What I've been doing over the last 3 months.....

I haven’t been writing much lately and just wanted to summarize my progress since January. It’s kind of important that I do this because as I’ve mentioned before, we all make little decisions in our lives, one after another. The results of all those little decisions build up and create the quality of life we all live. Nothing happens over night, although the results seem to come out of nowhere. If you’re like Jill Scott, livin’ you life like it’s golden, then it was a result of all the little decisions you made. On the other hand, if you’re like me, you made decisions in your life that created a standard of living you’re not quite comfortable with. If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ve seen me make decisions and then fall back into my old pattern again and again. None of those decisions were monumental by any means but the old patterns kept coming back. I, however, really wanted to make this work, so I just kept trying to make those little changes stick.


Before I go on, I wanted to go over what I’ve found to be instrumental to my ability to keep making and re-making those little adjustments to my lifestyle even after multiple attempts.

1. I really believe that I absolutely, positively must change. Although I knew that even if I didn’t change I could still get by, I was 100% absolutely sure that I wanted more out of my life and I wanted to build a life more suited to what I truly deserve. Until a person gets to the point of “I just can’t live like this anymore” and actually feels this in the gut, in his/her core, excuses get made. “I can’t afford a shrink,” “I don’t have the time to exercise,” “What harm can a 1200 calorie fast food sandwich or frappuccino do?” You have to hit your threshold. You have to get to the point of no return. You have to make the consequences real in your mind and your gut. It really takes some soul searching to make those consequences real.

2. I forgave myself for my shortcomings. In my case I even separated myself from my shortcomings having realized that the ADD/ADHD that I’ve dealt with my whole life was far more invasive than I gave it credit for. It affected my decision making on a level I never realized. Furthermore, I’m more patient with myself. I’m kinder to myself. I’m not harsh to myself anymore. I don’t know about you, but have you ever had one of those times when you take the palm of you hand and smack your forehead exclaiming, “STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!!!?” Well, I have. The thing is, I’m pretty sure that 9 of 10 people who have experienced that little private moment would NEVER walk up on another person smack them on the forehead and scream “STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!!!” no matter how stupid their action was. Instead we’d probably say to that poor person, “That OK, it could’ve happened to anybody.” If you’d never treat someone else like that why would you treat yourself like that:

3. I started being thankful for the things I do have. When a person is thankful for what he/she has, that person is naturally a positive person. (check out my last entry for more on this one.





So…. As far as tangible progress/changes in my life:

• I’ve lost 7 lbs

• I’ve identified a sleep/snoring problem that was keeping me from the rest I need to feel replenished and energetic the next day and have since: bought and am using one of those mouth pieces that prevent snoring; started using melatonin regularly before I get to bed; acquired a higher quality mattress. The results of these efforts are the best night’s sleep I’ve had in years. The urge to hit the snooze has disappeared!!! I got up this morning at 6:30 rarin’ to go!!!

• I’ve started jogging regularly and have registered for two back to back 5k runs. One at Liberty State Park on a Saturday and one in the Lincoln Tunnel on Sunday.

• I’ve changed my relationship with food. I used to “live to eat.” I didn’t care what I put in my mouth. (hey, ease up pervs!, I know not all of you are pervs ) Now I cook for myself more often controlling the quality of food and calories I take in. Don’t get me wrong. I will have a burger or huge steak now and again, I just don’t consider them staples anymore. I eat far more vegetables than I ever have in the past and I avoid processed flour and sugars as well.

• I’ve taken steps to better my time management skills as well. I’m putting my smart-phone to good use by using a calendar app that syncs with a cloud calendar so I can make appointments easily. I’m using a note making app as well so I can make shopping lists and notes on things I want to remember.

• I meditate/chant up to 45 minutes a day which eases my stress level, keeps me focused on the things I want for myself and further helps me to sleep.

• I’m taking medication for my ADHD symptoms. My concentration and focus have increased significantly enabling me to read more efficiently and concentrate on tasks for far greater amounts of time. My mood is more stable, I’m less prone to emotional ups and downs. (might also be attributed to less refined sugar in my diet.

• The last thing I want to put down here I actually have done yet is setting down written goals for myself. This is just a must for anyone who truly wants to better themselves in significant ways.