Epiphany: Okay, I'm Totally Lame

I got my workout in fairly early after work yesterday. I teach part-time, so I leave earlier than the school day is actually over.

I arrived home, settled in, got a few things done, then got my TurboFire on. Yesterday was Low HIIT 25 and Stretch 10. This workout was mostly all HIITs back to back, with short rest periods in between each.

Chalene's favorite motivational phrase to tell us is, "You're not tired!" She tells us we can keep going, we can do it, we're amazing. Somewhere in the middle of this workout, she said, "Tell yourself you can do anything!"

So, I did. I actually said aloud to myself, "I can do anything." Well, it was more like, "Ican (breath) doany (breath) thing."

Do you know what happened after I said that to myself? Well, I'll tell you. I was kind of holding back tears.

I know, I'm totally lame. But you know what? I had a minor epiphany at that moment. Not only that I'm totally lame, but I realized that I almost never talk to myself this way: positively. I almost never tell myself I can do it, or that I can push a little harder, or I can accomplish my goals. Instead, I'm used to listening to that little negative voice that tells me I'm too tired, or it hurts too much, or to take another break.

Chalene basically said that the way we talk to ourselves is the way we are going to perform. Why? Because that's what we'll believe. If I tell myself I'm too tired, then I will be, and I'll stop. If I tell myself I need another break, I'll take it, instead of motivating myself and giving it that little extra push to keep going. And it's absolutely true. Why do we do this to ourselves?

I never told myself, "I can do it; I can do anything." Just saying it once, out loud, ignited a little spark inside me. Repeating it again gave that little spark a flame.

The flame grew a little higher, and a little fiercer. I pushed myself a little harder. I jumped a little higher, I squatted a little lower, and I ran a little faster. And I brought it.

We need to stop putting ourselves down. We need to tell ourselves we are capable of anything. Whatever goal you are after, whatever dream you want to accomplish, you can succeed. You have to tell yourself you can, and you will. Even if you don't believe it yet, it's okay. Keep encouraging yourself. You can do it. And you will believe it. You'll be amazed at what you can accomplish when you speak positively to yourself and believe you have what it takes.

What lies do you tell yourself that hold you back?
Get those negative thoughts out of your head. Turn them into positive ones instead. Then get out there and accomplish those goals and dreams.

I'm too tired. I have tons of energy, and working out gives me energy.
I'm too out of shape. I'm working toward my goals and getting better every day.
I'm stupid. I am intelligent.
I'm ugly. I am beautiful, inside and out.
I'm not talented enough. I am talented, and have so much to give to the world.
I can't do it. I can do anything.

Five Question Friday: Post 2

1. If you had a weekly newspaper column, what would you name it?

I'm probably the worst person ever to ask this question to... I really have a lack of creativity and this is probably the worst aspect of it. Do you have any idea how long it took just to come up with "Signing Life" for this blog?

2. Who is your mentor/inspiration?

I wrote about this in another post. The short version... my mom, my boyfriend, and my good friend Debbie all inspire me. One I will add this time is my high school ASL teacher, who was also my first cooperating teacher when I student taught my first ASL classes. To this day, she is still the best teacher I have ever had, and I mold my teaching style after hers. She loves what she does, and her passion for ASL and teaching is what made me want to become a teacher, too. To read about the other three, click here.

3. What is your wake up beverage of choice?

SHAKEOLOGY!! Of course.

4. Would you wear your mom's clothes?

I would wear some of her clothes. Others... hell no.

5. When you were a kid, did you put posters on your wall? If so, what were they of?

Hell yeah! Mostly of the Backstreet Boys, Mandy Moore, and other singers I liked. And a bunch more who I thought were hot, who I don't even remember anymore. Though, I'm not a kid anymore (except at heart), and I have a poster of the movie "See What I'm Saying: The Deaf Entertainers Documentary," signed by all four cast members hanging next to my window. On the other side, next to me bed, I also still have a gigantic poster of Linkin Park that I "borrowed" from Madison Square Garden after their concert a few years ago and never returned... 

Freeky Friday: Inspiration

Hey, Freeks! It's back to Freeky Friday, and today, Freekware asks...


Who inspires you?


I have multiple answers to this question. Though two of them include celebrities, I want to refrain from people in the media, as I don't actually know them as people, just as who they present themselves to be and do.


This post involves three people I personally know and love.
(Note: All pictures are mine unless otherwise stated.)


