Northwest.  You can check our her hubby's blog too:    Graze Catering Walla Walla.

I woke up this morning with an e-mail from Kovas at Midwest Multisport Life.  I know many of you may have received the same e-mail.  Anyway these are the questions he asked:


"Why do you race? Why are you willing to pay to run on public streets or trails, sometimes paying large amounts for travel and accommodations? Why are you willing to plan a race around a particular weekend? What ARE your motivators to race?"


I really appreciate his questions.  They made me think and reflect on my running life, as well as helped to get my writing brain flowing.  They served as a great prompt for my morning writing.  After responding to him, I realized that my e-mail was long enough to be a blog post.  So, until I have something better to write about, here is what I sent him:  


Hey Kovas,

Good questions.  Originally, I raced because I was on a cross country and track team.  I raced because it was my way of paying for college and doing my "job".  I hated it really...always sick to my stomach and nervous about how I'd do or what I was "expected" to do.  Because of the pressure and nerves, I never really pushed past my personal barriers.  I could never run like I knew I had the potential to run. More often than not, I was throwing up and crying because of too many nerves to "perform" the way others thought I should. 

 After college I began to run for ME.  I ran because I loved the feeling it gave me.  Eventually I started racing again but instead of racing against others or for a team, I raced only against myself and for myself.  My times were the best they had ever been and I finally felt what it was like to be in a zone.  I felt an ease to running that I had never felt before and I discovered that I was better than I ever realized I would be.  I ran my first marathon not knowing what the Boston Marathon was or even having an expectation for a time....my only goal was to finish and have fun.  When I ran a 3:22, I had people telling me that I qualified for Boston.  Boston?  why not.  Now that I am trying to get back in to racing again after kids and a serious injury, I realize what I had then and how I took it all for granted.  I hope to run again like that or even better.  So now, I race because it gives me a personal goal to work towards.  It gives me structure in my life and I feel that it makes me a stronger person.  Working towards a racing goal does this for me:

*  Allows me to do something for just ME.  (this is important right now as a Stay at home mom who misses her career a bit).

*  It is a Model for my kids to show them that we can do anything and keep striving to conquer big goals and work on improving our self.  

*  Allows me to live a healthy lifestyle

*  When I am training and running, I am more focused on believing in the reality of my other dreams in life.

*  Mood Booster.

*  Personal Satisfaction of knowing that I'm Mentally and Physically strong and doing something only a small percentage of the population can and do do.  

*  OH, another big motivator is VANITY....gotta say that racing and training helps me stay in awesome shape and have a great body.  Love the way my buns look in my favorite jeans when I'm in training.  :)  Hey, that's a big reason why many many women race....having a nice ass.  :)  

So, here are a few of my thoughts off the cuff....had to type fast since i have little kids at my feet....off to get some order to this house!  :)  Gee, this should be my blog for today.  I should just copy and paste.  hmmm, maybe...

Amanda 

Thanks again Kovas.  Loved your questions this morning and excited to see what kind of responses you get.  Eager to read your post when you've compiled it all and put it into something for us all to read (whatever you have planned).  
Just for fun, I'll leave you with this college cross country picture.  This was after a race in Kansas.  Must have been in 1999 or 2000.  Gosh, I'm making myself sound old.  

1.  Do you think it is important for your kids to see you set big goals for your life?  And do you make time for personal ambitions in your busy life?  


2.  If you are a runner, when did you start running?


3.  What is are a few things on your bucket list and/or some big life dreams you have? (this will be asked again in my next blog post...)   
Longer term:  Ironman (haven't even tried a sprit tri yet), Travel the world, spend a summer in Italy, learn a second and third language, Run the NYC marathon.... Midlife:  Many big goals related to early literacy, creating a nonprofit parent group, publishing a children's book, opening my own children's bookstore....this will be my next blog post....to be continued....

Amanda

32!

Having a weekend away in Napa with my girlfriends was a great way to celebrate the end of my days as a thirty-one year old.  I had time away from my crazy but wonderful life as a mother and had the perfect setting to reconnect with my girlfriends.  I had more wine than I usually have in two weeks, ate way different from my usual diet, and didn't exercise nearly as much as normal.  As most people with a running problem can relate, I came home feeling like I need a good solid workout to get my endorphins going and the sweat flowing!  In light of turning thirty-two, I thought I'd give my workout a little twist:

*  3.2 miles on the elliptical in just under 32 minutes
*  1.32 miles of running on the treadmill (the last .5 was at 8 minute mile pace which is a huge step in my recovery!  Seeing light at the end of the tunnel!)  Felt Incredible!
*  32 lunges
* 32 squats without weight
*  32 push ups (2 sets of 16)
* 3.2 minutes of stretching (okay, might have been a bit longer but that ruins the 32 theme)

Now in light of motherhood, running and life in general, here is a list of random things on my mind.

1.  Coming home to my husband and kids after a weekend away was absolutely wonderful!  I missed them so much and from the love they gave me, I know they missed me too.  Even though I feel crazy and unraveled many days, it is days like today that I remember how much I love motherhood and being a wife.

2.  This is one of the gifts my husband and kids had for me for my birthday and to welcome me home.

3.  And these:

4.  Here is another one of my birthday presents and  a book I'll be starting this week.  And here is the link to the official Born To Run fan site: http://borntorun.org/



5. I'm also starting this new book called When Did I Get Like This? by Amy Wilson.  I can already tell that it will be a book I will enjoy and can relate to as a mother with three kids under the age of six.  I also enjoy reading her blog.  She is real and makes me feel normal about my crazy mom moments. 



6.  The girls thought I could use some magic wands too.  I think these might come in handy this week when I'm needing down time.  They'll help to remind me to focus on the positives and be in the present with my children. 

7.  My appointment with my sports chiropractor today was awesome.  Dr. Forcum was so excited to see the progress I've made and how great my hamstring is looking compared to last time!  This makes my runner heart happy!

8.  Sticking your head out of a moving limo in beautiful Napa Valley is a MUST.  Really makes you feel like a kid again.  Or a dog.

9. Life is too short to always be second guessing myself.  I'm really hoping to work more on loving myself for all that I am and not trying so hard to please others.  Every year of life I get a little better at this.

10.  Life is so much better with daily exercise.  Everything is more enjoyable: food, drink, family, body image.  And if the exercise is running...Even Better for me!

11.  Note to self:  When getting together with a group of women for a girl trip, try not to talk the entire time and  let the quiet and more reserved girls have enough wait time to get a word in too! Getting a break from kids was exciting and I could not shut up! 

12  Fresh veggies and fruits are a must to have in my body every day!  I just feel blah without it and really hope to be better about making good food choices.  Vacation doesn't count.

13.  Since I'm speaking of fruit, and just so nobody thinks we take ourselves too seriously around here:

What is something you get better at with age? or What is something you hope to be better at in your next year of life?

Amanda