Personal growth books to deal with the world and its uncertainty

I often get asked about my favorite personal growth books and how I stay so positive. They go hand in hand. Forcing positivity without true inner peace is temporary. I believe that any sustaining joy and peace comes from a true knowing of your beliefs. And the easiest way to figure that out is to open your mind to other perspectives, to learn what is out there, and to feel what resonates with you as truth. YOU get to decide.

It's nearly impossible for me to pick a favorite personal growth book or tool that has done this for me because SO MANY books, authors, conferences, speakers, youtube videos, podcasts, etc have helped me SEE more and have positively impacted my life. It has also come from my own vigilant application of these concepts, prayer, meditation, and a practice of compassion and self-love. Not once in a while. All day, every day.

I've pulled out my favorite books that were each turning points in my life when I read them. While there are many others, these are the ones that I am constantly coming back to. These books are completely devoid of judgment and teach only love.

"Conversations with God" by Neale Donald Walsh taught me that there is no good or bad; there is only the meaning we bring to each experience/circumstance.

"Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao" by Dr. Wayne Dyer taught me to learn through the powerful examples of nature to allow, to be one, to be flexible, and to live without attachment.

"A Course In Miracles." If you're familiar with it, you know it's a life-long process of untraining ourselves from our conditioned thought patterns of illusion, ALWAYS choosing love over fear. No exceptions. "Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God." -ACIM

"A Man's Search for Meaning," written by psychiatrist Viktor Frankl about his experiences in the Holocaust taught me I can ALWAYS choose my attitude no matter what the circumstances.

Be the change you wish to see in the world. Regardless of politics, external circumstances, or anything else that we may feel is affecting our lives, we should always be striving for our own personal growth. External circumstances are always changing. We develop a kinder, more peaceful, more joy-filled world by first cultivating that within ourselves. We ARE love. Peace already exists. And we can tap into joy anytime we want. It only takes remembering that it is all already there. 

Love you all,
Katelyn

What's your VISION??

I view Beachbody as the most incredible platform in the world to help others transform their health but honestly, the more important mission in my eyes is to help them transform their BELIEF! I want to show others that more is possible for their lives than they ever dreamed of!! If you read my post the other day about LEGACY, you know how important that this mission is to me!!

What I realized I DON’T share as often is my vision for my OWN life! I want to feel fulfillment in my work every single day. I want to feel like I can help someone in some small way every single day. I want to show kindness to the people I encounter every single day. I feel SO GRATEFUL that I’ve been able to do this AND create a flourishing business out of this where I can help others do the same!!

I want to DOUBLE MY INCOME this year!! I don’t know how exactly that’s all going to come together, but I’ve done it before using just the simple daily activities that I know help consistently grow this business. I have a plan for EXACTLY how I’m going to invest that money. I also have a BIG vision of a donation I would like to make to a local non-profit that is very near and dear to my heart.

When I think even farther down the road, I picture amazing things for my future family because of the work I am doing now. I want my husband to feel COMPLETELY FREE of the trappings of the daily grind and instead be able to pursue the creative passions that set HIS soul on fire! I want us to be able to take long trips to incredible destinations where we can immerse ourselves in nature and spend time just CONNECTING! I want us to have the time and freedom to make every day a fun adventure- trips to the coffee shop, joking with other customers; entertaining neighbors and friends for backyard dinners full of laughter; spending time at the local music shop even if neither of us know how to play; or an impromptu road trip to a middle-of-nowhere town selected on a map by a fun game of darts. I envision a house with extra bedrooms to welcome family and out-of-town friends with open arms. I want our family life to feel happy and carefree, never worrying about the burdens of debt or being able to provide for the fun, free-spirited activities that my kids will come to me asking for! I ENVISION my future family full of laughter and joy and creativity and PRESENCE- sharing special moments outside, reading together, cooking a new recipe, or going for a long walk through the woods. I picture being able to spread a large canvas out in our backyard and taking my daughter by the hand and dancing and tossing paint into a work of art that comes ALIVE before our eyes. I picture having the time and the freedom to enjoy the simple, yet INCREDIBLE, moments of beauty in life!! I want our SOULS to feel nourished and our HEARTS to feel full!