The first is my wonderful, loving mom, Phyllis. She is the strongest woman I have been blessed to know. She raised two kids alone, with virtually no help from anyone else, broke, desperate for money, and still stood her ground. She has been one of my best friends since the day she brought me into this world, and always a mom first. She always knew exactly what to do when, and exactly what to say when. She has not only been a great mom and friend, but she's so much more than that. She's also a teacher, a tutor, a coach, a chauffeur, a chef, a bank teller, a nurse (and she's a real one now!), a maid, a contractor, a gardener, a landscaper, a vet, a counselor, and anything and everything in between. She has been and continues to be everything a mom should be, and beyond her required call of duty. She is also simply a terrific person, holding within a heart of gold which she lets open only to those closest to her. I hope that if (yes, I said IF, MOM!) I become a mother one day, I can be even half as awesome as she is.

The second person who inspires me is my absolutely amazing boyfriend, Danny. I've posted about him before, because he's just that awesome. He is, without question, the best man I've ever known. He is the most honest and truly genuine person I've ever met, and I am so grateful to have him to call mine. I am not writing his name here simply because he is my boyfriend, or that he is loving, kind, and considerate toward me. He knows how to treat people, not just me. He always does the right thing, and never questions his morality. He respects everyone, unless they prove they don't deserve it, and even then he's still nice. I know that he's never once lied to me, and not just because he can't (seriously, he's the worst liar in the world; he can't hide anything), but because anyone who spends more than two seconds with him knows he can be trusted with anything. He is the most trustworthy person in my life, and I have absolutely no reason to say otherwise. You never get any kind of feeling or "vibe" with him that lets you know he's anything other than honest. He's the needle in the haystack of horrible men who lie, cheat, abuse, and do every other atrocious thing that people do in relationships. And he chose me, and I will forever be grateful for that. I wish that there were not only more men like him, but more people with his character.

The third and last, but certainly not least, person I chose who inspires me is one of my best friends, Debbie. If you live in my area or anywhere on Long Island, you may have heard her story. On February 13, 2010, while taking a shower before work, Debbie suffered a violent seizure, causing her to fall and hit the water spigot and handles. Scalding hot water continued to pour over her face, neck, shoulders, and back, as she lay unconscious in the water, with one nostril barely above water. Her dog, a black pomeranian named Gangsta, flew down the stairs (which she NEVER did; she refused to go down the stairs at all) and furiously barked outside the bathroom door, alerting Debbie's sisters and dad. They got inside, turned off the water, and tried to pull Debbie out of the tub. As they did so, her skin was literally sliding off in the their hands. When she finally woke up, she was in excruciating pain, and after the ambulance arrived, the EMTs informed them that they saved her just in time, as only a little while longer in the water and she would have died. Thanks to Gangsta, her little stubborn superhero pomeranian, Debbie survived. 

(Picture from Debbie!)

With third degree burns over much of the left side of her body, Debbie has undergone many surgeries, including skin grafting and surgery to her left eyelid. Her next is scheduled for early October 2011, when balloons will be put in under her skin to expand the scarred and burned skin, which is very tight and often painful. 
I visited Debbie in the hospital when this all first happened, which her and her family refer to as her "accident." She spent 38 straight days in the burn unit at Stony Brook hospital. With bandages around her head, face, and most of her body, she was still upbeat. She was laughing and joking with all of us, and though that may have been partly due to her pain medication (she was pretty darn funny on that stuff) and didn't exactly know what was going on half of the time, I know it was also due to her fighting personality. I've seen her covered in bandages in the hospital and finally home with only some bandages, to only a few, to only one, but still in pain. I've rubbed cocoa butter on her wounds to stop the dryness and itching, and I've held her hand in the doctor's office with her as she received agonizingly painful steroid injections to break up the keloids on her skin, and while some of these things caused tears, she has never given up. She always remains hopeful, confident, and strong. She still jokes, laughs, and isn't afraid to open up and talk about what happened and what her next step to recovery is. She gets better every day, and her body is healing at a rapid pace, and she improves every time I see her. This is not to say she is never sad or upset. She is only human. But when it comes to her health and her recovery, she is consistently flourishing with optimism. She is an unwavering, continuous pillar of strength, and I couldn't be more proud of her, her attitude, and her diligence in her road to recovery. She is a survivor in her own right.

Thank you to everyone in this post for the inspiration. I love you all!

So, how about you? 

Who inspires you?

You can participate in three ways! Head over to Concrete Jane to see how, be entered to win this month's prize of yummy Reverse Chocolate Chip Cookies, and have a donation made in your name to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society! What are you waiting for?