Day 1 – Feeling a Bit Overwhelmed

check-listTechnically, this is day 2 of the 40 Days and Nights Program during which I’m changing a huge number of things in my life, but I’m writing about it for the first time, so we’ll call it day one.

During the next 40 days, I’m revamping just about everything.  When I say everything, you may wonder what everything really means.

Here’s my list:

1.  Help at home:

My nanny is leaving and I’ll be bringing in one or two new people to replace her.  Dave says one person can do it all.  I have my doubts.  In another post, I’ll share all I need help with at home.  It’s a lot and I’m excited (and scared too) to bring some new energies into my life.

2.  Dog:

I adopted a dog about 4 months ago and he’s got some behavioral issues that I’m done tolerating.  We’ve worked with a trainer, but that didn’t really work, so thanks to my friend and mastermind partner Regina, I’ve hired Brandon Fouche, a dog behaviorist.  We worked together by phone last night and today and I’m already seeing a big difference.  One of these days, I’ll write about how this dog has taught me something big about boundaries.

3.  Overall physical health:

While my physical health is great, my mental health is not so good.  Plus, I’d love to drop about 15 pounds of fat I’m still carrying from my pregnancy days (6 years ago now!) and put on some nice lean muscle.  This will be my biggest challenge.

4. Preparing my mind and my company to go huge:

My company is rockin’ it.  We have more lawyers than ever ready to transform from ordinary lawyers into lawyers that guide their clients through a lifetime of good decisions.  I’m ready to take things to the next level in a big way.

So, lots of change planned for my life over the next 40 days.  Already, I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed.

I’m working with JJ Virgin on the physical side of things and that’s requiring me to be far more conscious about my food choices.  I already feel like I messed up today by starting with a Myoplex shake, which I now know is a big no-no because of the artificial sweeteners.  And for lunch, I grabbed a couple of scoops of tuna fish and a slice of cheese.  I’ve got to get a plan in place because this is clearly not going to work.  I’m thinking food delivery.

On the help at home front, I’ve started a list of exactly what I’m looking for and attracted a couple of people to me already, but neither of them seems exactly right.  So, I’ll keep working on my list with the intention to meet some folks in person next week after my trip to Colorado.

On the dog front, he’s now scared of me.  I guess this is the first step.  It’s not my preferred method of being in the world, but I’ve had to come to terms with the fact that I either need to dominate my dog and get control or I’m going to have to give him up.  I can’t risk him biting one of my kids or their friends. So, I’m going to try the former.

I attended the first of David and Kristin Morelli’s coaching calls last night and tried to get on this morning only to find that this morning’s call had been scheduled in my calendar wrong.  Immediate frustration.  But, instead of giving up, I found the replay, listened and did the meditation.  There’s a lot of visualization, which is difficult for me, but I’m not giving up.

So, that’s day 1.  I’ll keep ya posted. 🙂

Photo Credit: Cambodia4kidsorg

5 Comments

  1. MicheleThursday, April 30, 2009 at 2:50 am 

    Dear Alexis,
    Be kind to yourself. No doubt you have many talents and strengths, but you have taken on a huge burden all at once. Anyone will tell you if, for example, you are a smoker and you also need to lose weight, do one thing at a time. You will have a better opportunity for success. Youare doing so much at once, just reading your list is overwhelming. It is no wonder trying to actually achieve them makes you feel overwhelmed. That said I salute your determination and your bold honesty.
    Those qualities are the ones that have taken you to the life you are now living but, please remember that you don’t have to be perfect every moment. Give yourself a little wiggle room. It will all go a little smoother for you if you do and, Alexis, even as you give yourself wiggle room, you will absolutely accomplish more than most of us would or could. God bless and keep you.

  2. Courtney MartinThursday, April 30, 2009 at 9:05 pm 

    Rock on, sista’.

    I really like the blog Zen Habits, which discusses a lot of personal transformation tips.

  3. CandiceSaturday, May 2, 2009 at 4:00 pm 

    I really enjoy reading about your journey. 🙂

  4. JessTuesday, June 30, 2009 at 9:46 pm 

    I wandered over to your blog today via Brazen Careerist. Sorry to intrude, but my love for dogs would not let me bite my tongue.

    It is probably moot at this point, but there are ways of drawing boundaries with your dog without him being afraid of you, especially if you are concerned about aggression issues. Addressing aggression with fear-based techniques will often create a dog that bites out of fear. “Alpha” and “dominance” theories are rooted in misunderstood studies of non-familial captive wolf packs, which bear little resemblance to either real wolf packs or our domesticated dogs.

    I would suggest taking a look at Patricia McConnell, Suzanne Clothier, Ian Dunbar and Turid Rugaas. They (and many other behaviorists and trainers) provide alternatives to that “method of being in the world” with your dog.

    Thank you so much for adopting and a dog with some behavioral issues a chance!

  5. JessTuesday, June 30, 2009 at 9:50 pm 

    Also, I have spent a good part of the day poking around your sites. Absolutely fabulous :).

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