Measuring success (MAY 2024 NEWSLETTER)
Musing(s): How do you measure success?
For the past few months, I've been decluttering and organizing. We're set to move here in a couple months and I like to take inventory of all we've accumulated over the past 3 years.
This morning, I came across my middle school yearbook and as I was flipping through the pages, I came across the page that revealed my most prized award:
BEST SENSE OF HUMOR. (<-does that surprise you?) 😂
I recently cut up my yearbook (cue minimizing brain)
among the other awards, I saw the age-ole "most likely to succeed" and I sat there and thought, how did we define success back then?- to even vote for someone?
Was it someone who we thought would be president?
or make a boat load of money?
or someone who would go to an ivy league school?
I thought about how my view of 'success' has evolved-
as well as a conversation I had with a client yesterday.
backstory: this client recently decided that they wanted to host free dance parties in the park
How FUN does that sound?
and also- how vulnerable...
they had their first "free dance party" in the park this past Sunday
and they said:
"I *think* it was a success."
and then I asked,
"what makes you think that?
how are you defining success in hosting these classes?"
and they said,
"because my hope by doing it- (by hosting them)
is to do something that put myself out there.
I also want to practice dancing for long periods of time because there is a music festival that I want to go to in a couple months and I want to work on my dancing endurance."
After talking about it for a while, we landed on how their measure of success wasn't how many people showed up, nor was it if the people that DID show up enjoyed themselves- (even though that helped)
Their measure of success was based upon questions (only they) could answer. No outside entity could have a say in whether the event was (or was not) successful.
So much of fitness 'success' get associated with numbers. Calories, weight/muscle lost of gained etc. that we may have lost sight on how WE define success. Here are some curious questions to consider:
When it comes to exercise, what does success sound like, look like FEEL LIKE to YOU?
Is it something that an outside person can measure or have an opinions on?
Or can only you determine it to be true?
as always, I'd love to hear your alls thoughts on this.
Mention(s): Song:
Samantha Crain "When we remain"
Speaking of dance parties,
I have a client who brings me (new to me) songs that we dance to.
But, this past week, she brought me one that we cried to.
'When we remain' by Samantha Crain is sung in the Choctaw language and "bring(s) awareness to clean water and sanitation challenges facing Native American populations in the United States."
In Choctaw, the lyrics are:
“Okla e maya momakma, tamaha chito okla imihaksi tuko i foni aiyokli ahoba hapiachi kiyo / Okla e maya momakma, napakanli, micha iti, micha nan vpi ahoba osh ohmi tamaha chito okla imihaksi tukon okla il vbachike / Yakni i natanna ibachvffa hosh okla il ilai achonli tuk / Hapi fiopa ya, shotik chinto okla il itibani tuk”.
Translated to English, the lyrics are:
“When we remain, we will not be like the beautiful bones of a forgotten city / When we remain, we will be the flowers and the trees and the vines that overcome the forgotten city / We have woven ourselves into the cloth of the earth / We have mixed our breath into the expanding sky”.
I think this song is beautiful in the most heartbreaking way.
Movement(s): 5 minute (all standing) Warm up from the movement channel
5 minute (all standing) WARM UP
and I'll end this newsletter with a quick (all standing) warm up. You might also want to save this video in order to prepare you for other workouts!
If you like this workout, or the way that I instruct, I have over 500+ non-diet videos on the channel. It's FREE for 30 days and $14.99/month after that.
TAKE ME TO THE MOVEMENT CHANNEL!
you all are the reason I get to continue sharing the 'movement for more' message and I'm so grateful. Thank you.
Until next time,
what is your definition of success in this current season? 🍃
Jamie C.
