Clip Ins

I just bought my new clip in pedals for my road bike! I LOVE my road bike and I cannot wait to ride it...except there is one problem. I am deathly afraid of using clip ins.

The reason? Because when you wear clips ins, you have to think differently in order to get out. You must be instinctive to point your toe down, twist your ankle outward, and yank it out. You would think that this would be easy and maybe it is for some people....NOT FOR ME!

AH! You guys should have seen the hott mess I was with my dad trying to learn how to utilize these clips ins. My dad took me to a grass field saying, "Now, I want you to learn here, because you will fall." And for 1/2 an hour  fell over, and over, and over, and over. It was pretty embarrassing considering the fact that I am 23 years old and people driving by were probably thinking it was hilarious that a grow girl was falling like a 5 year old.

I wanted to give up so many times but my dad would not let me. Which I am so glad about. He pointed out that this is something new and with anything new it is not easy. It will not be perfect, and sometimes it hurts. But you GET BACK UP and command what you want.

I think this is a good parallel to life- you fall again and again but you GET BACK UP because the ride of life is so much greater and so worth all those falls.

Embrace: Hold (someone) closely in one's arms, esp. as a sign of affection

Yesterday at an event that I went to, I ran into a couple of people that I knew. It was great to see them but there was something that was missing when I interacted with a couple of them...I found out what it was when I hugged my grandma. When my grandma hugged me, she REALLY hugged me. Those other people were only half heartedly hugging me and that is what was missing from the interaction.

Once I realized that, I started to observe the crowd. I noticed that SO many people half heartedly hug or half heartedly listen to one another. I don't know what has happened to our generation but half hearted actions have become the norm. It is almost like we are just going the motions rather than sincerely taking the time to absorb and be with one another in that moment.

Its like that with life too- sometimes we just go through the motions we are not "closely" holding onto every present moment. Rather, we are thinking forwards or backwards- racing to the next milestone. But I have found that this only leads to a voided life. You can race to the next milestone but won't find anything because you have missed so much along the way.

My point is this- start really EMBRACING your life. EMBRACE. Meaning, closely hold onto and cherish every hug, every kiss, every phone conversation, every run, every project... if you don't you will miss so much.

Go genuinely hug three people today and you will notice a huge difference.

Setting myself free...

"What’s going on inside of you, Jay? What are you afraid of? You’ve got a chance to change everything. Take it. This is about more than just surfing. This is about choices you make in life. This is about finding that one thing that sets you free. You need to believe in yourself or none of this matter"- Chasing Mavericks

No one ever tells you how hard it will be to leave something that you love...whether it be a person, job, or sport no one tells you the truth or they do not know the truth. When I left my comfort zone of a team and a sport that I loved and entered the real world, I made the mistake of thinking that everything could stay the same.

By this I mean that I thought I would have the same comfort of a team and that I could still train as hard as I did in college. Well, the real world taught me really fast, that those days are over and that if I try to do real world things AND all the things I used to do, I will run myself into the ground. It was no one's fault but my own that I drove myself into a saddened state where I could not find happiness anywhere.

I was chaining myself to the past and what was or maybe chaining myself to a false future on what I thought "should be." But after reconnecting with some valuable friends of mine I soon realized that I need to unchain myself and be free. In order to do this, I needed to find what would set me free- which is a challenge in itself. I was too stubborn for a long time to admit that I was not happy and too stubborn to try and discover something else that might make me happy.

I am still searching...but I think that I am very close. I have realized that the memories of my past and the moments of competing are still here with me- they have not gone anywhere. I have realized that I have a very bright future and it can go anywhere- Initially, I only saw a narrow road but when I opened my eyes I saw that there were multiple wide roads to travel. Not everything has to be planned, not everything has to have an answer, not everything has to go right...

The other day I rushed out of work to get in a quick run before the sun went down. I was in such a rush that I forgot my watch. My initial reaction was to race back to my apartment and grab my watch so that I could time myself. But then, I looked at the sunset and it was just so pretty and calling me towards it that I just said, "Screw the watch." And you know what? It was the best run I ever had. I don't know how long or how far that I went and I don't care.

The best part about my life right now is that I have a great past as a foundation for an awesome future that I have NO CLUE about...I would LIKE to compete in a triathlon next year, I would LIKE to find a boyfriend soon, I would LIKE to continue to find success in my job but none of this is for sure. Things always change in life. But one thing is for sure and that is LIVING- the act of LIVING is just being alive and not chaining myself to wants, needs, wishes, or desires. These are all idols and are dead things.

