Choosing Excellence

Have you ever read something that smacks you right upside your head (as my mother would say)? I read a lot of really great blogs/websites each day but one of my favorites is Donloree.

I began reading her blog more than a year ago, which at the time was called "Bikini or Bust", and instantly feel in love with her! Donloree is the epitome of positivity. No matter what she's going through, she is able to see the silver lining and the lesson in the midst of the negativity or trials & tribulations.

On Monday, she wrote a post entitled "Know Your No" that really struck me. After reading it, I started to critically examine myself and all the things that I am attempting to excel at. I asked myself, "Are you trying to excel at too many things?" and the honest answer is yes, I am. I'm trying to be so awesome at everything which, at times, is causing me to be mediocre at best.

One line of Donloree's post really stood out to and that is the line that reads "Choose a narrow path and run down it with excellence."

Why should you and I settle for mediocrity? We have the capability to be great, to excel, to be phenomenal.


I've made my choice - what about you?

New Release Tuesday

Sean Paul just does something to me when I hear him. Is it the accent? Is it the bad boy swagga? Is the fact that 80% of the time I have no clue what he's saying?!?

Who cares?!?

All I know is that I'm feelin' this song and every time I hear it, I want to move my body.

Enjoy!

When You Put In The Work...

If you followed my blog during my off-season, you recognize the term "Operation Build-A-Back". One of my goals after last year's shows was to build a better back. At the end of last season, I felt pretty good about my physique but knew I could definitely improve the thickness of my back and create a better v-taper. With this in mind, Operation Build-A-Back was born!

In my "So, What Exactly Are You Doing?" post, I not only shared what my off-season goals were but also one of the early workouts of Operation Build-A-Back. In January, I was whining to Tom aka The Boss #2 about being squishier than I liked and not instantly seeing differences in the way my back looked. Each time we were in the gym and I would whine about my back not growing, he would tell me to shut my mouth please be quiet, be patient, and do the work. I would grumble under my breath but would ultimately nod my head and get back to work.

Tom shared his thoughts with you after one of his brutal creations in his guest post "And Now A Message From the Trainer". That workout was a bitch beast!! I remember thinking I wasn't going to be able to make it through the next rep let alone finish the workout. Tom is such a joker and we laugh often but very rarely in the gym. For us, the gym is serious work and conversation & laughter can wait until the drive home. This particular day was no difference. In fact, I remember thinking he was a bit more serious and bossy than usual. As we often do post-workout, we talked about what the exercises I did were and what the reasoning for doing them was. I questioned some of the things Tom said but he reassured me it would be worth it. He constantly told me over the course of my off-season that he and The Boss #1 had a plan. My job was to do the work and trust, not only the plan, but both of them. I huffed, rolled my eyes, and said a few curse words but in the end, I would nod my head and get back to work.

I was able to share yet another "Tom Is Trying To Kill Me Under the Guise of Building My Back" creation in a video that we put together. Off-season training was in full effect and the This Is How We Do It  post was my way of showing everyone, including myself, that I was serious about laying the foundation for the 2012 season. It wasn't quite time to begin prepping for my first show so I complained about looking pudgy in the video but Tom helped me keep it in perspective by pointing out certain parts of my back that were showing improvement. I used the words "improvement" and "beast mode" to help me keep moving forward and pushing the weight while I waited to start peeling off the layers.

So, you might be wondering what my point is. My point is this, The Boss #1 and #2 had a great plan for November 2011-March 2012. They knew improvements could be made if I stayed the course and put in the work that was necessary. I didn't doubt them but I doubted myself at times. I wasn't sure if I was actually improving, changing, transforming. While I would nod my head and do the work, I wondered what the end result would be.

In the end, I didn't have to question if I made any improvements. All I had to do was look at the picture below.

October 2011 on the left. July 2012 on the right

Soon, it will be time for another off-season. I've decided to think of it as Modification Mode. Just like the definition of modification reads, I will be changing and it will be influenced by my environment aka my workouts, dedication, and desire to win.

Playlist Thursday: 'Til the End of Time

Thank you for joining me for another edition of Playlist Thursday! If you missed last week's post, you have to check it out. The Local Flavor post featured songs from the area I was raised and currently live in. This week, Pavement Runner challenged us to share songs that have been on our playlists FOREVER and will never be removed...thus the title of my post :)

Let's get this things started, shall we?

Something Old

Artist: Earth, Wind, and Fire

Title: September

Side Note: My mom has an undying love for Earth Wind & Fire. Their music is guaranteed to make her stop what she's doing and bust a move. She passed that love onto me and I have no shame in saying I can't live without them!
*Additional side note: Their concert was the first concert my mom and I attended together!

Quotable: "Ba de ya, say that you remember. Ba de ya, dancing in September. Ba de ya, golden dreams were shiny days."

Something Current

Artist: Gym Class Heroes

Title: The Fighter

Side Note: There have been quite a few things that have happened in my life that would have knocked any other person down for the count. I have chosen to get up, fight, and continue to be a threat. The first time I heard this song, I sat down and cried quietly because I felt like it was written for me.

Quotable: "Ya ever feel like your train of thought's been derailed? That's when you press on - Lee nails."

Something to Consider

Artist: The Pretenders

Title: I'll Stand By You

Side Note: Many years ago, my friend played this song for me when I was going through a difficult time. She told me that she felt like the song described perfectly what she wanted me to know about how she felt about me, what I was going through, and our friendship.