For so much of my life, I always pictured the normal things that everyone is always taught to- a job, kids down the road, a never-ending to-do list, juggling schedules, etc. Don’t get me wrong, I make it a point to enjoy EVERYTHING in my life no matter what and I know that would have been just fine. But it’s only been in recent years that my eyes have been open to other ways- different lifestyles! I always loved my job as an engineer but now I get to do something that absolutely sets my soul on fire with ENERGY and PURPOSE every single day!! And for as many freedoms I had at my old job, it’s NOTHING compared to this!! To be honest, I still feel like I’m on one big vacation from work (it’s been almost 2 years lol)! I still have moments where I forget that this is my full-time LIFE! And that’s CRAZY to me! I can go anywhere, see anyone, any time I’d like! I can drop everything and be present with whoever needs me! And I KNOW I can not only carry this into a future family life and be present with my kids, but I also know that I can give this same gift of freedom and presence to my husband, which means the world to me. ANNDDD, on top of all that, I know that through discovering and showing what is possible in MY life, I can inspire others to pursue their OWN dreams and their OWN freedom!! And the entire time I get to feel like I’m helping others and living my life’s purpose.

Think that would feel great? It does. And guess what- ANYONE can do this. Ask me. Get started now. You can be here too!! We can do this TOGETHER! Together we can change the trajectory of our lives and the WORLD! Let me tell you, I saw others posting about this years ago and even knowing how great it sounded is nothing compared to what it feels like to be living it.

*LIVE YOUR PURPOSE*

Visit https://www.facebook.com/CoachKatelynLesk and http://beachbodycoach.com/katelynlesk for more info!

I would be honored to help you with your fitness journey :)  Here is a link to sign up for a free account with me as your coach: https://www.teambeachbody.com/signup/-/signup/free?referringRepId=183908. Or you can go to www.teambeachbody.com, sign up for a free account, and enter any of my info in when it asks if a coach referred you: screen name: KatelynLesk, coach ID: 183908

Disclaimer Copy: Katelyn Lesk is an Independent Beachbody Coach.

Kindness during the intense holiday season!

A message about kindness for others (and for ourselves!) at this time of year:

Recently I was listening to Doreen Virtue who pointed out that this time of year can be one of great joy and of great grief; memories of past holidays, loved ones who have passed away, and the “what ifs” of life all come into play. When she shared this, my initial reaction was to feel relief and validation. While there’s so much I enjoy about the holidays and being with the people I love, I definitely find the sentimentality of the holidays to be bittersweet. It’s hard not to get caught in past memories, or thinking about people who are no longer in our lives, or to grasp onto the way things are now resisting the inevitable changes in holidays in the future as people pass on, families change, and celebrations ebb and flow. There are also plenty of other pressures on us at this time of year that might include financial strain, family tensions, relationship pain, time demands, more things filling our already never-ending to-do lists, stress about food and what treats to indulge in or refrain from, and other triggers. My sister pointed out at Thanksgiving that despite being positive on facebook, I often get cranky with my family. My own family! The people I care most about! We sometimes let our comfort levels with people win out in a way that masks our appreciation for them.

So this Christmas, I’m going to do my best to stay present. To show appreciation for those around me. To be grateful for what’s going on around me no matter how I think things “should be”. I’m going to do my best to release any judgements I hold for others and for myself and instead focus on the unique value that each person offers. I’m going to take some time to get curious in conversations and ask some of the deeper questions to each person I encounter. Rather than “what’s new?” how about, “what do you think was the best thing that happened to you this year?” “what was your biggest lesson this year?” “what most inspires you right now?” I’m not going to feel badly for whatever emotions decide to come up during this intense time. And I’m going to be gentle and patient with others knowing that we never know what somebody might be going through. Have you ever missed a best friend? I have. I think most people have at some point in their lives really missed someone they care deeply about. When someone cuts me off in traffic or gets snappy in the grocery line, I tell myself that they might be missing a best friend, the person who most understood them in the world. At the root of it, we all just want to feel heard and understood and enough and loved. So let’s do our best to really LISTEN to each other, to try to UNDERSTAND, to VALIDATE and SUPPORT each other, and to show LOVE to one another.

Sending TONS of love and hugs to all of you!! Merry Christmas, happy holidays, and let’s finish out 2015 in amazing ways!!