#1 Cleaning My Closet and #10 Meet Friends for Lunch

Yesterday morning I started the dreaded task of cleaning and organizing my closet (#1 clean and organize my closet off of my spring to-do list). I woke up at 9:00 had a cup of coffee and got right to it. First I started with taking out all of the shoes and handbags from the bottom of my closet so I can actually walk in and assess the situation. Really, what is the purpose of having a walk-in closet when you can't walk into it? Then, I decided what items needed to go and what needed to stay. Since I lost weight last year I am now wearing a size 8. However, I still have clothes in my closet ranging from sizes 10 to 16. What am I holding on to those clothes for? Can it be that secretly I am not confident enough in my ability to maintain my new weight? Well, if that is the case I am giving them away because I believe in the power of positive thinking. (however, I still kept my size 10's just.in.case!)

I did manage to take a break from the major construction to meet two of my co-workers for a nice sushi lunch. (#10 meet friends for brunch; okay so it was lunch but it still counts). It was good to get together with colleagues outside of work and get to know each other as women and not just teachers!

After lunch I went home and went right back to work...I was determined to finish the closet and by 6:00PM I was done. whew! I put away all my winter clothes (spring is here to stay, right?) and I now have two big garbage bags of clothes to donate. My closet is organized and I enjoyed a delicious lunch with two amazing women! Two things off of my Spring To-Do List!!!! All in all it was a very productive day!

My Spring Break To-Do List!

Finally spring break is here! WooHoo! Every year during spring break I make a to-do list which consists of various things that I want to accomplish during that week. Usually, I don’t get half of my list done but this year I decided that to keep me on track, I would post my list for you guys to see and then everyday report my accomplishments. So here goes my spring break list in no particular order:

1. Clean and organize my closet
2. Start cleaning out that top drawer of my nightstand(sigh)
3. Double date with my bff and our husbands
4. Spend some quality time with daughters
5. Stay in my pajamas and do absolutely nothing all day (actually I took care of this one on Saturday during that rain storm)
6. Start a vegetable garden
7. Continue to work on my new business endeavor
8. Have a “me” day – hair done, nails done, shopping…
9. Visit my mom
10. Meet friends for brunch

Seems like a lot to do in a week, right? But I am confident that some things I can knock out two in one day! So check back daily to see which one I have crossed off the list! I am off to accomplish #3 right now!

Run Over Domestic Violence!

Today I participated in the 3rd annual Run Over Violence 5k race with some amazing women. The purpose of this event was to raise awareness about domestic violence as well as gather donations for Womanspace, an organization that shelters and rehabilitates women who have been subjected to domestic violence.

Since this was my first 5k run I really didn't know how much running vs. walking I could do. Although, I run on the treadmill with some intensity I was a little hesitate about running on land. When the race first began I started out pretty good, and then slowly started losing steam. When I got to the half-way mark I realized that I had made a wrong turn and I saw that I was actually headed toward the finished line?! As tired as I was I could have continued to run and pretended that I ran the whole 5k in record time and no one would have ever known....but that would be cheating, right? So I turned around, ran back to the half way mark and finished the whole 5k. So I guess I actually ran more than 5k!!! I can be such an overachiever!

Although the run was exhausting, it was also quite invigorating at the same time. Just knowing that I had a part in helping bring awareness to this worthy cause helps make the pain of my shin splints right now worthwhile.

"Domestic violence is the actual or threatened physical, sexual, emotional or economic abuse of an individual by someone with whom they have or have had an intimate relationship. Violence against women is a human issue, and a social problem. It’s up to the community to take a stand against abuse, hold abusers accountable for their behavior and protect victims."(www.womanspace.org)

If you or anyone you know are a victim of domestic violence contact 1.800.799.SAFE (7233). Remember you are not alone!

Nil Sine Magno Labore

“Nil sine magno labore” which is latin for “nothing without great effort” has become my life’s motto! Everything that I have accomplished in my life has been a result of my perseverance and determination. Recently I asked my first grade class to write their New Year’s Resolution. One of my students wrote, “My New Year’s Resolution is to never give up because giving up only makes you fail and get angry at yourself". Wow! This from a 6 year old! If only we could bottle this attitude and use it for when we need a reminder of how capable we are of accomplishing anything we want!

Now what does "great effort" really mean? Well, it means that it isn’t always easy to reach our goals. It may require sacrificing time, money or comfort. Sometimes when we think about the amount of sacrificing it takes to achieve our goals we instantly get discouraged and come up with all sorts of reasons why we can’t do it! I am guilty of doing this myself. For years I delayed going back to school but I knew it would be a really big sacrifice of my time! AND IT WAS! But I never gave up and after two years of sacrificing my evenings, weekends and sleep! I finally accomplished my goal of earning my Masters degree and I am so glad that I did!

Losing weight was also something that I put off for years. I used every excuse in the book. Not enough time in the day, I hate working out, I’ll start next month! I always knew that losing weight would require me to spend some real time exercising something that I hated doing. But I was determined! So I joined to gym and started working out with my trainer. But after the first few weeks of sacrificing food, time and comfort. I started to get that feeling of discouragement because I wanted to see instant change and it was taking too long. That is when I started remembering my favorite motto “nil sine magno labore” and believing that I will see change if I just keep working at it and I am so glad I did!

I have so many more goals I want to accomplish, as I know we all do! I hope that the attitude of my student can inspire us all to never give up on our goals whatever they may be because perseverance really does pay off!

Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself......

I am Nicole the third daughter of five, a middle child...(yes I had the middle child syndrome).  I am Worley- the nickname my loving and incredibly supportive husband has given me. (It's a long story but it has something to do with my maiden name) I am Mommy to two beautiful daughters who keep me young and on my toes! I am Nikki-the friend of a chosen few. I am teacher to all the little ones who enter my classroom door each year. All of these titles combined is what makes me who I am but in order for me to be the best I can be in all of these roles I had to go back to just being Nicole and learn how to love myself unconditionally!

Let me explain....
At some time or other I let each one of these roles define me. They controlled my level of happiness and how content I was about my life. Now don't get me wrong each one of these roles play a major role in my life and I would not have the wonderful life that I have now without them. However, I didn't always love myself no matter what. In order to do that I had to just be Nicole again. The Nicole that didn't have all these other roles and titles...the Nicole who only had herself to care for. Before the kids, the husband, the degrees, the house in the suburbs and the career.

This past summer I was determined to get to know her again.  So I made a little deal with myself; I would join the gym and get in shape and as I drive to the gym each day I would think about all the things that worried, depressed or burdened me. However, I promised myself that as soon as I walked through the gym doors I would not think about anything else except ME and leave all those stresses behind. At first it wasn't easy because as ran on the treadmill my mind kept going back to the last conversation I had with my daughter or what I was going to cook for dinner or if the all this hard work with my trainer was worth it all.

But eventually it worked. And with the help of Mary, Sasha Fierce and some of the many of gospel songs on my playlist I was able to tune out the world for two hours a day, six days a week, focus on ME and lose 40 pounds! This began the amazing rediscovery of me and learning to love myself from the inside out! I am still a work in progress but I am so excited about the rest of the journey!