Like I said the first day I started this, once I fall I ALWAYS get back up. So here I am today, picking myself back up. Watch out world, Alexa is on both feet again. Will you join me in standing up and unchaining yourself from whatever is holding you back?

Sorry about the length...but I needed to say it. I love you guys.

You better know your own strength....

 

Strong – of great moral power, firmness, or courage
Courageous – not deterred by danger or pain; brave

If you're anything like 95% of the people on this Earth, it is very easy to justify all the reasons why you do not deserve to be where you are- whether it be because so many other people are "better than you" or "you're just not up to par" or because you "are not prepared."

This is the easy way out- you deserve better than that. Sure, you may not be able to be #1 all the time but you sure are not going to get anywhere close to success with a self- doubting attitude. So many people give up on themselves but it is not fair- to them or to others around them. Examine your motives behind your rationale...What are you really afraid of? Are you settling just to avoid feeling something different?

Are you being a good leader, friend, athlete, student, sister, girlfriend etc or are you just being good enough? You should not be content with being just "good enough" You and those who are around you and look up to you deserve a strong and courageous leader. A leader who is brave enough to try and see beyond all doubt and will keep their actions and thoughts honorable and positive...Unafraid of the possibility of failure and blazing forward. This leader can and will be you. Will you be a Strong and Courageous leader for those around you?

Your Path is Determined....

God asks us to give everything to him, not just bits and pieces, but the whole thing – our whole life – and leave it up to Him.  He knows exactly what we need because He made us and knows what is in our path til the end. Matthew 6 :33 says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you”.

Even if you don't believe in God, I feel like this passage is still a good one to take into consideration.  Sometimes in life we think that we know exactly what is right for us. We think that we deserve a certain spot or recognition, we think that we should be with someone, or we think that we should have what someone else has.

Sometimes though, we are wrong. Life's path may  be calling us to different pathways than what we pre-determine for ourselves. When we resist what God has planned for us we end up experiencing heartache and pain. But when we surrender our plans for His- it usually ends up working out way better than what we had planned for ourselves.

God knows exactly what we need in life- we don't always know so it is best to not waste time worrying and trying to figure out where we are supposed to go and let Him take over. We may not always get what we want but we will always get what we need....

Humility

                        "Humility is not thinking less of yourself... it is thinking of yourself less"

Pride and selfishness blocks our ability to grow, change, heal, and help others. When life keeps exalting you, it is easy to lose track of other people. Isn't funny how much more we reach out to our friends and family members when we are down compared to when we are up in life? It saddens me that this happens....

I realized the other day as I was walking out of work how I haven't called a few people in a while- I hadn't even thought of them because I had been so wrapped up in work, trying to figure my stuff out and enjoying getting the hang of it. I compared this to a month ago when I was scrambling to call these particular people to make me feel better when I wasn't feeling as confident at work.

Life is busy- thats just a fact of life... however, there is ALWAYS time for another human in your life...Always. Even if it is just five minutes. Realize that you need to take care of  yourself but not to the extent of forgetting or lessening your outreach to others. No matter what life is throwing at you, we all need a friend...we all need a familiar voice.

Who will you call today?

Who doesn't love the old childhood sloppy joe! I sure do, but now that I am older I like the healthier version- try this recipe out, its so good!

Recipe of the Week: HEALTHY SLOPPY JOES!

Ingredients:

·         Ground Turkey- the leanest is Jennie O’s

·         3-4 diced raw tomatoes

·         2 Tablespoons whole wheat flour

·         ½ C Water

·         ¼ tsp Chili powder- if you like spicy add more!

·         ¼ C Low Sugar Ketchup

·         1 tsp cinnamon

·         Whole Grain/Wheat Pitas

·         2-3 Diced bell peppers

Directions:

·         Cook the ground turkey on medium

·         In a separate skillet, add: tomatoes, flour, water, chili powder, ketchup, cinnamon, and bell peppers (I put some mustard in mine but that’s just me!) cook on medium as well

·         When Turkey is done and the sauce is hot- toast whole grain pitas

·         Add meat into pitas and scoop on desired amount of sloppy joe mix

·         You can add lettuce or black beans for an extra crunch and kick!

·         Enjoy!