To Thine Own Self Be True

Touching first on practical matters...I am happy to announce that I have dropped from a size 62 waist to a size 50. I put on my size 50 shorts today for the first time in years and I thought to myself, "Cool...look how my wardrobe has expanded. Suddenly I have three times as many choices when I look in the closet." That was a fun realization.

Moving on to matters of the heart...I have found that the most important thing I have learned in my journey so far is how very important it is that we are honest with ourselves in all areas of life. So often, it seems to me, we spend all of our time and energy focusing on how to make ourselves LOOK good to other people...rather than actually trying to BE good. If we would focus even a fraction of our efforts on actually doing what we ought to do instead of worrying about what other people think of us, just imagine what amazing things we could accomplish!

The scariest part is that even if we manage to stop worrying about what others think of WHAT we are doing, we then begin worrying about whether or not other people will approve of HOW we are doing it. How we eat is an area where this type of thinking is especially noticeable. How many times have any of us been at a restaurant and wondered what other people would think of us if we ordered this or that? I have found myself battling with this at times because I am not following a specific diet in my journey to lose weight. I'm not counting calories or watching my fat or carbs intake. So sometimes I find myself wondering if other people think that I do not take my weight loss journey seriously. But then I have to remind myself that it doesn't matter what other people think. I have made important changes in my eating habits: drinking only water, cutting down on my sugar intake, being satisfied with smaller portions...and it is obviously working for me. This is all that matters. But sometimes we lose sight of that.

I remind myself today as I remind all of you...Be true to yourself.

"Allow the world to live as it chooses, and allow yourself to live as you choose."
- Richard Bach