innovation-nation
- Jul 1, 2020
- 6 min read
So you want to innovate?
Maybe you want to upscale your business, start a new side hustle, change your diet, create a business, or level-up your life.
Whatever it is- it's time for change. It's innovation-nation.
...
innovation
the action or process of innovating:
"innovation is crucial to the continuing success of any organization"
I honestly believe that you cant level-up, or make drastic changes, without a little innovation. You need to be creative, open-minded and tactful. In order to beat the best, upscale your business or become a better version of you - you need to change. You need to innovate, and you need to embrace the universal signs that are telling you to either stop, slow down or go.
"If you want something you've never had, you have to do something you've never done."
In order to progress in any area of your life - you need to change something. Small changes lead to big results. However, you'll never get any sort of big, or small result, if you don't make any sort of change.
Therefore: stop being a butthead and make a change. Start small and steady, until you're more comfortable making big and better changes.
1. What do I want?
2. What am I willing to do to get it?
3. What am I currently doing?
4. What have I done in the past?
5. What can I do that is DIFFERENT?
WHAT IS THE GAME-CHANGING ADVICE I HAVE?
DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAN WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN DOING.
Obviously, you're not where you want to be.
Your past tactics have stopped working, and you're falling behind again.
ITS TIME TO INNOVATE.
ITS TIME TO TRY SOMETHING NEW!!!
It took me years, but I am finally innovating my life.
I am changing, upscaling and being open-minded to the many opportunities surrounding me - because suffering sucks.
I suffered for a long, long time, because I refused to make any changes.
I was a "bodybuilder", for years.
I was the "fit chick", for years.
I was "shredded", for years.
I was miserable, for years.
I lifted hard, heavy and extensively for an extremely long time. I attained a peak performance and body composition for an extensive period of time, which nearly killed me.
I refused to let any injuries slow me down, and I refused to step back at any point.
I lacked balance, peace, happiness and love - for freakinnnnnnnng years.
It was exhausting. It was soooo exhausting.
Life was exhausting. Actually, life was downright dreadful.
Fitness was my everything, as it was my only area of focus.
My nutrition, supplementation, workouts, etc...that was my life. And honestly, I began to bloody-well despise it.
Deep down, I didn't want to be the "fit chick".
Yeah, I wanted to remain shredded, walk around with a 6pack set of abs and be hot and confident. But truth be told, I wasn't confident even at my leanest. I always felt insecure, regardless of my physique or weight.
I desperately longed to be "balanced".
You know, balanced.
That dreaded, somehow sought-out word used in the fitness industry that we all crave - yet don't allow ourselves to achieve ... yeah, that one.
I wanted to be balanced.
I wanted to feel good in my skin, yet enjoy life, too. I wanted to be able to eat the things I wanted to eat, without guilt.
I wanted more rest days, less intense workouts and to not feel inadequate when I had an "off" day in the gym.
I wanted to be able to do minimal, yet achieve optimal.
I wanted to eat more, yet stay lean.
I wanted my life to involve fitness, but not revolve around fitness.
Do you catch my drifft?
Sure, it may sound like I want everything - yet giving nothing; which I did.
Until I learned that balance doesn't work that way. Actually, nothing in life works that way.
You gotta give a little - to get a little. yknow?
But regardless, I got it.
I got balance. Because I innovated my life and my choices.
CORONA VIRUS came at an optimal time in my life, allowing me to "have my cake, and eat it too", so to speak.
I had to give up my shredded 6pack abs. I had to leave behind my "fit chick" persona, and embrace a fuller, more loving and joyful version of myself. I had to be creative, open-minded and hopeful. I had to put all my trust in the universes plans, and embrace the uncertainty.
I had to innovate.
I got severely injured during the COVID19 pandemic (as soon as gyms opened ... shocker), and I had to embrace rest.
Rest, the thing that I secretly craved, yet couldn't seem to force myself to embrace.
I had to innovate my life, change my beliefs and trust the process.
I had to learn that things were happening FOR me, not TO me.
And not being able to weight-lift due to COVID restrictions, followed by injury, were exactly what (I never knew), I needed.
It was painful, and it was worthy.
I had to innovate.
I had to make changes.
I believe that the spiritual realm, set me up with this innovation-nation, process.
You see, I asked for balance, and I got it.
I asked for peace, and I received it.
I asked for more happiness and energy, and I embraced it.
I asked for less guilt about not being able to perform to my best - and I got it.
1. COVID19 pandemic regulations (gyms being shut) and an injury (inability to perform), relieved me of my pain, guilt and shame regarding my fitness regime.
I no longer felt guilty about not being able to workout the way I once did, because gyms weren't open, and then I was injured, and now I just recognize what my truths are and when I am fully capable of performing, or not.
2. Travel and the changes regarding food choices and accessibility, helped me embrace not being in control of my diet 24/7.
I couldn't be fussy with my nutrition throughout this time. Food in Australia is freaking expensive compared to Canada. It's literally like $6-$8 for one red pepper (capsicum in Aussie terms), and in Canada, they're like $4 for a bag of 4 peppers (capsicum). Food was limited throughout the pandemic as shelves were low on stock, and stores weren't receiving supplies on their expected arrival dates.
This helped me embrace a more intuitive diet, embracing the unknowns, trying new foods and indulging lotttttts!
3. Not having access to a scale, got me to embrace a fuller look without the scale and numerical statistics screaming at me, too.
I couldn't weigh myself anymore. Although I could physically see and feel the fit of my clothing and body change, I didn't have a scale screaming numerical statistics at me. The scale often left me feeling inadequate and hideous if the numbers weren't in my "favour". This helped me change my relationship with both my body and the scale - recognizing that all things change. I had to learn and embrace the normal fluctuations, instead of try to control them.
4. I become creative with my fitness routine, as injury and the inability to weight-lift, changed my abilities and allowed me to "practice what I preach", more.
I love using plyometrics, bodyweight exercises and bands to help others achieve their goals. I love being creative with fitness routines and experimenting with new workouts.
However, I got stuck.
For years, I was stuck in the mindset that in order to be "fit", I had to weight-lift. I always thought I would be the one person who HAD to weight-lift in order to reach their goals - while others could utilize bands, yoga and their bodies to achieve amazing results. I finally got forced to end the sh*t, and test it out for myself. And guess what, although I have gained some weight, I'm not obese or unhealthy. I am still human, I am still fit and I am perfectly worthy to take up space in this world.
5. I rested. I had to rest due to the illness, injury and setbacks ... and it was bloody magnificent.
I struggled with rest for a very long time. Over the years it's gotten better. I struggled taking rest from the gym for a very long time. When I was in the heights of my competing days, I was a believer in "team no days off", often resulting in complete mental breakdown.
Over the time, I worked up being able to take 1-2 rest days a week - which was an incredible win for me!!
However now, through the pandemic and injury, I've come even further! I went on a few weeks of being unable to weightl-ift at all. I had to embrace stretching and foam-rolling through injury rehabilitation. It was sooooo weird to me, not being able to workout or be active the way I was used to. However, it helped me so much!
I now, can take 3-4 rest days a week without any shame! WIN WIN WIN !!!
So as you can see, innovation was necessary for me to up-level my life.
Innovation saved me.
I had to innovate in order to embrace the changes that were happening around me. I had to be creative with my routine, mindset, workouts, habits, eating and thought patterns. I had to embrace the process, and try new things in order to create a new life.
I had to innovate.
Remember, nothing changes - if nothing changes.
Innovate. Create. Embrace the uncertainty and try somethings new.
If you want different results, you need to make different choices.
xo
dee
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