Happy New Year.
Happy New Beginnings.
Happy Endless Possibilities.
I'm not a full out resolution maker, but I do love the excitement of the new year and the endless possibilities that accompany it. I haven't made any resolutions... and I won't.
However, I do set goals. It's not something I've been doing very long, but it is a process I am enjoying. Basically, my goals are my life plan.
Isn't the New Year a gift? (Actually - isn't each morning a gift? When was the last time you noticed
I just love knowing that this day is my opportunity to begin adding onto the life I've built. I love feeling like this pivotal calendar day reminds me that I can do anything I choose to. That each year brings with it the chance to repair, renew, adjust, transform, create, build, love and grow.Although the past year brought tremendous change, success and growth with it, I 'dropped the ball' on my personal wellness. In an effort to manage deadlines and build the business, I traded away precious personal time. My housework suffered, my 'down' time was minimal, my exercise time (especially in the last 4 months) was practically non-existent.
Then, a few days ago as I was reflecting on the year, I experienced a wave of the potential remorse: time passes by so quickly, how I am making the most of each and every second I am gifted?
How terrible would I feel if I wasn't constantly growing, learning, becoming all that I was meant to be!?
"What you are is God's gift to you. What you become is your gift to God." - Unknown
My exact thought was: 'I don't want to 'wake up' to life one day fifteen years from now and realize that I COULD HAVE done/been more.'
More healthy. More active. More vibrant. More creative. More loving. More inspiring. More alive. MORE.
For example: I don't want to spend the next fifteen years battling 10 stubborn pounds and beating the HELL out of myself because I'm lugging them around. I am 37. Some days I am a couch potato. Most days my job demands that I am plopped in front of a computer. But I don't want to be.
Although, losing 20 pounds in three months isn't going to bring me longterm happiness, a committment to daily activity of some kind and better food choices is something that will increase the quality (and possibly quantity of my days)
I know what my body is capable of. I know the way it moves and the way I feel when I am happy and healthy and active. I KNOW that I am nowhere NEAR the woman I can be. I know that my heart and lungs and muscles deserve more. I know my butt could look better in my jeans and I KNOW that the roll over my pants means my body is not at its best.
So, what prevents me from gifting physical wellness to myself?
I'm bloody lazy. That's what.
The way I see it, God willing, I've got about 40 years left in me... I can do it the hard way, or the easy way.
The Hard Way: work, committment, self-discipline, time, energy, dedication.
The Easy Way: change nothing. No extra work or time. More free time in front of the TV. Eat what I want, day or night. Easy short term, hard long term.
That's just the physical part of me... I won't even get into the emotional, spiritual, professional, mother,wife and woman side...
SO WHAT'S MY POINT?
Today is THE day. This is THE moment. There is no time like the present to be everything I ever dreamed of becoming. It won't happen overnight. It may not be easy. But, what a gift that I have this chance to create whatever I want with the freedom and opportunity that makes up my life.
So, I will continue to ask myself these questions as the year moves through:
Am I present in this moment? (Not hanging in the past, not worrying about tomorrow)
Am I growing, learning, creating? (I am the one who is writing my life story... I hold the pen.)
Am I happy and grateful? (I am blessed with hope, faith and love.)
What am I doing to do that will allow me to be the BEST ME I can be RIGHT NOW? (Every action is a choice. How am I choosing to live right now? I can do it the easy way or the hard way)
Just because I am where I am right now... doesn't mean that's where I have to stay.
Today is the first day of the rest of my life.
Happy, Lucky Me.
Happy New Year.
"Ships in harbour are safe. But that's not what ships were built for." - Unknown