Category — Video

So I made this video late last night, straight from the gym as I was thinking about the power that COMMITMENT brings to our lives. It's our 21st wedding anniversary, and for the first time ever, Mr. Parris (The Sailor) and I are apart for a whole year. Whatever you put your hand to, I hope you can find the joy that comes from not holding back. Jump in and commit!

You might laugh a little at our wedding picture here!

Many times we feel that we will somehow protect ourselves by not totally committing. It's like if we fail then, perhaps it will hurt less or something. However, I encourage you today – as much as it depends on you, make the COMMITMENT to yourself and those around you, that you are in it to win. Commit to whatever it takes to bring out the best in the people around you. Whether you are building a marriage, a family, or a business – your power is in your ability to keep going. I thank God a zillion times that we did not give up in the tough times. What do you think? Can we commit to success even if those around us do not? Share your thoughts below.

I'm in your corner!

Gina

Have you ever just had a bad day? Have you ever felt lousy when you weren’t even sure why? Wouldn’t it be great to know how to be happy when you’re feeling crappy?

I made this video to help us understand a few things:

1. From the time we are little we are bombarded with messages about how we SHOULD act, look, behave. As women we have one set of ridiculous conflicting messages, and men don’t have it any easier.

2. It’s good to question everything! Jump off the merry go round long enough to ask “Why? – and “says who?”

3. The answer just may be because everybody is looking for the fabulous feeling that really comes from just following Two Commandments.

What do you think? Do you know how to relax, and reframe it all to be happy when you feel crappy? Please share your thoughts below.

I’m in your corner!!
Gina

In the field of peak performance, I think most people understand that if we can truly believe something, we can see it come to pass. There is no power greater than the power of belief. Still, so often many of us struggle beneath our potential, wondering why we miss the mark. Why do our goals fail to materialize? Why do we get frustrated?

What is belief anyway? Belief is being persuaded that something is going to come to pass. If it is belief in something good, we call it faith. If it is belief in something bad, we call it fear. If you have a mixture or a double mind about it, you are in doubt. (notice they start with the same prefix.)  Doubt is the master key to staying stuck!  That's why so much of my work with people focuses on eliminating their internal conflicts.

What if we could glean some lessons from the Father of our faith, Abraham? If we read the Bible in Romans 4, some of his secrets are summed up. How did he have Isaac and give birth to a whole nation when he and his wife were old and sterile?

1. Face the Facts – but don't be moved by them

Hey, there is no condemnation in starting right where you are. "Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead, since he was a hundred years old and Sarah's womb was also dead."

Ever felt like your dreams were dead, your business was dead, your career was dead? Abraham and Sarah had a dream of this child for decades before they got into alignment with the promise and gave birth. And there is a magical word: promise.

2. Trust in the promise and The Promiser

"Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being FULLY PERSUADED that God had power to do what he had promised."

It is difficult to muster up a ton of faith and confidence separate from a promise from God. I know people seem to do it, but I can't. I don't trust any other source of information. However, once I see a promise in the Word and God stirs it up in my heart, it is a DONE deal. That's how come I have a big long list of miracles that I've witnessed written down in the back of my Bible. Remarkably, when I get into stretches of ignoring the Word, my faith tank gets pretty empty, and I flounder in my own strength.  Faith comes by hearing and hearing. Sometimes I just have to start with a general promise like saying that I am a child of God so I am led by the Spirit of God. Then I start to receive leading and clarity.
Speaking of "saying…"

3. Speak in alignment with life

We're told that Abraham is our father "in the sight of God who GIVES LIFE TO THE DEAD AND CALLS THINGS THAT ARE NOT AS THOUGH THEY WERE."

We talk about this all the time in sports performance: say it, say it, say it. We know how important it is to speak positively, even in the face of contradiction. Did you know God himself is the One who demonstrated that first? He called Abraham a father of many nations, while he was childless and good as dead. He called Jacob a "Prince with God" when people only called him a deceiver He called Gideon a mighty warrior when he was hiding out in a winepress, he called Simon a Rock or "Peter" when he had been as flakey as a reed.  He has a name for you too. It would be good to learn to see yourself the way God does, and call yourself that. For one thing, he calls you "more than a conqueror."  It's hard to be a loser when you have "conqueror" emblazened on your heart.

