Welcome To The Community

Together, we’ll dive deep and find the strength to never give up because Great Things Take Time.

If you were forwarded this email, you can subscribe and join the Great Things Take Time Community to get content from me every Monday.

Here's what's in today's email

• A Special Note

• Ch-ch-ch-CHANGING

• Moments with Maurice

• What's Got Me Smilin'

 🌸A Special Note🌸 

Congratulations to everyone who made it through the February Challenge! We are officially on to March, and as we say goodbye to the month of February, we are also saying goodbye to Black History Month. For those are curious about my relationship, experience and opinions on Black History Month, I’ve written something to share with you.

You can read the full piece on a separate page of Great Things Take Time here:

Ch-ch-ch-CHANGING

The last several months have been filled with big changes. I’ve wanted to shed the layers that have slowed me down. Like ripping off your warm-ups before a race, I’ve been ready to skim down, so I can hit my max pace. 

Okay, chill out, I don’t mean skim down like that. 🙄

So, the best way to skim down was to look for things to change. When it comes to my job, I’m not going anywhere; I will continue to bring you the classes that make you question why you counted yourself in. But change has become addicting. I moved out of the area I’ve called home for over 10 years, and that set everything off. The next thing I knew, I was concerning myself with throw pillows, putting together patio furniture, and painting walls green.  

Even things I loved dearly felt like they needed a change. My obsession with green continued, and I re-wrapped my neutral black car in green so that it practically screams, “I’M A JETS FAN!”

These last six months have helped me see an increase in my mental health. To be completely honest, I was becoming a jaded (no, not the green color) individual who was just going through the motions. I didn’t feel like I should be in a bad mental space because I had so much to be grateful for, but that just made me feel even worse. 

When I really go back and examine things, I can pinpoint the important but little things I changed that set me up for the big changes:

• I started looking for more opportunities to meditate.

• I started accepting that I can’t please everyone and to be okay with who I am as a person.

• I tried new movement patterns (helloooo Animal Flow!)

• Frankie became part of my life, and I’d look for breaks during my day to take him on walks. 

• I flipped my work from my home desk to the other side of the room.

• I started waking up at the crack of dawn on Sunday mornings to go for a drive outside of the city and be okay just listening to my thoughts.

These things all seem minor, but they gave me minor discomfort from pushing myself out of my comfort zone. Minor discomfort is how you grow and build, in the gym and everywhere else in life. Changing small things can help you look at something in a new light, and it also tricks you into thinking you have something brand new. 

Did you just get a new apartment? Nope! But when you change the furniture around, it sure feels like it, even if things feel a little weird.

So, where can you make a few small changes? My challenge for you this week is to find something that really starts to push your boundaries and switch things up. Take a different route to work, get a new office plant (this time, this one won’t die! I believe in you!), try a new instructor, or even a new type of movement. Find something you can change; it can even be as simple as changing your coffee order. 

Hopefully, you won’t be changing your love for my classes and that feeling of post-class exertion. But if you do, I get it. I did tell you to change something after all.

Looking for a small change to make? I’m embarking on a meditation challenge for the month of March. At least five minutes each day for 31 days. Would love to have you join me and see where we end up on the other side.

Moments with Maurice Frankie

If you only PAWS to reflect on your life for one moment today, do it now.

Woof! It’s me Frankie.

I wanted to remind everyone about the things you think are inconsequential. Like…. SQUIRREL! Over there! They are little and quick, but they are fun and I WILL bark at them. I will also bark at the door, and that dog, and that dog, and THAT dog. Oh, don’t forget about that piece of fluff.

You may not notice squirrels all that much, but I certainly do. They are verrrry special to me. It’s a little something that gets me through the day. Do you know what else gets me through the day, those snuggly scritchies my parents give me. They probably don’t know what it means to me, but it makes my belly do warm loop-de-loops.

You might not realize it, but you’re doing more than you know for someone out there.

Because no matter what, there is always something to smile about.

Purple Rain Thunder

What mischief do I have planned? A little BTS of some of the magic.

Car Stuff

Whether or not you’re into cars, I wanted to share some of my favorite photos from this week. Driving is one of my forms of meditation because when I drive I don’t listen to anything-just my thoughts. It puts things into perspective: when was the last time you were alone with your thoughts? What is stopping you?

Got a GlowUp

Four for you, Glenn Coco! You Glow Glenn Coco! The lululemon GlowUp Studio opened this week in SoHo to launch their new GlowUp line. There still are a few classes available if you’re looking to experience the fun, and anyone anywhere can enjoy the new products. Show up and GlowUp!

Food Highlights of the Week

If you’re ever looking to branch out, these had my tummy smiling! New York City has some of the best food in the world and I love sharing my recommendations. Damn, they put their foot in it!

 Papa San (Peruvian and Japanese fusion)

Remember:

-Adrian