What Next?

What do I do first? The brain is bubbling over with all manner of changes to implement but I know that too many at once will bring about failure. Let's see, first my lovely partner bought me a neat little notebook with the intention of me taking it to work. I've left it at the side of my bed and each night before I turn the light off I'm listing all the things that I am grateful for the day. It's nice going to sleep thinking good thoughts. Oprah and lots of others recommend a gratitude journal so this is an easy one to try.

I started seeing a naturopath last fall. I really enjoy my visits with her. I went back and looked at the initial instructions that she had given me. Mainly to do with diet. There is a list of things to avoid and a list of what I should be eating. It's funny but I have been focusing on what not to eat: sugar, coffee, tea, alcohol, pop, animal products(meat, cheese, eggs, milk), all refined flours & breads, foods with chemicals. I read this and think what's left????? Some of these I have been able to avoid, some others I don't know if I will ever manage a week of not eating. This week I'm trying to focus on the list of foods to eat: all fish, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, beans, nuts & seeds, almond milk, oils (olive, avocado, grapeseed), herbal tea and of course water. So far I've done not bad but meat is going to be the hardest to fully give up. It should get easier as the farmer's markets start having fresh produce. I love farmer's markets!

I'm drinking herbal tea in the morning, breakfast of oatmeal with raisins and a touch of maple syrup, water the rest of the day with the exception of a small glass of juice when I get home ( this stops me from grazing before supper is ready). Next week I'll get snacks and lunches all organized.

Did my taxes and have to pay so any changes to my financial health will start next month. I do think that I will start with what's known as the 10 percent rule - take 10% off any monies coming in and place into a savings account. Can't hurt.

Spiritual Well Being - or should I call it happiness?

This I think will be the hardest part of my challenge. I've never really dealt with my inner beliefs and how they affect my day to day life but I'm slowly coming around to the understanding of how important it just may be. I have so many questions that I need to address:

1. Do I go down this path by myself or do I find a mentor/community to help me?
2. What is it that I truly believe?
3. Will working on this really help me?
4. What path should I follow - organized religion or some new age belief system?
5. How do you articulate all that's inside?
6. I f I believe in something greater than myself that I am a part of than why don't I take better care of myself? Does it not follow that if I am part of something greater than how I treat myself is also how I treat the something greater?

Ooooo! That #6 hit something, amazing what comes out when you write without preplanning. Put your seatbelts on people, this just may be a bumpy ride.

Wealth

I've read many books, article, anything that has crossed my path on this subject. I've know the basics since my twenties but for some reason I'm still unable to put what I know into practise.
I have learned more about wealth over the years but still am a "wannabe" instead of an "I am". What part of the thought process changes that since all resources confirm that you must believe that you are capable of creating great wealth to do so.
So, wealth challenge #1: change my beliefs concerning wealth.
How? You say.

• Past: look at past and finish what needs finishing - organizing papers; looking at past mistakes and finding positive lessons; closing chapters so as to move forward; find out what I truly believe deep down in my psyche i.e. do I really believe that "life is hard then you die"?
• Present: what can I do today to change things? So much good advice out there, which one to pick first to try?
• Future: What do I really want? How much? Why? What will I do with it? I guess I had better set up a plan.

Health...what I know to do

Everybody reading this , including me knows what they should do for better health. I just don't know why it's so hard to do what you know is right....

1. Eat food that's nutritionally good for you, or as my naturopath keeps telling me, food is medicine


2. Exercise...I just wrote that word and I giggled....why is it so hard to do? I have 2 dogs I should at least walk one of them.


3. Good sleep/ rest. I'm much better at sleeping than I used to be, I'll even take naps now if I'm home. Resting or relaxing now that something different. I can keep my body fairly quiet but my mind she is just a racing most of the time....meditation? maybe.

Sounds so simple yet it is so hard to do on a daily basis. Do I "just make up my mind" and do it? That's how I quit smoking and I know it works. Or do I turn the process into steps and start with one and add more as time goes on? My brain is so funny....as I'm writing this so many excuses and reasons for failing are just tumbling all over the place for both methods.

I need to institute big changes if I'm going to succeed and the step approach should give me momentum through the hard changes. My brain likes this approach too...it knows that there is a chance of losing focus and stopping all together. Ha! NOT THIS TIME BRAIN....the world is watching and I want to smile at myself every time I look in the mirror.

April 15th, Day 1

In exactly 18 months is my 50th birthday. An exciting number, what will it bring? Am I ready for my most powerful decade? Not yet.

My challenge is to enter my 50th decade ready for personal adventure.



In the next 18 months I must focus on getting my internal houses in order. The houses that I am speaking of are the internal perceptions of what "I should be" that influence my external environment. How will I measure any progress? Well, with external markers: health; wealth;and spiritual well being.



My starting point:

Health:

• I'm overweight -230lbs


• I have been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and rosacea (both get worse with stress)


• I am a former smoker


• I have a gruelling commute to a job which I feel ambivalent about.


• I don't exercise

Wealth:

• Recovering from bankruptcy due to a failed business and bad personal financial decisions


• I have a savings account which keeps going back to 0 to help pay bills


• Still living paycheck to paycheck

Spiritual Well being or Happiness:



Am I happy? The answer is a quick yes but then I have to ask myself why am I constantly looking for something that I feel I need. This will be the difficult one.