How To Make Shit Happen

Here I am, almost 1 month into my homeless (yet healthy) adventure.  It's been interesting to say the least. Between the night drifters making casual conversation about the latest block busts and the dyer need to have a "mother f#cking" Long John Silver in the hood, I consider the 45 seconds of sleep mt first 2 weeks a blessing.  And since the gym opens at 6am, it's super awesome that the cleaning crew blasts heavy rap so loud, Tupac Shakur asks to keep it down.  But it's totally cool and I'm NOT complaining, just sharing the fun. I love to tell my stories, my experiences.  If someone can benefit through humor, insight, motivation or plain old, thank God I'm not her, well then that's just a bonus. 

If you recall from my last blog, this is all just a way to revamp my life and ultimately, make some shit happen.  What shit you say?  Still figuring that out.  Do I want to focus more on training or nutrition with clients?  Do I want to travel, educate myself and others or simply put my life on hold and live a little?  I don't know.  But you can bet your last dollar, I'm not waiting around for something to happen.  My ears are perked, my head is on a swivel and my eyes are open.  There's no hiding in the corner (cause nobody puts baby..or me in a corner), I'm center stage, looking for new people to meet, new avenues to take and new opportunities to seize.  In order to create a new life, it's a must.  In fact, because my new plan of action, which you'll learn for yourself by the end of this blog, I've been making shit happen.  So far, I have traveled to Utah with New Balance Shoes, working one of the biggest trade shows of the year.  I shook a lot of babies and kissed a lot of hands....or something like that.  On another occasion while pirating wifi at a San Diego coffee house, I ran into and introduced myself to Drew Canole, the founder of fitlife.tv.  After discussing shoes, juice and my blog, I have become a part of his elite team of health advocates. The last and probably most bizarre thing to happen, I now work at the hippest, friendliest, awesomest and most talked about bakery/bar/cupcake haven - Babycakes.  This happened while I was accidentally, on purpose, listening in on an interview some other kid was horribly failing.  No shower and sweaty clothes, I explained how I would be a good candidate for the position.  That was apparently my first interview, nailed the second and was offered a job on the third.  Is it a career choice?  No, but it makes me money and makes me happy.  Plus, you never know who you'll meet next, right?  So that's the shit that's been happening lately.   

But enough about me, let's talk about you.  What's your shit?  What do you want to change, add to, take away from your life?  Come on, think about it.  Everyone has something they want -  Strength, love, happiness, money.   Everyone has something they don't want - stress, bad relationships, crappy job, bratty kids (good luck with that one).  Whatever it is, you'll need a plan, a map, a how to guide ensuring you aren't just floating in space with desire, but making proactive decisions based on making shit happen.  This plan works for all shit discovery.

Guide To Making Your Shit Come True

No. 1  Set Your Shit Goals

How will you get there if you don't know where you are going?  Make a list of exactly what you want. Pretty simple and yet, often overlooked. DUH! 

No. 2  Attack That Shit

Look at each goal on your list and form a plan of how to reach each one. What will it take to get there. I like to work backwards.  Start with the end result.  Example: I'm rich! I made $15,000 per month.  That means I had "x" number of clients, that I charged "x" amount.  I did "these" things to market and advertise. I supplemented with "x,y,z."  Think of it as a paint by numbers.  Don't over complicate things, just know where you are going. K.I.S.S.S -  Keep it simple stupid shit.

  

No. 3  Be a Shit Eating Politician

Get your ass outside your comfort zone and talk to people.  Smile, shake hands, talk to strangers, go to events, go to parties and say yes more.  You may not be trying to gain support of the voting party, but everyone needs to be in contact with the right person, the right situation, at the right time. Consider this; You talk to the right person who knows of a job opening at a place you've been thinking about applying to.  Or maybe you're in a black hole of depression and the right person with the right words comes along and gives you a glimpse of hope and light.  A simple compliment from a total stranger might be enough to give you that needed boost to ditch that loser bf/.gf, good thing you were smiling.  The point is, you never know, so always have a shit eating grin on your face.

