Are you a Dreamchaser?

My entire life I have been a Dreamchaser, the kind of person that will tell you to reach for the stars, go for it, what are you waiting for.

What is your dream?

How will you achieve it?

The first question may be hard to answer. You may have many dreams. Yet, there must be one that stands out above all others...one that inspires you, energizes you, and empowers you to do everything you can to achieve it. My next dream is in 2013 is to run across Ethiopia from one mission to another to raise money for the orphans and for clean water. Do you think I can make this dream a reality?

The second question is the reason most people never realize their dreams. They have no plan in place for working on or reaching it, no knowledge of what is needed and must be sometimes feel scared to have the dream come true, because it takes hard work and commitment. Come on...let's get together and find a way for you to chase down that dream of yours! We can find a way or make one!

Will you achieve your dreams in your lifetime?

I am sure that you desire to. I'm sure you hope you will. But will you actually do it? What odds would you give yourself? One in five? One in a hundred? One in a million? How can you tell whether your chances are good or whether your dream will always remain exactly that—a dream? Sit down with a pencil and paper right now and write down your top 3 dreams. Next write down all the ways, all the people who can help you make these dreams become a reality! Reach out and make the first step...do it now!

Most people have no idea how to achieve their dreams. What they have are feelings that there is something they would like to do someday or someone they would like to become. But they don't know how to get from here to there. If that describes you, then you'll be glad to know that YOU CAN ACHIEVE your dream and that they can become a reality.

I challenge you to OWN YOUR DREAMS.. change your life...to make your dreams become a reality.
If I can do it so can you!

Find a dream and chase it down, let's do it together!

Happy day
Lisa

Working Out with Cancer

Working Out with Cancer:David Haas
Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance Guest Blogger
To contact David:davdhaas@gmail.com

Being diagnosed with a rare form of cancer like mesothelioma, or any form of cancer is a terrible ordeal for a person to experience. When this happens, many cancer patients feel an immediate sense of dread, depression and anger. These are perfectly normal emotional reactions to such a difficult piece of information. Cancer is hard to deal with and difficult to fight, the treatments are hard and the side effects are worse. Cancer patients need all the help they can get to fight their battle to ensure they live a long, healthy life that does not include cancer. Exercise and fitness is one of the best things a cancer patient can get while they are undergoing treatment for their cancer.

Energy balance is one of the best benefits of getting plenty of exercise during cancer. A positive energy balance is crucial considering the fact that cancer can make a person’s energy balance completely off and completely crazy. Those with better energy have a better chance at survival and at going through their treatments with ease. The amount of exercise that is recommended for everyone, not just cancer patients, is a mere 150 minutes of exercise each week. This is broken down into just about 21 minutes per day of exercise, a perfectly reasonable and easy to accomplish amount of exercise.

Another benefit of exercise for cancer patients is that it improves a person’s quality of life by a large amount. Those that work out have a better feeling of overall health that makes them feel better about themselves and life in general. Those who exercise are more likely to have a positive outlook on their treatment, which will help them to respond better. Additionally, exercise will help to reduce the negative side effects that are so common with most cancer treatments. Depression, fatigue, exhaustion, vomiting and overall feelings of illness are very common with most cancer treatments. While no one enjoys experiencing these side effects, they are often necessary when it comes to fighting cancer. However, cancer patients can greatly reduce their risk of experiencing these side effects through exercise. Exercise improves the immune system, which helps to make a person feel better and to fight off illness, which is a huge plus for those experiencing any of these side effects or about to start their cancer treatment.

There are too many benefits of fitness and exercise to ignore when it comes to living with cancer. Exercise and fitness will not cure a person of their cancer, but exercise combined with cancer treatment can make a person’s chance of survival greater, and their overall health much better throughout the course of the entire cancer and treatment process.

Training Time: A Poem

I'm signed up for a race,
But, I haven't been training,
No speed work for pace,
No long runs - How utterly constraining!

The days go by,
The race draws near,
This ain't no lie:
I'm plagued with FEARS!

When you have a list full of chores,
Training time's hard to find ready,
A family to cook for,
A job to hold steady.

Iron clothes,
Make the bed,
Shop at Lowe's
Clean out the shed!

Oh! My head is spinning;
Much to do before bed,
This stack of chores isn't thinning.
Is this what it feels like to be brain-dead?

Must wash the dog,
Must feed the cat,
Must walk the bird -
Wait... I don't have a cat. And walk the bird? Oh, dear. My mind's turned to sap!