Quotable: "When the night falls on you, baby. You're feeling all alone. You won't be on your own."

Now it's your turn - what songs will never be deleted from your playlist?

New Release Tuesday

I can't believe I'm doing this again. By "this", I mean acknowledging that I like a song by Jennifer Lopez. It's so shameful... :)

This song is the perfect addition to the playlist I'm using for fast walking running. I may or may not fist pump while doing said running on my treadmill...don't judge...just try it...you might like it!

Jennifer Lopez...damn it....how have I fallen under her dance track spell??

The Wonder Woman Suit

source

If you don't know who Wonder Woman is or love her deeply, you should stop reading this post ahora! I'm serious, go find something else to do!!

I have always loved Wonder Woman #realtalk She was a warrior princess. She had superhuman strength. Her accessories (aka her bracelets & tiara) were indestructible and could be used as a weapon. The woman was badass, plain and simple. Beauty, brains, and brawn - everything I aspired to be!

During my off-season (2011), I decided that I wanted to purchase a new suit for the 2012 season. This was not because I did not love my Tamee Marie suit (because I do, deeply!) but I had worn it for three shows including the same show in my hometown I planned on competing in again.

2011 Orange County Muscle Classic

2011 NPC Terminator

2011 NPC Border States

I wanted to present a whole new package to the judges and that included a new suit. I spoke with The Boss #1 and she said that if I found a suit and fell in love with it, then I should buy a new one. She also told me that if I didn't find one that I loved, it would be perfectly fine for me to wear my blue suit again.

I wasn't "actively" searching for new suits but I would definitely check out the new postings in the "Suits for Sale" forum on Siouxcountry, facebook, and Diva Exchange. One morning while on Siouxcountry, I saw a post from a member who was selling two suits she had previously used while competing in figure. I opened up the post and instantly fell in love with one of the suits shown. I was hesitant to contact her because I didn't know if I loved it right at that second or really really loved it. After three days of constantly looking at the picture of the suit, I decided I would contact her and see if she would be interested in renting the suit to me. Long story short, I had waited too long. She was totally interested in renting the suit to me  but that would only happen if the person who had contacted her before me changed their mind. In the end, the person didn't change their mind and I was back to square one.

The Boss #1 then suggested a suit maker she had recently worked with and had a wonderful experience with. The person she recommended was Ellen from Crystallini Bikini. I emailed Ellen and asked if she would be willing to send me some swatches of colors I thought I might want. It took me longer to decide on the color of my suit than it did for Ellen to send me the swatches! After multiple email exchanges with The Boss #1, I decided on a red suit.

Y'all know I'm not one for fluff and saying things just for the sake of saying them so trust that I am being completely honest when I say Ellen is nothing short of amazing. She promptly replied to every email, answered my questions thoroughly, and had my suit in my grubby hands W-A-Y before I expected to receive it! She's so incredible that when I emailed her a week ago about possibly altering my suit, she replied and explained me what my options were.

After receiving my blank suit from Ellen and making sure that my badonkadonk would fit into it, I sent it off to be stoned. The person stoning it for me was none other than The Boss #1.

source

source

She has stoned many of her own suits including those pictured above and graciously offered to stone mine! After we argued agreed upon a price and I sent her pictures of suits I liked, I packed up my blank suit and sent it off to the other side of the country.

A couple of times, she sent me a sneak peek of the suit but I really didn't know what it was going to look like once I received it back. After many years and months two measly weeks, it arrived!!

I tore into the package the same way The Princess tears into her gifts on her birthday and Christmas! Once I had the package open, I sat there and just stared. It was beautiful and utter perfection!

The Boss #1 had told me that she used my family as her inspiration for the stoning. (umm...how frickin' awesome is that?!?) The flames on the top are for Tom. My man is a kick ass firefighter and I'm a proud firefighter wife :) And to incorporate The Princess, she did this -->

A crown!!! Try and tell me that is not the cutest thing you've ever seen!! Not only did she incorporate my family into my suit, she used the same colors as the suit of my idol Wonder Woman! The first time I put the whole look together (wig, suit, clear heels, etc) for progress pictures, I swear I strutted - I'm not kidding -  I was the Black version of Wonder Woman. Look at my face in this picture and tell me that I don't think I'm the sh!t :)

I could go on and on about how much I love this suit but I'm going to have to wrap up this gush fest. I highly recommend you contact Ellen at Crystallini Bikini if you're looking for a suit. Her prices are incredibly reasonable and her work is top-notch. If you're looking for someone to stone a suit for you, The Boss #1 is your woman. I've already put my order in for next year so you better get your's in now!!

Reading Rainbow!

Did anybody watch that show when they were younger?? It was one of my favs but that can't surprise you coming from a woman who is a self-proclaimed bookworm and current public librarian :)

I wanted to share with you some of the blog posts I've enjoyed over the last couple of weeks. Some are fitness related while others are not. I like variety in my life and I get around...not like that, pervs! :)

Gender Double Standards - Tara @ Sweat Like A Pig

Words of Wisdom - Christina @ Redheadlaw7

A Peek Into the Day in the Life of a Bodybuilder - 

Kari @ Figure Girl World

I Am An Author! - Donloree @ Donloree.com

Is Crossfit Better than Traditional Weight Training? - 

Scott @ Your Inner Skinny

Employers, Stop Looking For College Degrees! - 

Heidi @ Banana Buzzbomb

If you have any posts that you would like to recommend, please leave a link in the comments section!