Blogging has been a part of my job for well over three years now and while some blogs come quite easily, there are times when I struggle to come up with a topic that I think many of our readers can relate to. And as crazy as it sounds, hearing just a phrase or reading a quote can send my mind racing as to how I can relate it to my life.

That is precisely what happened a few days ago. It was a cold day here in Dallas and I had just finished a short 4 mile run when I needed something to warm me up. I went into my pantry and grabbed a package of hot chocolate. I glanced at the quote on the package and it read, "Create Your Moment." The minute I read the quote I knew this was going to be a blog, after all life is really all about moments we create every day. It's not a single event that defines who we are, but many moments strung together that will.

I don't know if it's the wisdom of growing older or the fact that  that I am no longer accepting mediocrity as my norm, but my journey of healthy living has allowed me to step out of my comfort zone. I am no longer sitting back and waiting for life to happen to me. I have found the courage to take life by the reins to CREATE MY OWN MOMENTS of living.



I refuse to sit on the sidelines watching others live their dreams. If that means going out there and taking risks only to fall flat on my face, I am all for it. This is something that I struggled with for most of my life. After all, who wants to be embarrassed or look silly?

That was the 'old' me--the one who wanted to meld in with the rest of society, to conform to their standards. The NEW me wants to soak up life. To have friends who enjoy being silly with me. If that means donning a Santa suit to run a 5K or a prison outfit to run a jailbreak run, then bring it on.

There is something about the comfort and safety of playing life safe, but the more we step out of that comfort zone, the more comfortable we become in taking risks and the more we grow as an individual.

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to run my 15th Half-Marathon in Las Vegas with over 44,000 other runners and walkers in what is the World's Largest Nighttime Run. It was an event that had its ups and downs and certainly the race directors need to do some tweaking, but looking back how many people will ever have the opportunity to run the Las Vegas Strip at night for the very first time?



Each race I participate in is one more day I am CREATING MY MOMENT. Each day I walk into my gym, I am CREATING MY MOMENT. It's not about winning, coming in first, being better than my colleagues--it's about me living life. I am no longer a bystander in my own life, I am a full participant. Each step I take, whether that is on my training runs or a big race, I am creating my moment. Each second that passes by we have the choice to sit and let life pass us by OR we have the choice to take life by the reins and CREATE OUR MOMENT!


How do you 'create your moment'? What are your plans for 2012 to create your moment?