*MY “WHY” - Inspire. Dreams. Sanity.*

Goals change and priorities shift, but if you believe in something BIG and you set your mind to thinking it can be done, it will get done.  It will happen.  It’s kind of amusing thinking back over the years how much my goals have changed.  I have had a pretty interesting last 7 or so years to say the least, but one thing that hasn't changed is my desire to get better.  Better at what?  Well, that is what has been constantly changing depending on where I am in my life.  A better daughter.  A better sister.  A better aunt.  A better friend.  A better girlfriend.  A better coworker.  A better wife someday.  A better granddaughter.  A better citizen.  A better person.  A better mommy to Milly and hopefully real kids one day.  The list goes on as life goes on.

Obviously related!

When I became a Beachbody Coach I was just interested in the discounts.  I was already working out, but I needed to change my routine because I was no longer seeing results.  I was a brand new Coach, had a full-time job at Pitt where I had to attend several Home sporting events, AND was going back to school to get my MBA.  I had my hands full.  Oh yeah…and I was in a relationship and wanted to have a “life,” whatever that was.  The journey to getting where I am now was not very easy and in order to get where I want to be will continue to not be easy.  My mood swings were outrageous and I was in way over my head.  However, the one thing that kept me grounded was my workouts and my new found love for all things Beachbody.  I was also hooked on my “drug” of choice, Shakeology, and the start of something great was on the horizon.  I struggled keeping a positive attitude while in school, working, and trying to get back into the mentality of being a student…it wasn't pleasant.  I was very stressed out a lot of the time and because of that a great relationship with someone I could have seen myself marrying and starting a family with was ruined.  I had to take a step back and reevaluate what was important to me and what I was passionate about.  I still needed to make ends meet so I couldn't give up my full-time job, but I made a promise to myself that once I successfully graduated and completed my MBA, I was going to buckle down and start helping others because that was what I determined was my true passion.  I always enjoyed helping others in general, and often times have wasted a lot of precious time on people who treated me like crap when all I was doing was trying to be there for them.  I always enjoyed helping others and lending my shoulder to cry on, my ears for listening, and mouth for words of advice, but Beachbody opened a new door for me because it combined things all under 1 umbrella that I already had in my life in some way shape or form.  My goals were growing by the minute by the time I was school-free and I couldn't wait to hit the ground running.  Even though I wasn't a very active Coach at first I was naturally talking about my journey and what I was doing because I was developing into a product of the product!

Geez…Dana…what is the point of your rambling?  Well, I am getting there.  The only way I was going to get better was by stopping the excuses and starting the doing.  In order for me to be successful, I needed to define my “why.”  Why am I so passionate about Beachbody, Coaching, working out, nutrition, blah blah blah?  Why am I doing this?  Well, let me tell you…

I can talk for hours about my past and how damaged I was because of it, but why go back when I am trying to go forward.  Our past struggles, disappointments, and even successes are what make us unique and mold us into who we are meant to be.  So…my why starts with this: I want to be a good role model for the people in my life.  I want to inspire people every day whether I have known them for 10 years or 10 minutes.  It could be my family, my friends, my coworkers, future husband, whomever.  I don’t have my own family yet, but I hope one day that I will.  So when that day comes I will already be ahead of the game, improving myself everyday so I can set good examples for them and teach them how to live a healthy and fulfilling life.  I want my kids to see the benefits of eating well and exercising and I hope to have a healthy family where we can do these activities and live healthy together.  My why: I have had my fair share of jobs ever since I was 15 and I can honestly say they did not serve a real purpose.  To me, this serves a purpose.  Yes, my jobs were doing something and I was achieving professional goals, but this is entirely different.  My purpose has become my passion.  I actually feel relevant now and that I can make a difference.  That feeling of making a difference is not really apparent when I’m sitting in a cubicle, which I STILL do at my full-time job.  I am helping clients, but it is just not the same.  My why: You can’t help others until you help yourself.  I am a constant work in progress, but I am excited about all of the possibilities in life and Beachbody has been a big contributor to changing my tune.  I am not on a diet, it is a lifestyle.  A lifestyle that I enjoy and all of the snarky remarks from people who don’t approve don’t come close to bothering me anymore.  My determination to make my dreams come true became stronger than my excuses and all of the words from the haters.  I have learned to do what is best for myself rather than listen to all of the negative talk from the peanut galleries.  So this part of my "why" ties into the title; my sanity.  I don't let the little things get in my way anymore because my dreams are BIG and this new outlook helps me keep my sanity!  My why: One of my biggest goals is to be able to work from home when I have a family, or before that while I have Milly!  I want to be the best version of myself that I can be, and for me.  I tend to put others before myself in a lot of situations, but I need to love myself before I can love others.  I am a constant work in progress. 

My why: Me.  I am now surrounded by positive people from all walks of life and I am finally starting to feel good about myself again.  I'm in the best shape of my life, improving every day, and finally starting to feel confident in my own skin.  I still have a ways to go, but I'm heading in the right direction.  I have a more positive outlook on life.  If it makes you happy, keep doing it.  Why would I want these feelings to go away?  My why: I want to help people like I was helped by Beachbody, my own Coach, and the new friendships I have developed as a result of joining the family.  I truly believe in Beachbody and all that they stand for.  So I want to be proof that people can be a better version of themselves and proof that if you want something and if you put your mind to it, it CAN happen and you can have all if the support you need.  I lacked support for quite some time and now I'm surrounded by it from people all across the country that I feel like I have known for years.  So I want to be that support system that people need and want to be there for them every step of the way helping them achieve their goals.  My why: I want to inspire others to not give up on their dreams and help them achieve their goals.  So all of those pieces of my why come together and it helps me get through each day.  It helps me turn a bad day into a great day.  Maybe some points were repeated, but I don’t really care.  I am not ashamed of my passion and no one should be ashamed of their passion either.  So, what is your “why?”    

With these accomplishments and my list of reasons "why" that I have already achieved and publicly announced (and the many more to come), I would like to invite you to our team.  Our team consists of moms, sisters, dads, brothers, full-time workers, and friends that truly have a passion for helping others.  I have to be honest.  We're a little different though because we aren't all business.  We like to have fun too!  Currently, many of the coaches are participating in a T25, P90X3, or 21 Day Fix Challenge Group.  Heck yes, we think of ourselves as work in progress and heck yes we laugh at ourselves when we can't master the moves.  That's what makes it fun.  In fact, my Beachbody “family” and fellow coaches have helped me achieve my own results with daily encouragement and motivation!  Yes, we do the work, but we like to play hard too!  If you would like to be a part of the elite apprenticeship training, please fill out the application linked here. 

I am 100% committed to helping my team, my customers, and my challengers have the MOST success they can possibly have with my help!!!  Together we will set goals for ourselves, we will take action and we will achieve our dreams!!  Dream BIG and BE AMAZED AT THE POSSIBILITIES!!!!