Or even that you want me.

Got a personal invite to a chapter event.

• The group was a good fit for me.
• The meeting sounded fun.
• I was tempted.

And then I read the next paragraph.

• She acknowledged I was not a member.
• Shared the event location - five hours away.
• And date - tomorrow!

Did she seriously think I would drop everything to attend a full-day commitment the NEXT day?

• Instead of being thankful for the invite.
• I’m sort of put-off.
• What happened to respect?

First impressions are lasting…

• She is my (lacking) image of the chapter.
• I’m sure other chapter leaders might think more ahead.
• But I don’t have time to check them out.

Personal touch is not enough - I want respect too.

Makes me think of chapter leaders…what kind of first impression do you make with potential members?

Went down to the beach to watch the sunset.

• Noticed a good-sized wedding.
• Taking place in the back of the beach.
• How lovely.

I walked to water’s edge.

• Joined a small crowd of folks.
• Happy to end the day in beauty.
• Sat down and started to relax.

Unfortunately the bride had other ideas...

• She wanted wedding shots on the water’s edge.
• Right in front of me.
• Friends and family blocking my sunset view.

They stormed into the midst of my happy space.

• Kicked sand in my face.
• Positioned themselves with total disregard for the rest of us.
• Focused on their photos.

I moved several feet down the beach.

• To get away from them.
• And reclaim my nirvana.
• They followed me.

I’m a fan of true love and beautiful pictures.

• Rudeness - not so much.
• No apologies offered for ruining my view.
• Either time.

It was an unnecessarily frustrating end to a long day.

Makes me think of chapter leaders…are you aware of the impact your actions have on others in your chapter?

Decided to cook dinner.

• In rental unit kitchenette.
• Got fresh meat.
• Heated my pan.

Tossed the meat in right after a little oil.

• Smoke started to billow immediately.
• No fire.
• But lots of smoke.

Turned down the heat.

• It was too late.
• The kitchen became as smokey as a bar after midnight.
• It was hard to breathe and to see.

I opened the windows.

• Turned on the ceiling fan.
• Swung the front door back and forth.
• The room stayed dark with smoke - no matter what I did.

I went to pull my hair in frustration.

• And discovered my sunglasses on my face.
• I thought my contacts were out and I was wearing my normal glasses.
• Whoops!

Removed the sunglasses and saw a fairly smoke-free room.

Makes me think of chapter leader…What gets in the way of you seeing issues clearly?

For the day.

Three months ago my trainer Mollie issued me a challenge.

• To work out at the beach guys’ lifting gym.
• The next time I was at a beach.
• Today is the day.

I woke early this morning.

• Sick to my stomach.
• My nerves jangled.
• My workout scheduled for early afternoon.

As the morning progressed, it got worse.

• I studied the workout Mollie gave me.
• Practiced the moves as if at the gym.
• Nothing helped.

My productivity was shot.

• Decided to hit the gym early.
• Walked through the Beach Bods gym doors with knees shaking.
• And pretended like I belonged.

The staff person on duty was welcoming.

• The gym was small.
• He still gave me a tour.
• No kettlebells or medicine balls to be found.

I strategized some modifications.

• And started my workout.
• I relaxed as soon as I started lifting weights.
• With 100% concentration, the rest of the world faded away.

I completed the workout.

• It was hard.
• Some of the machines were different and felt a little weird.
• Couldn’t wait to text Mollie!

Oh yeah… I held my own with the Beach Bods people today!

Makes me think of chapter leaders…how do you conquer your personal roadblocks?

Times FOUR!

I worked out with my trainer Mollie this morning.

• Exercising around my cracked toe.
• To keep the rest of me strong.
• And ready to run again in the future.

Mollie usually gives me sets of exercises to do.

• This morning was no different.
• 15 push ups on the BOSU ball followed by 30 seconds of Russian twists.
• Four sets of each.

I did the math quickly.

• 4 X 15 = 60!
• 60 push ups in just our first round of exercises.
• My prior record was 36!

The cool thing - I didn’t totally freak out.

• And self doubt.
• Although I did squeal a bit.
• Then assumed the position to start.

I did them all.

• I won’t lie…
• 59 and 60 were really hard.
• I finished feeling pretty proud.

Mollie shared she had another client do more than 100 push ups in one session!

• Wow!
• And I smiled inside.
• Knowing I had a glimpse of my future too.

Mollie gives me sneak peeks of where she is leading me so I don’t get too comfortable where I am.

Makes me think of chapter leaders…how do you help your members stay comfortable with continued growth?

Of a rain storm.

Sunday was supposed to be the big day.

• Running my first 5K.
• Trained for weeks to get ready.
• Dreams crushed last week by a cracked toe.

Never thought about rain.

• Did my training on a track in the gym.
• Was going to do four runs outside before the race.
• To get used to pounding on cement.

Not sure I would have run that morning.

