Forgotten Potential

Do have any idea of what you are capable of? Or have you forgotten?  Has your potential been buried underneath laundry and diapers and groceries?  (That's where mine went).  

When I started Beachbody I had very low expectations and a heart full of doubt and skepticism. I didn’t believe in myself and I didn’t believe in the business, but I was desperate, so against all of my logical thinking, I went for it.  I was up to my ears in laundry, diapers, and groceries, but Beachbody pulled me out.

I had a specific number in my head that I thought, if I could just make that much money per month, it will be worth it.  It will be worth getting a little vulnerable.  It will be worth being "THAT girl" trying to sell everyone something on Facebook.  It will be worth giving up some of my limited free time to "work".  It will be worth the feelings I was currently having of insecurity and incompetence.  

Do you know that I am now making that amount of money per WEEK?!

I am in humbled awe of what God has done. And it’s not about the money (although it helps), it’s about how God reminded me of who I was and what I was made of! I learned to believe in myself again and dream big dreams for my life.  I remembered that I had potential and I could do hard things.  I re-learned how to set goals and go after them with confidence and enthusiasm.  I found me.  Not "me-the mom" or "me-the baseball player's wife", or "me-the Gator" or "me-Pastor Craig's daughter".  Just.Me. The "me" God created intentionally and purposefully and beautifully.

So I ask you again...do you know what you’re capable of? 

Free Nights and Weekends

I love my children, Sienna, Price, and Maddox.  I love being a mom.  Cliche or not, it is truly more rewarding than I ever could have imagined.  

But here's the thing.  You know as a new parent, when people ask you, "Do you even remember what life was like before you had that sweet baby?  Can you even imagine life without him (her)?"  I never know what to say.  I tend to smile sweetly and nod.  

But the honest, real answer?  "YES!  I completely remember what life was like before these beautiful children, and sometimes I want THAT life back!"  

Matt (my husband) and I had a mini breakdown yesterday.  He was bored.  I felt trapped.  We've been grinding and doing what it takes to survive, and it caught up with us yesterday.  The truth is, I believe we are doing pretty darn good with all the changes that took place in our lives over the past year.  We have routine, our kids are hitting all their milestones (the true indicator of good parenting), we have date night once a week, we communicate well about our expectations, our children seem to be thriving and even happy...We are good.  We are great most of the time.  But it doesn't mean this season of our lives with a three year old daughter and twin ten month old sons is easy.  It is really hard some days.  

Somedays, we wish we could go to brunch after church without worrying about the boys' afternoon nap.  Somedays, we just want to go grab dinner and see a movie without having to coordinate babysitting and show times and feedings and naps.  Somedays, I would love to wake up whenever I happened to open my eyes, lay in bed for as long as I want, slowly sip my coffee, and not have any responsibility.  Somedays I want to be selfish.  Somedays I want to be spontaneous.  Somedays, I wish we could go back to the early days of our marriage before we had children.  

I always say that I can do this mom stuff Monday thru Friday, but I wish I had nights and weekends off.  

We are blessed beyond measure.  I am not complaining.  I am not unhappy.  I am not selfless.  I am not perfect.  But I do strive to be transparent and honest about my thoughts and the reality of what life is like when you have little ones around the house.  I want to loudly proclaim that it is OKAY if you feel this way.  I want to encourage my fellow mamas not to be so hard on yourselves.  

So what are my remedies for these feelings of entrapment?  
Hire a babysitter.  Take a deep breath.  Look at pictures of your sweet babies.  Remind yourselves of something funny they said or did.  Instead of cleaning your house, watch your favorite guilty pleasure reality show.  Get off Facebook for an hour and read a good book.  Stop comparing.  Buy yourself flowers.  Light a candle.  Take a bath and LOCK the bathroom door.  Breathe in their baby smell.  Hug your husband tighter.  Cry.  Call a friend.  Reach out to your Savior.  

And here are some fun cards to make you laugh, instead of cry, or maybe both!

What is Success Club?

Success Club

You are going to hear the term “Success Club” A LOT as a Beachbody coach.  So what does it mean?  And why is it important?

As a coach, you earn Success Club points.  You earn:

1 point: Any NEW customer who order Shakeology on Home Direct (HD)

2 points: Any NEW customer who orders a Challenge Pack

Success Club 5: 5-9 SC points earned in the calendar month

Success Club 10: 10 or more SC points earned in the calendar month

Success Club points can earn you prizes.  For example, if you hit SC 5 in the month of June, you were sent The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy.

You can win trips!

Every year there is a trip called the Success Club trip.  The Success Club points you have earned in the 12 months leading up to the Success Club trip, give you credits toward the trip, paying for a portion or ALL of the trip!  The 2015 trip is in Cancun, Mexico in March.  Last year, it was a 5-day Caribbean cruise. 

MORE IMPORTANTLY, earning Success Club every month is an important goal to hit because it means that your business is growing and moving in the right direction.  You are gaining at least 3 new customers each month who are being introduced to Beachbody and the incredible products we have to offer. 

When I became a coach, my upline sponsor gave me one goal: Hit Success Club every month.  She PROMISED me that if I hit Success Club every month, success would come.  She told me not to worry about recruiting coaches or messaging all 2000 of my Facebook friends.  She said to hit Success Club.  And so I did.  I have hit Success Club 10 every single month since I became a coach.  And you know what?  Right now I am a 1-Star Diamond qualifying coach, I am making more money than I ever thought I would make doing something like this, and my business is continuing to grow.  All I did was put my head down and make Success Club a non-negotiable every month.  

