My Soul is Scottish

Half of the year has flown by already. It’s been a productive and crazy year so far. At the end of January I sat down and got serious about what needed to change this year. A month after most people make their resolutions for the year, I finally made some space to do the same. Of course, the same 4 culprits ended up on the menu: sort the job, get rid of lingering debt, get my love life out of storage and deal with my weight and health.

I’m pleased to report that I finally quit the job that was eroding my will to live and started at a new place. It’s been an adjustment but the positives outweigh the negatives so far. By a lot! So check item 1 off the list.

Shortly after starting the job, I decided to take the plunge and start dating again. I’ve met someone who makes me happy, even though the geography of it sucks but we’re figuring it out. Hence the lack of free time to write as much as I usually do. Racking up the miles between Illinois and Michigan! We definitely challenge each other because we’re opposite in a lot of ways, but we’re the same in the ways that matter so it’s working out so far. Check item 3 off the list.

I’ve made a dent in the lingering debt and have a solid plan drawn up to get it all gone within 10 months and the new job is going a long way to making the plan work. So item 2 is an ongoing work in progress and I can SEE the progress, which is a huge motivator in seeing it through.

That leaves item 4. Health and weight. The ongoing anchor that I drag through every single year without making any tangible or concerted effort to address the problem. The first 6 months of the year have been busy and I can see progress in the other 3 areas on my list. That leaves 6 months to tackle the 1 item remaining. I started yesterday. Of course, a Monday. It’s in the rules somewhere. As to how I’m going to make it work, that’s not set in stone. The goal is set at 20 lbs, so now to get to work on it. Here’s to checking off all 4 goals by December 31st! 2018 is definitely shaping up to be a great vintage!

2017 is done and dusted and once again it’s time to look ahead with the proverbial list of New Year’s Resolutions in hand of everything we’re going to do this year. The list looks a lot like the list at the beginning of last year, and the year before that… It’s easy to be full of optimism with the promise of a fresh slate ahead and the motivation to get it done.

But how are YOU different today? What magically changed when the clock struck midnight? The chances are your mindset today is exactly the same as it was yesterday, except today there’s a bit a bit more enthusiasm to tackle the endless list of things we want to change about our lives and selves. I recently watched a video a friend posted and the speaker made an excellent point. We treat things like our health and relationships as events when they should be a lifestyle.

If you think about it, he’s spot on. An event is an optional one-time thing but a lifestyle is every day. When you put your goal weight up as something to achieve, how likely is it that you’ll stick to it? I haven’t. I have never made healthy living a lifestyle, only a goal on a list somewhere that I may or may not get around to. I’ll always be the person who will choose a good book over going to the gym or going for a long walk. I know this about myself. Standing at the starting line of a new year is the same person who crossed the finish line last year. I am not different so the question becomes what will I DO differently this year?

Health isn’t something you arrive at. It’s something you live. You don’t go to bed overweight and unhealthy then wake up svelte and glowing. Health is lived consciously. Make better decisions in order to remove the things that degrade your body; manage your stress and move your body. Automatically reaching for a double sugar, extra cream coffee to start your day isn’t going to magically bring you a different result just because you want it to. Personally most of my food choices are automatic because I know I like them and that’s one less decision I need to make when I’m tired. The problem is the automatic choice isn’t the right one if I’m aiming to change my body and health so it has to be a conscious decision if I want a different result.

Another caveat is that you have to be willing to accept where you are now. It’s not easy, believe me I know. It’s not easy to look in the mirror and take stock of it all. Denying the problem will not drive you to solve it. You have to admit that it’s broken before you can fix it. Tell it like it is in all its brutal honesty. Take responsibility for what you’ve created to this point and do not blame someone or something else for your predicament. It is very important that you understand this.

Let me give you an example. About 5 years ago, I sorted my health out and dropped 20 lbs over the course of a year. I’d finally done what I’d wanted to do for years and was so proud of what I’d accomplished. Then winter rolled around and for the first time in my life I experienced Seasonal Affective Disorder. I’d always laughed SAD off as a fluffy condition that couldn’t possibly be real. Oh was I wrong! It was the roughest winter I’d ever experienced until that point and I went into depression virtually overnight. The smallest thing felt impossible to cope with. My energy levels disappeared, I could barely function; mentally it felt like a black hole and it came out of nowhere. I went to see my doctor and being in Murica, I walked out with a prescription for anti-depressants. What she failed to mention was that anti-depressants have weight gain as a side-effect. I went up 17 lbs in 6 weeks without changing a single thing about my diet. A year’s worth of effort was wiped out in just over a month.

I’ve blamed that medication for my current weight for 5 years now. Sure, the weight gain in that instance was not necessarily my fault but it was MY responsibility. I could have asked about the side effects before blindly accepting that prescription but I didn’t. There are alternative ways to deal with depression but I chose the quick fix. I am responsible for my health, not my doctor so I decide what goes into my body, no-one else. The event that derailed my weight was not my fault but I’ve spent the past 5 years using it as an excuse. Having an excuse just means having a reason not to do anything about it but taking responsibility changes the game. Taking responsibility means taking the reins and dealing with what needs to be done.

It’s time to ditch the blame because it’s just an excuse not to change. Take responsibility for getting to where you need to be. No-one is coming to do it for us so we can step up and deal with it, or go back and crawl under the comfort of our excuses. For our life to change, our lifestyle has to change. Health isn’t a pet project; it’s a commitment. Relationships aren’t a part-time event; they’re an ongoing work-in-progress. Building a business isn’t a 6 week crash course; it’s a constant game of change and adapt. Decide what is worth living every day because that’s what it’s going to take. Decide. Then go and live it.