A Larger Purpose?

Just a couple of days ago, I was legitimately terrified to create this blog, and even more terrified to actually share the address with anyone. But, I knew that all my efforts would be futile if no one read the blog. So, I took a deep breathe, pushed 'publish' and then emailed my family members and a select group of girl friends with the blog address.  And, I waited. . .

Amazingly, I didn't have to wait long.  Almost immediately words of encouragement, support and love came from friends and family. They reached out through email, text and social media to congratulate me on my commitment and courage to make such a public proclamation. 

I feel so truly blessed to have such wonderful friends and family. THANK YOU!!

But, more than the support, I was touched by the number of people that came back and said that my words had struck a chord with them; that they completely understood where I was coming from; and that my actions had motivated them to improve their fitness/wellness too.  I love the idea that my blogging and my struggles may help someone else -- not to mention, such responsibility is a great incentive to keep to the 'plan' and achieve my goal.  Hooray for unintended consequences!!

Now that I know I am not alone on my journey . . .

THE CHALLENGE

I am making the further commitment to run/walk 1 {yes, just one} night a week from now until the end of February, 2012. And, I would love to have a group of people join me out on a local trail {hint, hint}.

To sweeten the deal (or maybe as a straight bribe), I'm offering a free mini-photo session to anyone who does the following:

1. Show up to run/walk on Night 1 and write down (and turn in) your goal and biggest challenge/weakness;
2. Agree to have a BEFORE photo taken before you run/walk. No photoshop; and
3. Attend at least 50% of the run/walk meetings between now and the end of February, 2012.

Complete each and all of the above requirements, and I will gladly gift to you a 30 minute mini-session as a reward for your stick-to-it-ness and hard work!

THE FINE PRINT

By participating in the challenge, you also agree to allow me to post your before image on this blog, along with your name (or a pseudonym) and your goal. I will not post your weight, and I will also post a before image of myself, too. 

Mini-session = max 30 minutes, and 10 edited images on DVD. Mini-session is only for participants, not families or children. Your spouse can be included in your session only if your spouse participates in the challenge, too.

THE MEET UP

If you're interested in participating in the challenge, I'll be posting meeting location information on Facebook -- the group name is Motiv8 Meet Up -- you'll have to request to join the group, but once you're accepted, you'll be able to view the meet up locations and share comments with other group members! If you're not on Facebook, or if you can't find the group, leave a comment and your email address and I'll be sure to get the information to you.  :-)

Oh, and feel free to spread the word or bring a friend . . . ;-)