Episode 3950, choose what you carry forward.

Moms, it's time to rediscover, rejuvenate, and renew who you are in mind, body, and spirit.

Welcome to Create Your Now, Your Best Selfie, the show that help you do just that.

Here's your host, Certified Life Coach, personal trainer, and nutritionist, Christian Wardo.

Happy everyday, I hope you're having a fabulous week, guess what?

It's almost the weekend. Are you excited? All in thrilled.

Okay, come on, we've got the NFL playoffs. I'm so sorry that the college ball is overbutt.

You know what, we got to destroy an open happening, and we've got, I think there's a few other

things going on. There's some golf stuff going on. Come on, choose what you carry forward.

For those of you who are brand-new to Create Your Now, welcome to this incredible family.

I'm so delighted to be your presence. If you are to have the opportunity,

you want to head on over to CreateYourNow.com, where you can learn more and

sign up for the Kisses newsletter, the Keep It Simple Strategy, everyday solutions to live,

love, and impact. Okay, I wanted to go through that fast for a reason. Why? Why do you think I'm

speaking so fast? Because honestly, I think that's how we live our life. We are on automated.

We just keep going, and we're living by our habits. Ooh, how does that feel today?

Not so great, does it when maybe you've left a few things behind?

Things that you wish you hadn't left behind because of failures. Maybe even successes,

maybe you made the wrong decision, and maybe you're sitting here going, well, I'm just kind of

going through life because, yeah, I'm loading the trucks. This is what I get to do. I've already,

you know, made my bed, got to lay in it. This is what it looks like. Does it really have to be that way?

Because sometimes we just get so automated that we become animated only to what we know.

Now, I don't know that I can repeat that again, so let me try to remember what I just said.

Sometimes we become so automated that we become so animated to what we know.

And literally that is what we have been doing basically since you became an adult. Now,

yes, some of it has been repeated in your childhood. We're not going to go into that because there's

a lot of digging, right? And if you're one who's saying, gosh, Christian, I'm just starting out

and this whole deep thinking stuff. And I really want to change my life. And now I'm exhausted

because I came here for inspiration, motivation day. I know, but guess what? That little

two little dimples on either side of you, you know, that, yeah, instead of having them turn down,

smile. You'll feel better already. You may not feel like you're having a great day, a great week,

a great month, a great season, whatever it is. But you can still have a smile on your face. I know.

I've lived it. And on some days, honestly, and actually maybe more so like moments, I'm living it.

It's not easy. I think about all the stuff that we go through. I've been having conversations with

people all over the world. And I'm wearing my big sign that says, tell me your life story.

And honestly, that is such an honor for me to have that bright sign going off because you matter.

Your story matters. My strength is my story, right? That is your story.

And so as I meet people, as I come across people, people who haven't heard of me ever before,

but still tell me their life story, I can be checking out in a grocery store. And all of a sudden,

it's like, wow. And within the 30 to 90 seconds that I have with that person, I've learned where

they've come from, what they're struggling with. And oh my goodness, I just wish my shift was over.

Now that's not exactly the same across the board, but pretty much sums it up.

Now I know that conversation is not happening with absolutely everybody who comes through that line.

I know it's because I've got this special sign that says, you can talk to me. I'm here for you.

But you know, it's hard to be that person if you're carrying the weight of the world on you.

And I'm here to remind you you don't have to carry the weight of the world.

Even though we all do it. So much in life is left in the trenches of what we lost or what

didn't make it. Success can leave scars as much as failures. But the sting is always greater

when something does not go your way. Yet that's not how your story gets to end. There is joy

in the morning and you get to choose what you carry forward. I feel like we need to have like an

amen, hallelujah. Because that choice isn't because of how much you know as in your wisdom

or the wit you've picked up along the way, your adorable humor, no. Though those are added riches

right to your journey. And they mean something for sure, but it's because you're paralyzed in what

you decide to hold on to. What you bring with you shapes, not just your next step, but your entire

path ahead. One step at a time needs to miles of greatness. So what have you been holding on to lately?

Stories you need to let go of. Maybe you're in a position that you need to forgive.

So you can move forward. And let me just give you a little tidbit here. Sidebar,

forgiveness does not mean that you forget. Nor does it mean that you're okay with what happened.

It's saying it's out of my control. You take it. You bear that weight now. I no longer.

It's not going to hold me hostage. I don't like what you did to me, but I'm moving on.

And it's a different walk for everyone. And it depends on what it is, right?

There are different levels. It kind of, I mean, I don't want to say forgiveness that there's

levels, but it kind of feels that way, right? For example, let's go to the dark side here for a moment,

right? If someone took someone's life, that's a very, very dark side. Or in the other hand,

oh, someone just talked bad about me, brings back kind of elementary middle school high school days,

right? So you have everything on either end of the spectrum and then everything in between.

What are you holding on to? Maybe it is something from high school college.