Don't get me wrong,
I'm not complaining.
My life's a jolly song,
Quite entertaining!

I love my kids,
Love my hubby-boo!
Love our dog Skip,
Even when, on the rug, he poos.

So I can't train for hours at a time -
Big flippin' deal.
I have confidence this race will be mine,
Even if it's last place I steal!

Truth is, I wouldn't change a thing,
About this crazy, hectic life of mine
Life's so sweetly full I could sing...
And if I belt out of tune, hope you don't mind!

You can't put life on hold just to go run.
Why that would just suck!
And ultrarunning should be fun.
So, soon I will stand on that starting line, training or none... Wish me luck!

We are all a hero to someone

In real life, no one ever sets out to become a hero. Certainly, the world is filled with men and women who could be described as heroic. But, no one ever says to themselves, “that’s what I want to be!”

Comic books and movies teach us that heroism arises from great acts of gallantry, daring feats of strength that can change the world. Needless to say, real life heroism seldom resembles this mythology. The caped and masked figures that populate our fantasies are, if nothing else, merely indicative of the feelings that heroes inspire within us.

Heroes make us feel good about ourselves. They make us believe in the power of the human spirit to overcome the greatest of obstacles. We revere and admire heroes, and rightfully so: they do what takes courage. Strength, both physical and metaphysical-spiritual, becomes a sought-after trait.

Anyone can be a hero. Our communities are filled with people who are doing extraordinary things with their lives. We don’t read books about them and we don’t see them in the news. Their acts come from a place of pure selflessness. They are not doing things to become famous or to make money; they don’t seek attention.

Prior to writing this, I asked some of my friends who they consider to be their heroes. The responses I got were quite telling: mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and grandparents. Next-door neighbors, priests, military men and women, teachers, coaches, students, firefighters, and police officers. Ordinary people. These are the real life heroes we look up to.

What do we see in these people that’s worth admiring? I submit that it is altruism. It’s the willingness to do good for others and for society despite personal hardship or pain. These people make a difference in the world with their small, but powerful acts of kindness, mercy, and compassion. They make us see the good in humanity and they inspire hope for a better tomorrow.

On January 18, 2011, my friend and personal hero, Balei Chinski, passed away from a burst brain aneurysm. She was in a coma for five days. She spent 47 days in ICU and had 5 brain operations. She was only 16 years-old. But, Balei will never be forgotten. Those who knew her and who heard her story were empowered by her courage in the face of suffering and death. Her strength could move mountains.

Take the time to look around and acknowledge the heroes around you. They are out there. And they are changing your world. Take an interest in their stories. Listen to their motivations. You may just be inspired to head out and perform your own act of goodwill for the betterment of society.

The Quiet Determination of True Commitment

"If there's magic in boxing, it's the magic of fighting battles beyond endurance, beyond cracked ribs, ruptured kidneys and detached retinas. It's the magic of risking everything for a dream that nobody sees but you." -Clint Eastwood as Eddie Dupris, "Million Dollar Baby" (2004)

What does it mean to be determined? When we think of a goal - whether it's running a marathon or losing a bit of weight - we tend to think of the payoff first. We visualize ourselves crossing that glorious finish line or finally slipping into that sexy two-piece bikini and heading to the beach. Our minds become set on the glory of success. And that is fine. It's good - necessary even - to envision the accomplishment. But, it takes more than wishful thinking to attain any worthwhile dream. Hard work and determination are the paths to realization.

So what does commitment look like? In movies, we see heroes fearlessly charging into war, teeth bared and muscles bulging, the volume of the soundtrack cranked up to a frenzied intensity. Or we see the captain of the high school football team valiantly taking his team to the championship game, crowds cheering on the final dramatic clash of competitors. By Hollywood standards, commitment is a dramatic grit-your-teeth-and-bear-it kind of showdown where true endurance is forged in fires of battle.

But, real commitment is not nearly as loud as all that. Real commitment is silent. It is not attention-seeking nor is it boastful. It does not put on a show for the world to see. That's why I love the movie "Million Dollar Baby." The main character, a female fighter named Maggie, is an underdog in many ways. She comes from a poor background. Her mother a selfish and ignorant woman. Maggie dreams of becoming a professional boxer. She is willing to work hard to make this happen.

There is a wonderful montage in the movie where Maggie shows up to a run down little gym and practices her moves on a punching bag late into the night. It is a quiet scene. It gives you a sense of the depth of the commitment of this athlete. Here is a woman who is determined to make something of herself. There is nothing showy or ostentatious about her.

