I was starting to feel like my body was changing. I thought I might be creating some extra weight, so out of curiosity I stepped on the scale… and I was in shock to find out I had gained 20 lbs since March… Yikes! What does that mean? OMG what am I doing? My eating has not been that different, although my mom’s cooking is far more elaborate than my own. And I do have access to unlimited Costco shopping choices. And there is no Sprouts anywhere on Kauai. But I do have access to an amazing farmer’s market and lean meats and fish, creating any healthy meal I want. We almost never eat out and I have lemon/ACV, freshly squeezed juice and smoothie in the morning. I do cardio and yoga at least 4-5 days a week, just as before…. hmmmm? What the heck!
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What am I creating? Oh Yeah!
I quit my full-time job
I don’t have a regular salary
I started a 9 mo coaching program
I am living with my parents at 40 years old
I launched a new business
I invested everything I had in order to follow my passion
Holy Cannoli…. STRESS!
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I don’t feel stressful, creating has been fun and exciting and new. But who FEELS stress when your flying through the air after jumping off a bungee platform, not me. It was exhilarating and fun. But what about my body? I was heading straight down, my body didn’t know I was having fun. It was in full crisis mode, accelerated heart rate and breathing, constricted blood vessels… you get the picture. Looking back on the last 7 months, I was busy to create and I forgot to breath at times.
“Every single person is born with something to create-that creation might be a child or a business or a garden or a circle of friends or a peace accord. Whatever it is will be personally beneficial as well as beneficial for others” ~Caroline Myss, Invisible acts of power
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My sister is pregnant and ready to give birth any day now. As my mom put it, “She is all baby”. Apparently I gained the weight she was supposed to gain. But then I thought to myself, I am giving birth too. I am creating a life. My baby is Mary C. McKinley, CPC, ELI-MP owner of Mary Cecilia Coaching. I am reinventing myself and creating a new business and it has been amazing and beautiful, but it has been hard work too. There has been pain, sweat, anxiety, self-doubt, loneliness, growth, joy all mixed together… it is happy stress. The birth of a new creation, something that can not be duplicated. Creating something that I want to nurture, to grow and to love.
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I keep seeing articles and studies that link weight gain to stress and that eating well and exercising are not enough. What! Even my Happy STRESS! Getting enough sleep and quality of life are all factors. As I intuitively knew, even though we focus in one area, if we ignore the others it will be a challenge to maintain our health.
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So I decided to change and add in a few more components to my daily routine.
Unplug at 8 pm (airplane mode, put away the computer, do not disturb) and I do some restorative yoga, high consciousness reading, hot bath, body massage
Recite this mantra everyday, especially when I start to feel a sense of lack, “I have all that I need right now and I am giving all that I can give right now”
Take a walk along the beach 5 – 6 days a week or just spend some time with nature
Eat whatever I want with gratitude, joy and mindfulness
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I forgot about myself as I focused so intently on my baby. I am almost ready to deliver, it is getting to be the last couple of months and I am nesting. I am preparing for my final exam to get my CPC (Certified Professional Coach) and finishing up the requirements to become an ELI-MP (Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner). One stage is ending and another is beginning.
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I am enjoying the moment, changing at each stage of the journey, appreciating what is, knowing that anything is possible and all will be revealed in due time.
hi Mary,
I loved your post! Thanks for sharing!
I am so happy it resonated with you Caren.