Happy New Year!

I decided I could not wait for Monday to post my blog.

It is an absolutely gorgeous winter day here in Pennsylvania, USA.  We do not get many sunny, blue-sky days in this corner of the globe during the winter season.  I am grateful for it.  I took Jaxon out for a walk and smiled the entire time, despite his incessant pulling on the leash to get me to hurry.

The day feels fresh and new, as it should on January 1st.

Writing today seems a very good way to start the year off right.

I have not always enjoyed the start of the New Year.  My life has had some turbulent chapters.  When the year would come to a close, I often felt wrapped in darkness and loneliness.  Despite being successful in my work and physically healthy, I would look at the year in retrospect and wonder what I had really done with the time…. What had I accomplished?

Often, the answer was “Nothing”.  So I thought.

In retrospect, I recognize my life is my life.  Good and bad.  If nothing else, I learned from failures, dead ends, and self-criticism. 

I grew.

Sometimes, I even blossomed. 

This year, I feel different.

I look back on the past year and see the good greatly overshadowing anything bad.  The good has helped me to live through any bad.  I know part of it is my spiritual grounding.  Part of it is my family.  Part of it is my friends.  Part of it is growing older… more mature… more balanced.

I am happy with me.

I am still a work in progress, in my own mind.  I am always striving to learn and grow.  I love trying new things.  I love pushing myself mentally and physically. 

You have been with me on my latest journey… my journey of improved health and fitness.  It has been an interesting six weeks.

I am starting this New Year nearly five pounds lighter, and five inches smaller. 

Hurray!

I have gotten better at making food choices, and am leaving alone the “foods” (I use the term loosely) that I consider junk.  I do not need them.  More and more, I do not want them.  I like the way I feel more than I like those foods.

Habit #1 – No junk food…One cheat meal per week.  This habit continues and has had a positive impact on my body.

Habit #2 – Find time for fitness at least five days per week, for at least 20 minutes.  This habit continues and I am enjoying the feeling of my body getting stronger.  I look forward to challenging myself with more winter activities in the coming weeks as I am much more able to do them.

Habit #3 was short term… Learn what “hungry” feels like.  I am there.  I am mindful before and during eating times.  Remaining mindful will be an ongoing mantra to keep me on track.

Now what?

My habits are working, so I will continue to use them.  I really do not need to change anything else as long as I have a winning combination.  I tried on some clothes that I would not have considered wearing six weeks ago.  I could wear some of them now, but they are still a bit snug.  I am not finished yet.

I AM off to a great start!

I am not a fan of the word “resolution”.  Why?  I have not liked the word because I have made resolutions for myself in the past and failed miserably.   I realize I was going about it the wrong way. 

Do it or do not do it.   That is what “resolution” actually means.  That is pretty cut and dry.

Do it or do not do it.

In the past, my resolution would have been something like this:  I will lose 15 pounds.

Do it or do not do it.

I would start out cutting back on food portions; increase my exercise, quit eating bread, potatoes, and many other foods I loved.  Quite frankly, I would do these things until I was miserable.  Then I would quit.

It would be another year of not making good on my resolution.

Failure.

This year, I have a different perspective.

This is my resolution:

I will consider habits I want to adopt to make me a better me.  Do it or do not do it.

I can do that!

I can use that resolution to continue to learn new things and to continue to work on “me”. 

This year, there is no room for failure… at least not by anything I can control. 

I am going to continue on my journey and allow 2017 to be all it can be.  This is my life.  I have one shot at making it what I want it to be.  I only have the power to control my attitude and make my choices. 

I can do that.

I am and will continue to be happy.

Happy New Year my friends. 

Let’s do this!