Today's "BIG" surprise is my first ever interview. Not just on the Awesomeness Campaign Blog, but I mean, EVER. I've never interviewed someone before. Frankly, I've never taken a journalism class, so uhm, bear with me. Focus on the content and not the technique please.
Today's interviewee: Dodi Wheeler
Why? Dodi and I met several years ago when we both enrolled our kids in preschool. Unfortunately, our kids were in different classes so we mostly saw each other at board meetings. Dodi has always, always been a draw for me. Meaning, I've always wanted to sit next to her and talk longer. She's got this radiating joy coming from her and she's just always "into" something. When I say "into" something, I really should say "up to" something... and I don't mean that in a bad way. She's just always seemed intriguing. I always want to know what she's "up to lately." That said, let's see if I can capture and share some of this essence with you.
Firstly, Dodi, I want to thank you for being my first interviewee. I loved your enthusiastic response to my request. "I am the perfect candidate." Can you elaborate on what makes you so "perfect," because I know you well enough to say it's not your ego talking? Can you tell me a bit about your family/self?
I think I'm you're perfect candidate because I actually I believe I have the least amount of potential. I'll be the first to tell you I don't have the time nor the energy to exercise. With Three kids and a husband there are far greater priorities than myself in my life. Getting up early to exercise... I can't exercise early, because my husband has to be at work early and by the time he gets home, our family commitments take over. I'm lucky to be in bed by 11 with the dishes done and the back packs ready to go. I think this is a reflection of a lot of people who intend to change their lives, intend to exercise, intend to get fit and don't get it. I'm tired, I'm rushed, I'm hurried. I'm representative of a lot of people.
Can you talk more about where you find your strong motivation?
I'm very firm that I don't think it's motivation. I'm a big believer in Dr Laura Schlesinger who said, "Motivation is a joke. If you wait for it, it will never happen." It's all about planning and executing. You just have to do it. You have to walk out of your kitchen with dishes in your sink, your family protesting, and put your shoes on and go. My goal is the 5K, so I went to the couch to 5K. I printed out the directions and tacked it to the bulletin board-- it tells me what to do three times a week. Also telling people about it makes you a real schmuck if you don't follow through. It's accountability.
I want to ask you a bit about your at-home business, is that all right? I was always fascinated by your Facebook posts that would proclaim how late you'd be up getting ready for the orders... honestly, how do you function after a night like that? My kids wake me up once in the night and I'm done for the week.
I didn't. It was all consuming. It was an opportunity to generate income for my family and I felt it was wrong to decline those opportunities. I was spending 40-50 hours a week preparing for these opportunities and I still have one daughter at home. I wasn't able to give my daughter my time. I'm proud to be a stay at home Mom and I'm proud to be able to generate income for the family. I was giving the cakes my all and not my family. I was focusing as much time on three orders as I did a dozen. I felt as though it was an all or nothing situation. The more my schedule opened up as I scaled back, the more things would happen that would validate my idea that I needed to scale back some. If I would put myself ahead of the business and prioritize myself and my health, it seemed it was the right way to do things.
So let's talk about this couch potato to 5K business... how do you schedule it in?
It is very common... you can go toFrom Couch to 5K... google it, print it out and it will start you on a 9 week program. You can get off your couch, walk out your front door and in 9 weeks you will be fit enough to run a 5K. For example, you work out 3 times a week... you start out walking for 5 minutes, then running for 60 seconds, then walking for 90 seconds... you do that for 20 minutes and boom you're done.
When I decided, last Friday, to do it... I printed out the program and it turns out as I wrote on my calendar, my 5K program ends on March 9 and the 5K I signed up for is on March 11th. Things like that keep happening that are an affirmation that I'm doing the right thing. It's very liberating.
Okay, so one last thing... how does being Awesome factor in to all of this?
I think awesomeness is an over-used phrase; we say a home run or a great movie is awesome, but in truth, I believe awesome is something that amazes and even humbles you to the core - something you are in great and nearly numbing admiration of. When I think about motivation, and our potentials and abilities, there comes a moment, and I think it has to be a quiet moment, when we just finally breathe and we realize we are something more than we gave ourselves credit for. And when you finally realize there is more to you than just a body, and you sort of look at yourself from the outside in, you start to realize the chance or change was there all the time - the barriers just start to fall away and you're revealed in all your glory - and the possibilities are endless. That is awesome. But you have to clear a path or it, you have to unclutter your life to be open to it. In my opinion, to say you're awesome means you've realized you're full of potential and you're blissfully ready to embrace it.
Wow, thanks Dodi! You've completely captured the essence of Awesomeness! I hope all my readers will be able to find some inspiration here.
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