MY PERSONAL JOURNEY

 MY PERSONAL JOURNEY

There is a journey that I have personally decided to take for myself. It is one to help me feel better, be healthier and I must add...to feel good about the way I look for myself - not others - but for ME, MYSELF and I. In a way, some may actually say, "Well, that is a very selfish reason." I would respond quickly with a big fat, "NO!" My health and feeling good about my health and the way that I feel in my own body are very important and are not selfish at all.

Practicing kindness should be a HUGE gift that we give to ourselves. This in turn will become a wonderful thing to do for other people. It makes me want to do for others without expecting a thing in return. It automatically boosts my feelings of joy, as well as those around me. To put it even more simply: I know that I become more pleasant to be around if I am practicing kindness to myself because then I have a deep desire to practice kindness on others around me. Taking things less personally reduces stress by just practicing kindness and compassion throughout our days. Sending out good vibes helps me to feel more connected and I believe that we all know how good that feels. It is part of being human!

This journey of mine started out by changing some of my vocabulary. The two words that I had to work on were 'should've and could've. As I made unhealthy choices, such as the shirt above shows stressing over choosing a donut to eat. The vocabulary of saying to myself that I should've NOT eaten that. By taking my personal journey a bit further, I now know that instead of what I should've done, the more important step is what I could've done. Yes, I know sometimes things are easier said than done. For me, it was getting my attitude adjusted and my mindset where it needs to be. It is so not motivating me to tell myself that I should not have eaten that donut and I will do better tomorrow. The vicious cycle begins, at least for me it does. I know that I must tell my brain what it can do. I am in charge and I can make good choices. So I could've walked away and had a more nutritional snack that would not make me feel guilty and actually get me off the path toward my own healthy personal journey. And that is what I have been doing. Three months now on my personal journey and down 40 pounds. I really did not think that it showed as much as it did until my daughter took a 'now' picture and put it side by side before the loss of 40 pounds. 

I must admit that I started crying when I saw with my own eyes the difference. I just wonder why I did not start before now. Again, it is ok and I will be kind to myself and have compassion because I am now on the right road to a healthier me. It has become the bigger why of developing a greater sense of purpose in my life by connecting what I do now and how it is contributing in a positive way to something greater. It makes me feel like what I am doing has purpose. My stress levels seem to have dropped. My list of what I need to do each morning to maintain my healthy lifestyle is a way that I love to start my day. It is my own private to do list and that comes first before anything else. It is my BIG WHY! 

I now know what my BIG WHY is and that is what motivates me.