Are you hearing those statements a lot the last couple days? I am. We will continue to hear those words for the next couple weeks, but then what? It seems people can lose their vision when setting 'resolutions' because they want the instant fix, the instant change and when that doesn't happen, they give up and go back to their old ways. We live in a society that lives on the instant fix, the immediate details, the "I want it now" syndrome. We would probably all like to drop a few pounds without having to work at it, and without being sick, but reality is that losing weight and keeping it off, takes making long term changes such as eating better and getting some exercise. Most things we want to change requires some work, and definitely a change from how we are doing things at the current moment. Unfortunately, many quit when it's not going the way they had planned. Many people try to change for a couple weeks, but when they haven't achieved their goals in two weeks, they give up. The great thing is, we can try start over, have a clean slate every day, not just once a year.
2014 offers each of us 525,600 minutes. Each of those minutes is a precious gift. We each have a choice to decide how we will spend most of those moments. Yes, we will all have things happen that we didn't expect, both good and bad. In the moments that lie ahead that are difficult, we can seek joy despite our circumstances, find peace in the not so peaceful times, and offer forgiveness and love to those in our lives, even when we feel they don't deserve it. Life is too short to live in the what-if's, should have's, and to hold grudges and not offer forgiveness. The past is behind us. Let it go. Today. Move forward, don't live in the past.
Want a better you? Start with overcoming things that personally bog you down in this new year and make your number one goal of change, to be a change of you, from the inside out. Yes, fitness and eating better goals are important, but not as important as getting your heart right, to focus your attitude on joy, love, kindness, forgiveness, peace, and faith. Focusing on these things will bring the best you in 2014 and will impact the world around you in deep, personal ways. Remember, if you slip you can always start over. Each day is a new beginning, a new chance to change.
