I wanted to write a post here all about coaching. I wanted to answer questions about what it means to be an independent coach for Beachbody, what you get out of it, why you should do it. I wanted to write it because I honestly love doing it – not because of the financial aspect (let’s be honest – mama ain’t got time for much direct sales stuff) but because I love helping women. It’s why I do courses like Creative Basics and why I love to speak.
God has give me a passion to encourage women in several areas – writing, online, motherhood, discovering our calling, and fitness. None of those things are easy – and I’m not an expert in any of them. I just don’t think women should do any of those parts of life alone, without a friend.
But God put something else on my heart to share that I can’t shake. You see, He’s been working in me while I’ve been working out and He reminded me today, again, that small steps matter. Even when we only see a little progress, it’s still progress. Often I’ll look at numbers to measure my success – whether it’s on the scale, on a clothing tag, in the number of followers I have, or the number of events I’ve been invited to.
Instead of celebrating and giving God glory for the one, I often discard that achievement as failure because it’s not bigger.
What would happen instead if we saw the one and recognized it for what it is? The result of hard work, prayer, following God’s will for our lives? Would we stop fearing that we’d miss out on something? Would we stop comparing our season or calling or work or faux leather leggings to someone else’s? What if we stopped taking the one small step for granted and instead gave it the credit it deserves?
When it comes to finances, my husband is a big fan of the 2%. Instead of waking up tomorrow and choosing to make a huge 180 degree turn in everything we do, we decide to make a small 2% turn. We choose one thing to focus on to start to achieve our goal. And we keep making 2% turns slowly, until we’ve reached our goal – and made the 180.
The same is true in fitness. I can’t wake up tomorrow and go run a marathon. But I can set a goal for myself and work toward it one step, one walk, one jog, one run at a time. And each time I go further, walk longer, jog faster, I’m a small step closer to that goal.
When it comes to my faith, I need to remember to do the same thing. It’s easy for me to give myself grace when it comes to finances or fitness, but I tend to expect perfection out of my faith. I think if I just “want to” badly enough I should be able to spend 45 minutes doing Bible study every morning, never yell at my toddler, become a valiant prayer warrior, and never lose my cool over a frustrating situation. I’ve tried and failed over and over again because I wake up on a Monday with a New Years Resolution attitude and jump in with a totally new routine – and then I sink. What if this time I set a goal and made some small, 2% turns toward it? If I chose to spend 5 minutes in the Word and thanked God for that victory, until – by the end of the year – I was spending 20?
I don’t know what your “one” is today. Maybe it’s one reader for your blog. Or one speaking engagement. Or one affirming word from a friend. Or one pound lost on the scale. Whatever your “one” is today, well done, friend. Celebrate that small step – it’s a victory on the way to your goal and NOT a failure. Keeping moving forward!
If you really do want to ask me questions about being a Beachbody coach, I’m totally happy to answer them, and I’d love to have you on our team – you can send me a note on this page!
“…if I just ‘want to’ badly enough….with a New Years Resolution attitude… – and then I sink.” This. So. Much. This. I like the 2% turn concept. Inching along with what feels like maybe .2% progress these days, but grateful to be sharing the journey with other women, moms, entrepreneurs, and faith sisters.
Absolutely! I just consider the small, slow parts extra time to spend with those sisters God has put in my path 😉
Crystal, these are such encouraging words. And i believe them. They are so familiar to me. in fact, they sound very much like what i used to tell people when i did a lot of public speaking for a national company – every step we take matters, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem at the time.
Have you read Deidra Riggs new book Every Little Thing? This post reminds me of the part where she asks (I am paraphrasing) is only a miracle when Jesus spits in the mud and uses the mud to restore the blind man’s eyes? Then she writes “why can’t it also be a miracle when we put away our tape measures and our calculators and stop comparing our purpose with someone else’s purpose? Why can’t it also be a miracle to stand up on our two feet and celebrate the gift of every little thing God call us to? Even if no one notices but him? Wouldn’t it count? Yes. It would count. It does count. It matters. It is miraculous.”
Thank you for such an encouraging post!