Maybe something that is coming up for you, but you really don't know what it is. Maybe it's

something from your work. Maybe it's something from your past that you really just didn't notice.

And all of a sudden, maybe it's a smell or you've seen a show or you've heard some talk and all

of a sudden it's like, where did this come from? What are you holding on to that you need to let go of?

The Apostle Paul knew the weight of what to leave behind and what to carry on. He said it plainly in

Philippians 3 verses 13 and 14, brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken

hold of it. But one thing I do for getting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

You are called to a higher place. You are not to stake stuck in the trenches. That doesn't mean

you're not going to be there. Not saying that at all. But Paul teaches us that progress depends

on consciously shutting the dead weight of the past and intentionally moving toward what lies ahead.

What's right in front of you? Hence, create your now. You're not doing it by yourself. By the way,

right? You do know that by now. Right? You're walking with God and he's leading the way.

But too often we get stuck swirling in the ret of what went wrong. A relentless replay of failures

and disappointments. But the trouble is that the longer you linger there, the more you settle in

those trenches, the more you get comfortable. In fact, you'll go out and spend $1,200 on a lazy

boy recliner and just hang out there, watch your football games from there, cheer on your team

that's well, maybe not winning like you thought they should. You let your past become your prison.

And you make your prison comfortable. Let me say that again. You let your past become your prison

and you make your prison comfortable. It's not supposed to be. I mean, where is freedom in that?

Think about what you're holding on to and for what reason. Because my friend Freedom starts by

choosing what you carry forward. And I know it's hard. I get it. It's hard when you look at your story.

And if I was to sit down with you right now and share with you my whole story that's just been

happening the last week and a half maybe, you'd be like, Kristian, why are you talking to me?

Because I care. Because I love. Because I serve. And just because I have all this stuff happening

doesn't mean that I cannot care, love, and serve. Choose what you carry forward. That's what I do my best.

I try to choose what and how I show up my little granddaughter. She is so adorable. Number one,

I just got to share the story with you. Oh, couple stories. Just bear with me here. But you know,

they are in the 18 months stage and they turn to and it's like their talkative stage. And once they

hit the two year mark, all of a sudden it's like, there's like 10 new words every day. And one of

her new words is grandma as plain and simple as can be. Now she's been saying it for a while by the way.

But it just brings such joy to me to hear gamma, gamma. And every once in a while we get the role of

the R in their grandma. And it just has this ring of like, yes, that's what you want to be able to

carry forward. This stuff that says, yes, one that sweet little voice, she also looks at me and says,

happy. Meaning she's choosing to be happy. Let's take a page out of her book and be happy. You see,

we get to choose right now. Joy, we could get on a tangent here and I'm not going to. I'm not talking

about joy. I'm talking about your feelings of the happy where you can put a smile on your face

even though you might be coming out of a dark closet. You can still have a smile on your face.

It may not feel that great, but you don't have to live in the trenches to walk your new path.

Think about a forest, a beautiful living, growing forest, green, bright green. Maybe now for you,

I mean, we're waiting for this thing to hit us here in the south. We're not sure if it's going to.

We're not sure if we're going to get pummeled with ice and snow or just snow or just ice or

a combination or maybe nothing. We have no idea, right? It's one of those things where you kind of,

throw it up in the wind and say, okay, where's it coming down? We don't know.

Maybe you have a little snow in your forest. You see the seeds it carries forward are the future

trees, right? This beautiful forest. The promise of fresh green under sunlit skies.

When they're wide awake, when the sun is up and as a sun descends and sets, oh my goodness,

it's just like they all go to sleep. And then in the morning, there's joy.

Your life is no different. The seeds you plant today, the lessons you hold close, the hopes you

refuse to bury. Those are the things that grow into your now. Create your now because it all

begins by what you decide to carry forward with what you are going to maybe physically pick up,

maybe physically remove from your heart and yet take the other with you.

Matthew 634, Jesus reminds us, therefore, do not worry about tomorrow. For tomorrow, we'll worry

about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Who doesn't need that reminder every day?

I've been there. Maybe you're there now. Maybe you were there just just your day. Maybe not

necessarily today. But we have that worry, that hurried worry of, gosh, I just don't know what this

looks like. Maybe 2026 is starting out a little rough. Maybe it's not. Mine has. I don't know why.

Do I question? Maybe I think I've questioned twice, honestly, because I choose what to carry forward.

You have a clear call to live a focus that allows you to smile,

to allows you to see today not trapped by yesterday's shadows or tomorrow's anxieties.

You can't change tomorrow and you can't change yesterday, but you can be present today.

Carry forward your courage. Carry forward your hard one wisdom. Carry forward your capacity to forgive.

Carry forward your choice to keep moving forward. Carry forward your resiliency, that smile that

comes after storms. Oh, my friend, carry forward the faith that better days are yours to claim.

The best is yet to come. And in the end, life's trenches, we know, they're real, right?