I've heard that the secret to growing in belief is to feed your faith and starve your doubts. Personally I believe in addressing and acknowledging your doubts and choosing to clear them out on purpose.  Still the end result is the same. You are single-minded, victorious, and connected to the Ultimate Warrior.

Thank you for believing in your self. Until next time keep playing hard and enjoy your game!

I'm in your corner,

Gina

Is attitude really all it's cracked up to be?

In my field as a motivator, I have certainly heard my share
of speeches about attitude. I've heard speakers holler about
how our altitude is determined by our attitude, and It's not
our I.Q. that matters, but our "I will." I've told my children at
times that they needed to change their attitude, and Heaven
knows I've told myself so too.

But what is attitude, really?

According to my students dictionary, attitude means "a mood,
a feeling or a way of thinking."

Most of us grow up thinking about our selves. Our attitude is
self-centered and self-preserving. Part of that is instinctive and
necessary for survival.  Often when athletes or other
professionals come to me for performance coaching
they are desperate to reach the next level of their game.
They are aching to keep their job or to make the big money, or
to become famous. It's all about them and their superstardom.
Being inward focused causes you to shrink.

It really doesn't matter though, weather your game is athletic,
financial or personal. One way to play bigger is with an attitude
that says this,

"It's not about me!"

When you realize how important you are to something bigger
than yourself, you become MORE confident.

For my athletes, they start thinking about the fans. If its professional
sports, than they become aware of how expensive it is for a family
to come watch them play. They realize that their job is to give the
fans a reason to cheer and celebrate something. It's a chance to
help the fans forget their boring or desperate lives at home.

For those in business or sales, all manipulation can end. We can
be free to serve, knowing that when we deliver what our customers
truly want and need, than we will be rewarded. There's no need to
strive in a place of neediness. Instead we focus on what we can give.

Notice I'm not saying to be focused on what others think of YOU.
Just know that putting their needs above your own will somehow
make you happier. It's one of life's paradoxes.
 
I often say that happiness is that state you feel when you love with
no conditions. This applies to business as well as personal relationships.

That kind of love comes from God and drives out fear. When the
fear is gone and faith prevails, then success is at hand.

Try it. I promise, you are more powerful than you think.

Please share your thoughts below.

We are continuing to talk this year, and probably forever, about how to reach your God-given potential – joyfully! There is a certain issue that holds many people back. I don't hear anyone talking about it, but this insidious force starts with the letter "O."

The word is "Offense."  (As in getting offended, not as in getting the ball!)

Sometimes it is easy for us to look at other people in our field, or a leader or someone who seems more "successful" than us and we may disagree with what they are doing. Perhaps we find out that they are being unethical, or corrupt. Or maybe we just can't stand their way of promoting their services. When that happens, we become offended. We become critical, because they don't fit into our pre-determined rules of what is right and wrong.

It's as if we walk around wearing certain uber-cool designer sunglasses, thinking that we are cooler than everybody else because we know what is right. We are superior. The problem with this thinking is that it puts us in a place of pride.

Unfortunately, God opposes the proud. His energy can not mesh with proud flesh, and now we are cut off from His supernatural help. Good luck succeeding on your own. Being offended literally means to stumble. We know that pride goes before a fall.

Last week I took a stand about how I wanted to share my success tips from a more Christ- centered approach to be truer to my calling. I went to bed one night thinking how I wanted to help you overcome this spirit of offense.

I woke up the next day to an email telling me how wrong I was in my theology, and how I shouldn't say things I said. I was being corrected by someone who did not know me, but he had scriptures to point out my errors. Suddenly, without realizing it, I got all disturbed and agitated, and I told God, "This is why I did not want to work in the "Christian" market! They are all so critical and judgmental."

In effect, I was saying, "Everybody should be much more gracious, like ME!"

Oops. I guess I got offended, for a moment.

The truth is, people do not need to be more like me, and they don't need to be more like you. WE need to be more like Christ. He humbled himself and was obedient to death, because he had a JOY set before him. Therefore he was exalted.

Action: Today please re-view the people that may offend you some how. Let go of the judgments you may have cast. The way you judge others is the way you are judged, not just by others, but by your self. You diminish your own confidence when you have a critical spirit.

Until next time, keep playing to win and I'll be right here,

in your corner!

Gina

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