Episode #006 Julie Houle – The Power of Yes

MEET JULIE:

Hi my name is Julie Houle. I have been a fitness instructor for over 20 years. My job allows me to touch lives daily inside as well as outside the gym. Living in a tight knit community I often see people from my classes around town, in church and at the supermarket . 
I have been married almost 30 years and have 3 amazing children .
I tell my children …. “you are who you are wherever you go”
Always strive to be the best version of yourself.  I believe in surrounding yourself with people that allow that growth to happen on a daily basis.
Today, this moment is all we have. Relish in its wonder and beauty.  Look for the miracles…..they are all around us!

SHOW NOTES

• I am a 55-year old fitness instructor
• Married for almost 30 years with 3 adult children
• Living probably my best life at this point
• Standing where I am right now is a great place to be with all of the wisdom I have gathered over the years
• I think that we all question what our purpose is
• I always think that the more miracles you’ll see, the more miracles there will be
• If you just pay attention to the signs around you, you’ll know that you’re exactly what God wants you to be at that time
• You might not understand it, but have the faith that you are doing what you are called to do
• I think because, I looked for that in my life, I see that in my life
• I am learning to be very comfortable standing where I am 
• I don’t plan on living to be a hundred and ten, and so when you think about that, you’ll learn to look at things in the best possible way
• There is something good that’s going to come in every situation
• The real message that I wanted to share with you today is what I call, “the power of saying yes”
• It brings you to places you never thought you would be or doing things you never thought you would do
• For instance, talking with you this morning – I have to say yes first or it will never going to happen
• That’s how I end up to a career that I am in
• I was taking a fitness class, I had arthritis at that time, just had a baby – very stressful
• From there, I became the fitness instructor that I am today
• I love the way life overlaps as a result of those yes’s. As you watch it unfold, it’s magical
• My grandmother was suffering from dementia a while back and my mom asked if I could care for her, and I said yes
• And I have learned so many thing that I am now taking with me in my instructing with this population that I never thought that I would be teaching
• I think as we age, we see ourselves very differently than the world sees us
• The average age of the class is late 60’s to early 80’s
• At 55, I could still go shopping in the same departments with my daughters
• I still see myself younger than I am at times, just like these 80-year old do
• They also want to be challenged on a fitness level that does not play down to their age
• We want to be on the same fitness class like the 25-year olds and we are going to push ourselves just to be like them
• I think we all move through life that way at a certain point
• I think there is real power in saying yes, because it can take you to places that is magical
• Often times, yes has to come in a from of no because we have to take care of ourselves
• I am saying yes to myself
• Because women were not taught self-care, we are taught to take care for everyone else
• So, learning to say no is sometimes just saying yes to me
• My whole life has been spent of taking care of someone else, but you can’t take care of someone else if you haven’t taken care of yourself
• I think it’s because God constantly reminds me that I am doing exactly what I am supposed to be doing
• What I am doing for my career is my purpose in life
• Time goes faster and faster as you age and every moment is so important because you don’t get them back
• Windows are going to open and close. When they are open, seize the moment because they are going to close
• Another one will open, but you can’t recreate that moment
• I think I get up every moment looking for that moment
• Our brains had become so accustom to working so fast that we don’t take time to stop and sit in a moment and be present to what is happening at the moment
• If there is anything to challenge yourself to work harder at doing, it is living in the moment and be present in the moment
• What would I challenge the listeners would do is to ask what they can bring to this life
• We are all blessed in something different for a reason
• It’s knowing and embracing what is it
• We have an idea of what we think we should be doing, or what someone else expects us to do or life would be different
• Truly, we are in the life that God wants us to be in
• No matter where you are sitting in your life, God is talking and calling you to be a vessel for him

• I have been in a conversation with people and I found myself my mind will wander, but I always take a moment to recognize it
• And I think it says to the person you are talking to that they matter
• Imagine when you are 70 or 80 years old and you are looking at yourself and ask how old I am really
• There’s day we wake up and look in the mirror and feel 10 years older than we are
• The aging process is a humbling one
• It’s beautiful, empowering, but it feels like a little scary sometimes

ADVICE FOR THE LISTENERS

• Ask yourself if you are a yes or a no person
• Strive to be a yes person
• Practice stillness for yourself and for those who are around you
• Try to see the miracles this week
• The more miracles you’ll see, the more miracles there will be
• I don’t know if I am meditating
• I do sit in silence a lot, maybe I am meditating more than I ever know
• I spend a lot of my life in silence and I love it
• It’s just stillness for me
• Physically being still is very powerful
• Sitting still is a hard practice because we are always moving
• And there’s a lot of self talk in my mind, and when I sit still my mind is being still
• Life is a beautiful and exciting thing

WISDOM THAT YOU WOULD GIVE SOMEBODY

• First there has to be an acknowledgement and awareness that God does not make junk
• He does everything exactly the way he wants to
• He has designed you exactly the way he wants you
• He puts you on this Earth to be you
• Be your best you. Figure out what that is, because it’s special
• I know God does not design junk, and he designed me exactly the way he wants me to be, what more is there about me, that he’s asking me to be
• You are not going to see it if you are not looking for it
• The more you start to see what God designed you to be, you start to live it
• We don’t say yes often because we have an expectation of what the outcome would look like
• Listening is very powerful

FAVORITE HEALTHIEST HABIT

• Exercising

FAVORITE QUOTE

• Let go and let God

MOST GRATEFUL FOR

• My life

FAVORITE FOOD

• Nuts

FAVORITE FOOD

• The Alchemist

GUILTY PLEASURE

• Television
• I watch every reality show

FAVORITE MOVIE

• You can only imagine

FAVORITE T.V. Show

• Big little lies on HBO

COFFEE OR TEA

• Lots and lots of Coffee

WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU

• I don’t know, but I am excited to find out
• I believe that God has exciting plans for me

Check out the previous podcast episode here

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