New Beginnings

I recently celebrated a birthday; my continuing journey into the realm of 50 plus has been enlightening. I learn new things about myself every day. I would like to believe I am more aware of the world and who I am in it. Yourpersonalhealthplan begins anew; to challenge self-sabotaging thought processes that overshadow our true selves.

This is the path I find myself on. I find that most folks don't start out with a conscience thought that the choices they make are self-defeating.... I realized my self-defeating tendencies were anchored in past failures that convinced me that pursuing certain endeavors would end up as they had in the past. Nothing could be further from the truth!

We are the sum total of what we believe ourselves to be; and the choices we make as a result. I realize now that failure is okay if we understand it as a learning process and not a declaration of who we are. The same holds true for successes; they are a result of choices; in this instance, good choices...but not a judgment of who we are in our entirety.

I am currently reading "7 Principles of Great Leaders" by Fred Sarkari. I find this book inspirational. One thing the author states which we all know is true, " There is only one constant in life and that is change. No matter how hard you try, you cannot prevent change, so embracing it is your best option" (Sarkari, 2009, p.22). I love wise words!

So if change is is certain, we adapt and move forward. This is one way we create new beginnings. I am committed to embrace change and do some awe-inspiring things with the rest of my time here...What about you?

Consider this video:

Your Righteous Mind

These words were rolling around in my head today. I recall hearing them spoken by the actor Denzel Washington in the film, "The Great Debators." His character was speaking to students and told them that he was present to help them fight for their righteous minds. Righteous minds. . .what does that mean? For me, it meant the ongoing battle to keep the "right words" in my head and simultaneously reject the negative and self-defeating ones. I find that the battle gets thick at times!

Determining what  words and thoughts are right to think takes some effort. If we fail to discipline ourselves in this regard; we may find that our thoughts consist of the reworked ideas of outside influences! Oh my goodnesss. . .what could be worse than replaying someone elses thoughts, ideas, prejudices, or worst yet; misinformation in your head? What affect would that have on you and the life you want to live?

Expectations determine your path: choose them wisely

One of the major reasons some of us don't achieve what we hope to is that we are expecting something to happen that is in direct contrast to our efforts.For example, if you want to lose weight, body fat, or a bad relationship, how do you make that happen? Now I know this might sound like a no-brainer but consider how some of us go about this.

When considering the achievement of weight loss; the usual images come to mind: sweating in a gym somewhere or running up and down a single flight of stairs til near exhaustion. Some of us may find such images useful in theory but not so much in reality. What is the expectation for weight loss if activities that can make the loss real are undesirable? The expectation, whether verbalized or not; is failure! We have succeeded in self-sabotage. Shooting ourselves down is rarely a conscious thought; we don't necessarily start out expecting failure. However, if we fail to align our expectations with our efforts; failure is the only result.

One resource I am currently using to help me achieve my weight loss and fat loss goals is found in the teachings of a natural body-builder: Tom Venuto. I was fortunate enough to come across this knowledgeable gentleman while looking for nutrition information on the net.  I understand that nutrition is key to losing body fat and weight; I just wasn't sure of the best way to achieve it.

The idea of burning body fat and feeding my muscles was a unique one. Tom is renown for his awesome physique; a physique achieved without the use of the usual suspects (steriods) and other performance enhancing agents. Click on the Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle image and check him out.

First things first

Priority is a word we all understand; or at least we think we do. We learned how to prioritize when we children. Our parents set our agenda:  eat your vegetables, wash your hands, brush your teeth...don't hit your little brother. Who's priorities were those?

I find myself re-prioritizing my life now; taking the tme to think about what I want and need; physically and spiritually. Sometimes life gets so crazy with "activity" that the essence of life is lost. . .or it sure feels that way. If you are a lady, it's the husband, significant other, the kids, work, school, whatever. Women are expected to put everyone and everything first. Although I would be the last person to advocate for selfishness; the truth is that self IS first. Self is who you deal with when you wake up in the morning, and self is who you either develop or sabotage everyday. Even those completely selfless souls among us require introspection and self development to really give. Giving requires the surrender of something valuable.

I'm learning to prioritize my dreams and desires. I started out doing this as a child but somehow; becoming a responsible adult rocked the dreamer to sleep and awoke a realist.

I now understand that the failure to prioritize what is important to me results in poor mental and physical health.

Developing a personal health plan to address mind and body is the best way to ensure that purpose is realized everyday of your life.I have discovered a few jewels to help me accomplish this. As I develop my personal health plan; I'll share my treasure with you. Who knows; inside of each of us is a plan for extraordinary achievement; I refuse to go anywhere until I've shared my treasure with the world. What about you?