Ever notice how, in a gym weight room, the lifters who grunt and snarl loudest through a workout tend to have the worst form? The dramatics they put on are all show. The quiet determination that characterizes the truly committed rarely goes noticed in our society. That level of diligence is to be commended because it takes courage and a certain depth of the soul. The people who have it are the true heroes. They are the ones who get the biggest payoffs.

"Relentless Forward Progress: A Guide to Running Ultramarathons" by Byron Powell

I received this letter from Byron Powell today about his new book, "Relentless Forward Progress: A Guide to Running Ultramarathons." Byron is the Editor-in-Chief of iRunFar.com. You can find his book here on Amazon.com.

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Dear friends,

We’re all part of the running community that greatly adds to our enjoyment of running. While those of us who’ve discovered ultramarathons have been able to learn from those around us, there’s yet to be a comprehensive guide to training and racing ultramarathons to fill our community’s need. That’s why I’ve spent the past year and a half working on Relentless Forward Progress: A Guide to Running Ultramarathons. More than a dozen others, who represent the top ultrarunners and experts, also recognized our community’s need and graciously contributed to make book as helpful to you and your friends as possible.

By reducing ultrarunning’s steep learning curve, Relentless Forward Progress aims to have you or your friends spending more time enjoying running and its camaraderie and less time suffering unnecessarily. If you want to inspire others in our community of runners who might be looking for a new running challenge or to ease the path of those who have already started their ultramarathon journey, please get the word out about this book.

Here are some easy ways to enjoy the book as well as to help other runners learn of this new resource:

*Order Relentless Forward Progress today. (Go nuts and order a copy to help a friend!) Know that a big surge of initial orders will catch the eyes of both bookstores and the media, which will help give even more runners access to the book.

*Mention the book on Facebook or Twitter.

*If you have a blog, write a post about Relentless Forward Progress.

I’m so thankful to have the running community be such a big part of my life. Today is the book's official launch day and it's one of my happiest days in that this once in a lifetime accomplishment (or least one that feels that way) is something that benefits our tribe. It’s my hope that you’ll pass this news along to anyone you think would benefit from the book. Please let me know if there’s any thing I can do to help you or those you care about.

Happy trails,
Bryon Powell
Editor-in-Chief, iRunFar.com
Author, Relentless Forward Progress: A Guide to Running Ultramarathons

Living Life to the Fullest: A Collection of Inspirational Poems

The following is a collection of some of my favorite poems about living life to the fullest.


Three Airs for the Beggar’s Opera, Air XXII
by John Gay

Youth's the season made for joys,
Love is then our duty;
She alone who that employs,
Well deserves her beauty.
Let's be gay,
While we may,
Beauty's a flower despis'd in decay.

Let us drink and sport to-day,
Ours is not tomorrow.
Love with youth flies swift away,
Age is nought but sorrow.
Dance and sing,
Time's on the wing,
Life never knows the return of spring.



Life
By Charlotte Bronte

Life, believe, is not a dream
So dark as sages say;
Oft a little morning rain
Foretells a pleasant day.
Sometimes there are clouds of gloom,
But these are transient all;
If the shower will make the roses bloom,
O why lament its fall?

Rapidly, merrily,
Life's sunny hours flit by,
Gratefully, cheerily,
Enjoy them as they fly!

What though Death at times steps in
And calls our Best away?
What though sorrow seems to win,
O'er hope, a heavy sway?
Yet hope again elastic springs,
Unconquered, though she fell;
Still buoyant are her golden wings,
Still strong to bear us well.
Manfully, fearlessly,
The day of trial bear,
For gloriously, victoriously,
Can courage quell despair!



Life Is Fine
By Langston Hughes

I went down to the river,
I set down on the bank.
I tried to think but couldn't,
So I jumped in and sank.

I came up once and hollered!
I came up twice and cried!
If that water hadn't a-been so cold
I might've sunk and died.

But it was Cold in that water! It was cold!

I took the elevator
Sixteen floors above the ground.
I thought about my baby
And thought I would jump down.

I stood there and I hollered!
I stood there and I cried!
If it hadn't a-been so high
I might've jumped and died.

But it was High up there! It was high!

So since I'm still here livin',
I guess I will live on.
I could've died for love--
But for livin' I was born

Though you may hear me holler,
And you may see me cry--
I'll be dogged, sweet baby,
If you gonna see me die.

Life is fine! Fine as wine! Life is fine!



Untitled
By Mother Teresa

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is bliss, taste it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.