Day 6

The first few days of trying to have a happy outlook went swimmingly. That is until my dog got attacked by a stray pit bull yesterday morning. The initial shock got me pretty down. Luckily he just had a surface wound and a bruised side. It could have been worse. Thank goodness it wasn't. I started to feel down and it took me a good day and a half to get it back together to look at the brighter side of life. It made me realize how being in a sad or negative state really does influence so much of our lives. All of sudden I felt sad about a number of things. I started thinking about the thesis I have yet to finish for my degree, the lack of motivation I was feeling for a project I usually love and what a bad mother I am to my 13 year old son. I even started making bad food decisions. In the end crappy food never makes you feel better. Although it may for a split second when you are eating it....I almost always just feel even crappier when it is all said and done. So today despite the overwhelming feeling to crawl into bed and not come out for a few days, I decided to come to work and try it all again. Luckily my plan worked and by 4pm today I was patting myself on the back for all the things I have accomplished. This year has been life changing. I workout an average of 3-4 times a week and I no longer eat out like I used to. There was a time when I worked out about 3-4 times a month if I was lucky. I also used to spend a ridiculous amount of money eating out and buying things I didn't need just to fill a void. Instead of focusing on the fact that I have not lost weight or that my eating habits are not perfect I am deciding to focus on all that I have accomplished this year. Which gives me hope for what I can accomplish for the upcoming year if I just keep up what I am doing. Every little step counts!

Day 1

Yesterday my best friend and I had an epiphany. It wasn't exactly a new one but it was one that we decided we really needed to make a go of. We decided that we want to live more positive lives. I know it sounds hokey but honestly what are we accomplishing by being down on ourselves all of the time? So last night we started talking about what would make us feel happier in our lives right now. Not in one year, not when I lose 10 pounds or when I have more money...I mean right now. I think the answer is having compassion for ourselves. When would we ever treat anyone as harshly as we treat ourselves? So the plan is every night instead of thinking about what we didn't accomplish we should take five minutes before bed to think of all of the successes no matter how small. What a different way to think about it! It is so easy to focus on what is lacking than what is right in front of you. I fell asleep feeling like anything is possible.

Mantras for the day:

Progress not perfection.
What will we do today to shape our tomorrow?

It just takes one step at a time to live the lives we want to live!