Change

"The only thing that is constant is change." Heraclitus

In life things change. Seasons change, we age, we marry or divorce, have children, children grow up, we start a new job, or leave a job. Every day we are presented with some form of change.

Some people fight against change, opting instead to stay in their comfort zones. I myself have been guilty of this. I've stayed in situations because I was used to them, even if they made me unhappy.

I've often remained in comfort zones so long, despite all of the evidence that I should leave, that the universe had no choice but to force me out of the situation.

The main changes I have avoided, turned out to be good for me. Even when I was forced out of a situation, I looked back and was grateful for the push.

Recently I have experienced a lot of change. This change has caused me to demand that I make decisions and move forward in my life, rather than stay stuck in stagnation.

Have you avoided making decisions or moves in your life because you feared change?

Today I came across "11 Calming Reminders That Change is a Good Thing" in the Huffington Post. It reminded me that change is imminent, and should be embraced.

What changes have you been avoiding or dreading? How can you look at that change differently?

Weight Loss Inspiration

Weight loss can be difficult to achieve and even more challenging to maintain. One of the best ways to stay motivated is to see stories of other people who have lost weight and kept it off.

Seeing these people have success with their weight may be helpful because:

A) It shows that it's possible. Sometimes when you've been overweight for so long you fear that you will never get down to a healthy weight.

B) It gives you a visual to cling to, an image to keep in mind as you workout and make healthy food choices.

Here are some inspirational sites I've come across lately.

• The Weigh We Were-- This site features people who have lost huge amounts of weight through diet and exercise alone. Each featured person tells their own story in their own words.
• Black Women Losing Weight-- Featuring success stories, motivational articles, and monthly challenges, this site shows people who have lost weight both from diet and exercise and/or weight loss surgery.
• Huffpost Healthy Living -- This site features various articles about people who have lost weight. At the end of each article is a slideshow of other weight loss stories to choose from.
• CNN Weekly Weigh In -- CNN showcases weight loss success stories. There are video segments to accompany the articles. 

 
If you have been struggling with your weight, I hope these sites motivate you to get up and try again.

Change, Even When You Don't Feel Like It

We all have goals that we would like to accomplish. At this time of the year, people believe they want to change. Everywhere you turn there are books,  magazine articles, and television specials about improving your life. It's a very inspiring time really.

What happens, however, when all of the hoopla is over and you are left with all of the actual work you must do to change. For many people the goals they first created for themselves begin to fade. They lack the motivation or "will" to do what must be done.

A person once told me, "You keep waiting for something big to happen. You keep thinking that you're going to have this aha moment. No book, or tv show, or person has the answer you are looking for. Change happens when you simply take action."

This advice stuck with me for a long time. I ran the words over and over in my mind before I ever decided to make any changes. Really, change is that simple. If you want to change something, you take action. Then you repeat the action consistently.

I usually don't feel like doing the work involved in making my lasting changes, but over time I've learned to do the work anyway.

I heard a quote once that says, "You will never regret a good workout." I think this could apply to anything a person wants to accomplish in life. Often just thinking about something you have to do too much causes you to lose your energy.

Every excuse in the world pops into your mind to keep you from doing the work. I've learned that once you just get up and do the thing you are avoiding, you will never regret it. Instead you will feel accomplished and good about doing the necessary work to achieve your goals.

Every step you take brings you closer to realizing your dreams.

I came across these two articles in the Huffington Post which I believe have tips to help us all stay on track at any point in the year.

My goal for this year is to: Follow Through, and Finish What I Start.

What are some of your goals, not just for the new year, but for your life?