• Was it safe to run in a storm?
• Would my contacts stay in my eyes?
• Did runners wear raincoats?

Wow - I wasn’t really prepared for the race.

• My training had focused on me
• Ignored the big picture of what could be.
• No plans for potential challenges.

What an eye-opener!

Makes me think of chapter leaders…how do you keep your eye on the big picture as you do your volunteer work?

Should be easy, right?

Yesterday I decided to invest in a training program.

• Participated in a webinar with the expert.
• Enjoyed his energy and easy teaching style.
• Focused on growth area for my business.

I checked out his website.

• The package looked great.
• Would spell out just what we needed.
• Plus promised instant access.

I had no plans last night.

• TV looked boring.
• This was perfect timing.
• Was going to get a jump start on the materials.

Placed the order.

• Gave my credit card.
• Got a receipt.
• And nothing.

No instant access to materials.

• Not even 15 hours later.
• And after submitting a request for help to their support desk.
• Simply radio silence.

Wish he hadn’t promoted the instant access.

• I was extra excited.
• Now sort of let down.
• I’m sure I’ll eventually get the materials.

Glad I saw this guy live - if not I’d be worrying about the quality of the materials too!

Makes me think of chapter leaders…how well do you deliver on the promises you make your members?

Sorta numb.

This past weekend, my life took an unexpected turn.

• Playing with Raindrop.
• Slammed into a box of books at full speed run.
• Oh the pain!

My heart sank with the doctor’s verdict.

• I cracked a toe.
• Will take 4-6 weeks to heal.
• No more running for now.

I had been secretly planning to run my first 5K next weekend.

• Training like a fool.
• Over the top excited.
• My dreams of glory fizzled.

Sure I know this is just a set back.

• But it feels more like a decision point.
• Two roads diverged in the woods.
• I took the path…

In my sadness and forced lack of movement, old habits raise challengingly.

• How will I lose weight if I can’t workout?
• Can I really eat to keep the fires burning.
• So many goal dates are going to be messed up, who cares what I do?

I’m having a pity party - and I know it.

• The choice should be easy.
• This is simply a little challenge.
• So many believe in me…

The sunny optimist in me is just a little smothered at the moment.

Makes me think of chapter leaders…how do you keep going when it’s easier to stop?

Raindrop here.

Have you ever felt totally misunderstood?

• Blamed for bad when trying to do good?
• Acting with best of intentions and accused of being wrong?
• That’s me.

Mom blames me for not getting any Easter candy yesterday.

• Says the Easter Bunny is mad.
• Because I ate her babies.
• Thus no chocolate on the kitchen table.

That’s not what happened.

• I was outside with GiGi.
• We were patrolling to keep the family safe.
• We came across the bunny nest.

Mom has been trying to get more fit.

• Chocolate is not on her eating plan.
• Easter was coming.
• I needed to take action to keep the Easter Bunny away.

Decided to relocate the babies.

• Picked up the first baby in my mouth.
• GiGi asked me a question.
• I shook my head no - and the baby died.

Feeling bad, I put the body down to get the other baby.

• Gently put it in my mouth and was ready to move.
• Saw that ding dong GiGi rolling all over the other baby’s body.
• I barked for her to stop and accidentally swallowed the second baby.

Remember I was just trying to help Mom.

• Instead I threw up.
• Got yelled at.
• And made fun of on Facebook by Mom.

I had good intentions - my actions didn’t tell the story properly to Mom.

As Mom always says, makes me think of chapter leaders…do you try to see issues from other points of view before assigning blame?

(My friend Pam Donahoo, who is the Executive Director at American Mensa, writes about her tornado experience this afternoon. Her office is very close to DFW airport.)

Typical spring weather for DFW.

• Thunderstorms broke out mid afternoon
• Tornado sirens wailed.
• The staff gathered in the conference room

• Thought it was a false alarm.
• Until we walked a block away.
• (The photo above is what they saw.)

• Roofs gone.
• Power lines and trees down.
• Tornado was really close!

While in Colorado Springs this week, I went horseback riding.

• For first time since age 15.
• I couldn’t do it two years ago at my heavy weight.
• Decided to celebrate fitter me with a ride.

The drive up was breathtaking.

• And scary.
• Only banks of dirt to keep us on the windy mountain road.
• Ended around 9,000 feet altitude.

We arrived at the Broadmoor Stables early.

• Greeted by some adorable dogs.
• And a warning.
• If I die on the horse, it’s my fault.

My horse was named Thor.

• He was huge.
• And had red hair like me.
• It was a sign we were meant to be together.

To my delight, I got on Thor with no problem.

• Our guide Jeff, taught me how to steer Thor.
• And away we went.
• Up the mountain trails.

The view was breathtaking.

• Thor and I were a great team.
• Even better - it was a pretty pain-free ride.
• (Thanks to Mollie and the gazillion squats she’s made me do this year.)