Make.Success Club.non-negotiable. 

The Slight Edge

I remember feeling skeptical and even rolling my eyes when my Beachbody coach, Lindsay Matway, was trying to convince me of the importance of reading or listening to some kind of personal development book or audio every single day.  Self-help books?  Really?  Didn't she know I was already pretty great?  Didn't she know that I already had it all together and I didn't NEED to read self-help books?  Obviously she did not.  

So grudgingly, I ordered the first book she recommend, The Slight Edge, by Jeff Olson.  It didn't take long for me to realize how "not together" I was and how far away I was from the person I wanted to be.  I can humbly say that The Slight Edge completely changed the way I  viewed myself and the way I was living my life.  It opened my eyes to how I had slowly and steadily lost who I was, and how I had changed as a result.  

You see, Jeff Olson writes about how every little decision you make every single day slowly adds up to the person you will become.  Does that sound crazy?  Are you going to be less successful because you sleep in just one day?  Are you going to lose your relationship because you failed to have a date night just that one week?  Are you going to be overweight because you went through the fast food drive-thru just that one time?  Of course not.  You don't fail, break-up, or gain 50 pounds overnight.  But these small decisions compounded over time can and will eventually lead to these things.  

The good news?  Just the same way these tiny, minuscule, negative decisions can lead to failure, so can the tiny, minuscule, positive decisions lead to success!  So why don't more people do those simple, easy-to-do, good things everyday?  Because they are just as easy NOT to do.  

So how does this relate to me?  At the University of Florida, I was an All-American pole-vaulter, graduated with a 3.98 GPA with a bachelor's degree in Exercise and Sports Science, volunteered on a regular basis, and was active in a few different Christian ministries.  I was disciplined and I thrived.  After graduating, and marrying my husband, I traveled with him a lot, so I didn't have a job, a home church, or many friendships.  I had lost the art of discipline.  I was unmotivated and if I am being completely honest, LAZY.  I was not being disciplined in the little things (like even getting to the grocery store), so I was not accomplishing big things.  I noticed this, I knew I had changed, but I just figured, "People change".  No big deal.  But in reality, I had lost myself big time.  

The Slight Edge reinvigorated my passion for discipline and sacrifice in order to achieve what I wanted.  I suddenly was reminded of WHO I wanted to be.  I want to be a nurturing, loving mother.  I want to be a passionate and caring wife.  I want to be a bold and influential woman of God.  I want to be a successful Beachbody coach.  

So what did I do?  I started waking up earlier, watching less TV, indulging my cravings less, and prioritizing my time and responsibilities more effectively.  I began setting goals and visualizing those goals accomplished.  I read The Slight Edge, then read it again, and continue to read unbelievable personal development books that are challenging me, encouraging me, and making me better.  I hope and I dream and I believe in the unlimited potential that I have and that ANYONE has if only they are willing to make small, positive decisions every.single.day.

What books do you love?  What books have changed you?  I would love to hear from you!

Not Your Mama's 21 Day Fix Challenge Group

I am really excited for my next challenge group to start!  This group is only 21 days and every participant will be doing the 21 Day Fix.  The 21 Day Fix has proven very effective and is one of Beachbody's most popular programs.  Oh...and it's ON SALE for $140!  

The 21 Day Fix challenge pack includes your fitness DVDs, nutrition guide, 30 day supply of Shakeology, and (my favorite part) color-coded containers that are designed to show you how much of each type of food you are allowed to eat for the day.  Is that not brilliant?!  By following the nutrition program and doing the 30 minute workouts 7 days/week, for 3 weeks, you are bound to see BIG changes.

But I am also really excited for the challenge group I am hosting because I am trying something new!  In my typical challenge groups, I post daily in our Facebook group motivation, a fitness or nutrition tip, or recipe, and an assignment.  I think that's enough for some people, but I wanted to amp up the accountability for this group.  I want people in this group who WANT to change.  I want people who are WILLING to commit to the 21 days and go all in.  So I am trying something new, and I really believe the participants' results will be bigger and better.  

The group will begin September 15th, so the absolute last day to order is September 8th.  Would you like to join me?  Are you ready to create a healthier you?  Do you want to kickstart your weightloss before the holidays approach?  

Comment below or message me on Facebook!  I would love to get to know you better, help you set some goals, and get after them!  

www.facebook.com/dara.laporta

My coach, Lindsay's results!

3 Day Refresh Challenge Group Results

I am behind on my blogging, so until now have not posted the results from our 3 Day Refresh Challenge group.  Yes, I did post my personal review of the Refresh, but have yet to tell you about the group's results. And they are worth telling!  

Nine women and one man did the 3 Day Refresh with me.  As a group, the nine women lost 30.5 pounds!  That is nearly 3.5 pounds per person!  And the man of the group?  Are you ready for this?!  He lost 8.4 pounds in THREE DAYS!  I am so proud of my challengers and the discipline they showed to complete the Refresh.  

Beachbod's 3 Day Refresh is definitely the perfect way to reset your system, drop a few pounds, and of course feel refreshed (sorry I couldn't resist)!