But they are not permanent. Did you hear me? They're not permanent.

Even though I get it at the moment, you may be sitting there with close fists right now,

going, you don't understand I have to hold on to this because if I let go, I don't know what's

going to happen. I get it. I so get it. But if you don't let go, God can't catch you. Why? Because

you're trying to do everything under your own strength. For a moment, take a deep breath and

open your hands and your heart. My friend, the difference between sinking and standing is your

choice to carry forward. What fuels growth, healing and purpose. God has a divine plan for you.

When I say you were created on purpose, no, like literally you were. Don't question that.

Maybe you're in a relationship right now that you're like, gosh, Christian, I'm not even

confident in who I am. I understand. You're fearfully and wonderfully made. You're a child of God.

And if that's the only thing you can hold in your heart, then hold that. And the rest will come.

Maybe you're sitting there going, I just got so many questions about what's next. I don't know

what's next. I've made some decisions financially. I'm making some career changes. I don't know

what it looks like. What's next? I ask you and encourage you to get on your knees and pray. And if

you can't get on your knees, that's okay. You don't have to be on your knees to pray to God. I'm

just saying, right? With and wisdom. We've got to put a little bit of humor in our every day

so we can smile every way. Doesn't matter for sad or mad, but we can choose to be happy.

We can choose what we carry forward. So what will you choose to carry forward today?

Maybe you need to look at yesterday for a moment or last week and say, what do I need to let go of

and what do I need to bring forward with me? Maybe you need to get back in the word of God.

I don't know where you stand in your faith. That's not for me to judge. And there's no judgment here.

I don't hide my faith. I don't hide my beliefs. If it's for you, I tell you go after it. But maybe you're

just in search of, maybe you don't know of God the way I talk about him because he is with me.

He's present every day, every where I go and he is with you. But you have to allow him to be there.

Maybe you're the one who's got the fists held so tightly right now. You can't let go. You just

can't do it because you don't know how far the fall will be. I'm telling you, let go. God will catch

you. I promise. You may not like what you see on the way down, but I promise you he'll carry you

on the way up. I don't know where you are right now in life, but he does. And I just want to take a

moment. I don't do this very often, but I just really feel like this is what we need to do.

We need to stop for a minute. You know, I have a lot of fun, right? We talk about wit and wisdom and

you know, the humor and and and all here and you know, we can kind of go back and forth and we talk

football and because I love it. We talk tennis because I love it. A lot of times we're talking

and always not because I love something, but it's just part of our life. And here it creates

you now. It's about real life application. What are you doing? How are you showing up?

But sometimes it just feels so overwhelming. There are no words. And maybe you're one that's

holding out going, Christian, I'm just waiting, I'm waiting, but I've been praying for over a year

and my prayer still hasn't been answered. So deep breath. Dear Heavenly Father,

I know sometimes we just get so bent out of shape because we want to do all the bending our way.

Lord, open our hearts to what you have for us, Lord. Unwind us,

twist us in a manner that draws us closer to you, Lord. Let us feel that fire deep within ourselves,

that only can come from you, Lord, because I know, I know, their hearts hurting.

Draw them close to you. Let them know that you are carrying the weight of the world and they

don't have to. Or to ask that you just bring comfort and healing, you bring a peace that surpasses

all understanding and just know and just know that you've got us because I know you do.

And the walk by faith thing is so hard when we always want to see it our way,

but it's best your way. Or we ask that you bless our steps, you bless our hearts.

And most importantly, Lord, you hold us close to yours. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

I don't know if you needed that today. I don't always pray every single day on the podcast.

Let me tell you, I'm praying for you all the time off the mic. Sometimes I just have this deep feeling.

And I believe someone out there, even if it was just you, needed that prayer.

And remember, it's not about me. I don't have any magic. I don't claim to. What I carry here

has no weight, but God carries it all. Let him carry your miseries. Let him carry all the chaos.

Leave the trash at the foot of the cross. Forgive those who you don't like, who have done you wrong,

so oh, my friend, you can move on. It's not worth carrying it around with you. It is hard. It's hard.

But let it go. Because in the long run, your heart will be better for it. And so will you. Remember,

this is your temporary home. God's preparing a special place for you. So as much as maybe you're

going through and you're not really sure what life really looks like and how you're going to get to

the other side of this, you're going to be able to do it. Because guess what? God's got you always.

Go in peace. Be present. Be incredible. Be you. I love you so very much. I cannot wait to see you

on the other side. Blessings, hugs, and lots and lots of love. We'll talk to you real soon.

Have a glorious, blessed day. Oh, and you know what? It's Friday, Jr. So we'll talk to you soon. Love you.

Bye-bye. Feeling inspired and ready to train for life and love your journey,

visit createyournow.com for more incredible resources to help you along the way. We'll see you next

time on Create Your Now, Your Best Selfie. And remember, always be sure you consult your

physician before beginning any health and fitness plan.