My heart sang with joy as I rode the mountain trails celebrating the fitter me.

Makes me think of chapter leaders…how do you celebrate progress in your chapter?

Not fun.

Called a customer service center today.

• Was told the wait would be nine minutes.
• Was given the option for no elevator music.
• What a treat - or so I thought!

Alas, it was a bait and switch of sorts.

• I didn’t get the music.
• But I did get a steady barrage of ads.
• One about every 15 seconds - and very disruptive.

Please bring back the elevator music!

Makes me think of chapter leaders…how do you quality control the options you offer your members?

Today I got a message on LinkedIn.

• From someone I didn’t know.
• Inviting me an upcoming chapter meeting.
• Offering to get me in at the member price.

I first read the invite on my phone.

• I was intrigued.
• It was a chapter I considered exploring in the past.
• How nice of this person to ask me!

Then I got on my computer…

• Saw the rest of the story.
• This wasn’t a personal message to me.
• It was a cattle call of names.

My excitement fizzled.

• The program looked just okay.
• Located on the other side of Metro Detroit.
• A two-hour drive during rush hour.

If a personal invite, maybe I’d go - but as a generic outreach, not worth attending.

Makes me think of chapter leaders…do you personally reach out to potential guests?

So cool.

On Thursday I was anxious driving to Columbus, OH.

• To attend The Arnold Sports Festival.
• My confidence quivered.
• Would I be laughed out for attending?

I feel silly now.

• I met athletes from all walks.
• They embraced me as a person.
• And inspired me like crazy.

I asked her for advice for my fitness journey.

• Consistency was the secret to her success.
• She also encouraged us to talk to lots of people at The Arnold.
• All of them started somewhere - so we did.

Betsy was a CrossFit competitor.

• She did 84 snatches in ten minutes.
• (Her barbell went from ground to overhead in one smooth move.)
• Did 30 snatches at 30 lbs.; 30 at 55 lbs. and 24 snatches with 75 pounds - WOW!

Later I connected with Betsy.

• Told her she was an inspiration.
• She told me she was 61 years old!!!
• And I have no excuses not to push as hard as she does.

In the Expo, I met some of the Biggest Loser competitors

• Colleen (yellow) - America’s sweetheart from Biggest Loser season six.
• Mark (red) - the at-home winner from BL10.
• Amanda (pink) - a finalist from BL8.

They have all kept the weight off and look fabulous.

• They were excited about my 75 pound loss.
• Gave me several tips to keep it going.
• One offered to stay in touch.

I got to meet Tosca Reno too!

• Tosca writes the wonderful Eat-Clean Diet books.
• Tosca can sound tough in her videos.
• And is a warm, loving person in real life.

Tosca was excited to hear about my weight loss so far.

• Talked about what we both experienced losing that much.
• Was happy to hear how supportive James is.
• (He was just as thrilled to meet her.)

James and I watched the IFFB International Figure championship.

• Mollie is a figure athlete so we wanted to understand it better.
• The woman had beautiful bodies.
• Cut and yet feminine.

It was exciting to see what the best figure athletes in the world look like.

• The next day we got to chat with Nicole Wilkens - the winner.
• (She’s the second from the left in the photo.)
• She was inspiring - and even said she knew Mollie!

The ultimate highlight of my experience was seeing Mario Lopez - only three feet away from me!

• He is my longtime crush - and as charming as he is handsome.
• James laughed at me and the bevy of women drooling like schoolgirls.
• Whatever.

Overall, The Arnold Sports Festival was a wonderful experience for us.

• We both caught the bug of a bigger possibility for us physically.
• I am humbled by how accepting and supportive people were.
• They made us feel like part of the fitness community.

On the way home, James and I talked about what we were going to wear next year at The Arnold so we can show off our newly sculpted bodies…

Makes me think of chapter leaders…do your meetings change lives?

Yep, it’s Arnold as in Schwarzenegger.

• I’m attending The Arnold Sports Festival this weekend.
• It’s the nation’s largest multi-sport fitness weekend.
• The expo has 700 exhibitors.

I’m on a mission to educate my inner fit person.

• Along with 175,000 other sports fans.
• James calls it the Comic-Con for fitness people.
• Should be quite the weekend.

I’m sort of nervous to attend.

• I won’t know anyone there.
• Will probably be the fattest person there.
• (Especially with all the body builders attending!)

The festival’s Facebook page has been great.

• Giving me insights about what’s going to happen.
• And the scoop on who is attending.
• It’s no wonder they have 70,000 people liking their event page!

I’m looking forward to several things…

• The figure competition so I can see what Mollie really does.
• Checking out the different products in the expo.
• And possibly seeing the hunky Mario Lopez!

This is a crazy adventure I’m taking - can’t wait to share what I learn!

Makes me think of chapter leaders…how do you use social media to get your members excited about attending your events?