MADE FOR MORE...

I've been thinking about this blog post every since I came back from Las Vegas in June when we were down there for our annual Beachbody Summit event.  The first training session that we went to while we were down there was put on by 2013 Top Coach Lindsay Matway.  She has an amazing story of how she was a bartender in a ton of debt, had child out of wedlock with health issues, and going in the wrong direction in life.  She then found Beachbody and a few years later she is making 7 figures and changing people's lives.  If you want to read her full story you can head over to her blog, Lindsay Matway - About Me. 

At the event she hosted, she had a handful of her top coaches come and speak and share their experiences.  She also handed out this simple bracelet that you see in the picture above.  On one side it says, MADE FOR MORE, and on the other side, SHINE 2014.  The theme of the training was to SHINE. That we, as coaches (and people) need to be a light of good news and possibilities to share with people that are lost in their careers, lost with their health, or just need help figuring out who they are and that they are made for more.  So, I've been wearing this bracelet ever since the event as a reminder that I can make a difference, and I need to let my light shine. 

It is with the idea, that we were MADE FOR MORE,  that inspired me to write this blog. The idea of this post has scared me beyond belief.  One, I know people will question and doubt me.  People won't understand and will question me.  Two, I've never shared this before, and people probably have never thought of me as being this bold because my personality is usually pretty reserved.  Lastly, by putting myself out there, I'm now responsible to follow through.  

So what is it that has me nervous? I have a goal: I WANT TO CHANGE THE WORLD.  Will I be able to change all 7 billion people in the world?  Probably not, but I'm going to try.  All I know is that it starts with one person, then two, then three and so on.  My hope is then that those people will have an impact on their sphere of influence, and the ripple effect of that can reach everywhere eventually.  For the longest time I had the mindset, that I'm just a blip on the radar that what I do doesn't matter.  I think back to my 9th grade geometry teacher, Mr. Lasley, and every time I see him he has the same message for me that goes something like this; "SUEDBECK!!!,  You could do so much more!"  Up to this point he has always followed my career as a golf professional. Geometry came easy to me and I was one standout students, so I think he thought that I was capable of something far more complex and challenging than fixing golf swings.  So, Mr. Lasley, I accept your challenge, I'm going to do so much more.

The one obvious area that Laura and I hope to have an influence is in nutrition and healthy living.  Through Beachbody we have been given an incredible vehicle to promote a healthy lifestyle through proper nutrition and exercise.  We get to work with people daily, and it is when we get messages like this that we truly know we're making some sort of difference!

"The best thing to come from this group has been that it has changed my way of thinking. I shop around the perimeter of the grocery store (as you said) consisting of mostly vegetables, fruit, and a small amount of meat/dairy. It feels good to eat fresh food! I enjoy the preparation and cooking of different meals than I am used to. It's been over a month since I've been to Subway, Culver's, etc, which I know is a great thing. I feel like I have a "plan" that I can continue with for the rest of my life."

I read things like this and I know I'm on the right track.  I think it is so important to help people see the benefit in taking care of themselves through nutrition and exercise prior to having health problems.  I truly believe the food we eat and the activities we do are the best medicine a person can use.  I think our society has been conditioned to accept the fact that they will get sick and in that case there is a drug or surgery for their disease.  I used to think that way too.  Now I realize just how absurd that is because I've seen what the proper nutrition has done for me and the people I have worked with in our groups.  

Another area that we hope to have influence is through the Beachbody Coaching opportunity.  This incredible opportunity came into our lives and has changed the way we look at "work" and how we make an income.  When Laura started we never thought this could be our full time job, but we've seen over the past two years that with just a little bit of consistency every day...this part time, home business can and will turn into something that's much bigger than either of us.  Our goal is to completely replace both of our "regular" incomes with Beachbody incomes by next Summer/Fall so we can focus solely on helping people live a healthier life. By sharing this coaching opportunity with others and mentoring/coaching them....and helping them gain the freedom (financial, time etc...) THEY want is part of our goals! We LOVE our family of coaches on Team Fully Fit and want to help them reach their goals just as much as we want to reach ours.  

Lastly and definitely the most important: our lives would not be what they are without our relationship with Jesus Christ. Sharing HIS love and who HE is through our words and actions...no matter what... is the most important thing in our lives. This can happen in so many different ways but honestly it all comes down to "getting the love thing right". Our pastor uses that phrase a lot and it resonates so much with us because there are many different ways you can love people...BUT loving them unconditionally, no matter their choices, is something we can't do in OUR power...it just won't happen. We need Jesus.

We also love the vision statement at the church we go to: We are a community with open hands, receiving from God all He wants to give, believing He wants to give us a lot. And with open hands we give it away, believing we cannot out-give God.  It is through this receiving and giving that we can really make a difference.  We know that if we can spread His love, people will change, communities will change, nations will change, the world will change...all for His glory and for the better. 

I want to end with a story that I recently heard and a song that also ties it all together.  Both talk about the importance that one individual can make on another individual.  Far too often we look at all the problems we see in this world and we think that there is no way we can do anything, that the problems of this world are too big.  But WHAT IF, instead of looking at these problems as a whole we each decided to do just a little bit, what kind of difference would that make?? You may not have the same passions as we do but I'm sure there is something that you are passionate about!! Find what that is and use it!  You too, were MADE FOR MORE!

“Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"

The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man.

To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"

At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "It made a difference for that one.” 


― Loren Eiseley