No. 4  Keep Your Shit Accountable

Just like anything else, accountability creates success.  Why?  Nobody wants to be looked upon as a loser.  Find someone, a mentor, a friend, a business consultant or even facebook.  Tell someone what you want to do.  Maybe they can help, maybe it's just a way to drive you forward.  Tomorrow I fly to SF to meet with Wendy White.  She's an amazing web designer, graphic artist, photographer and all around bad ass.  She will be my accountability, along with all of you readers.

That's it.  Now, go find your shit.

Healthy Renegade Turns Homeless Renegade...sort of.

A story of sacrifice, how I ended up sleeping at the gym and why I have been m.i.a


I have no doubt that I will be a complete and total success.  If you can taste your dreams, bold statements are allowed. I have no need to fear, the accountability that comes with sharing my aspirations with the world is simply fuel for the fire. How can I be so sure?   As I sit here and I write this entry, I'm starring at a group of people performing jiu jitsu in my living room.  I can also hear others lifting weights and running on the treadmill in the hallway.  Just around the corner, the floor is vibrating from the boxers jump roping where I sleep.  The front door is next to the cash resister and I share a bathroom with 350 other people.  This would all sound a little weird if they were actually at my house but the reality is, I'm in theirs.  What they call the gym, I now call home.  Let me explain.


 The life I was living just wasn't getting me any closer to where I wanted to be. Long exhausting hours in a job that no longer made sense, only to pay for an apartment I hated and also could not afford.  Spinning my wheels became part of my routine.  Wake, eat, work, get no where in life, sleep, repeat.  So I did something about it.  Quit my job, packed my things,  and came up with a new plan.  For the next 30-90 days, I will be re-grouping, re-evaluating and re-inventing my life.  

I started making a list what I considered fails in my life: Tractor beam work drama impossible to escape = fail. High rent, credit card debt, fail.  Long hours, low income, frustration, exhaustion - fail and F#ck!!   These things were making it impossible for me to keep my head above water. Can you relate?  So instead of continuing down the path leading to mainstream societal death, which is exactly what I consider settling for a life you are unhappy with, I decided to do something about it. I quit my job, where everyday was a toss up between banging my head against the wall or hanging myself in the bathroom with my shoelace. Now what about a place

to live?  Paying almost $1400 every month to a shoe box apartment that is so small, I could brush my teeth, wash dishes and sit in my living room all at the same time.   I'm just not comfortable  with that.  Who the hell is?  Yes,  I could have possibly downsized to a less expensive situation, but frankly I didn't want to.  I guess I was looking for a challenge.  So after vetoing the living in my car idea (which was seriously considered but a little too challenging, even for me), sleeping in hostels and flea bag motels, I turned to a friend who owned the boxing gym downtown.  Since I'm a husslin' kind of girl, always looking for a way to leverage my skills, talents, abilities, I explained the situation and told him I would trade him for rent.  Nope, not that kind of trade and not those kind of skills.  I prepare healthy meals for him in exchange for staying at his gym, which has full facilities including clean bathroom and shower, a fridge and even a couch I could sleep on.  But don't think for a second this place isn't a full on boxing gym, in all it's capacity.  Have you seen Million Dollar Baby?  I'm Morgan Freeman, less the private space and lazy eye. 


 So yes, I willingly gave up my seemingly comfortable life for one that by most standards is anything but comfy.  Keep in mind, I do not share this story to create some pity party, nor to make anyone worry or offer me food (the first person to offer me food or a dollar will get punched in the mouth).    It's not that I couldn't continue to do what I was doing.  It was no longer making me happy and so, needed to change. As a friend told me, perhaps I need a little self created drama to thrive off of.  I believe that I do.  Nothing is more driving than fear.  I have wonderful people in my life that have offered to let me stay with them and help in any way they can.  While I appreciate that beyond words, my choices, past and present are no one's responsibility but my own.  This entire venture is my choice and so I will rely on my strength, capability, courage, craftiness and independence.  Remember what I said in the beginning. Do what it takes.  Get where you want to be. Make things happen.  Live how you want to live.  Feel how you want to feel.  Look how you want to look.  Use fear as your fuel.  There are no excuses, only different levels of commitment toward the cause.  So really, am I all that crazy?  Ok, yeah, a little.  But at least I'm no longer insane.  


To your success and mine. Cheers!