Group Hug!

Whoohoo, we made it - happy 2015!

Now that I'm done examining and reflecting and bitching about 2014, we can talk about what's going to be AWESOME this year.

I'm pretty excited. You know why? Because there's something really important that I kind of forgot last year as I was clawing my way along, and it bobbed to the surface when I stopped to think about the possibilities of a fresh start...and that really important idea is this:

LOVE is the catalyst for positive change.

What I mean by that is, of course, that steps in the right direction don't come from anger, fear, or aggression - the dark side are they!

Ha ha - sorry, I couldn't resist. But to change your life in a really positive way requires love. Want a healthy, fit body? Start loving it. Honour it for what it does for you and appreciate how it looks NOW. Want great relationships? Show the people closest to you how much they mean and get the cycle going. Want more career satisfaction? Get really fired up and excited about what you do, or if you can't, maybe think of doing something different...because otherwise, life can become a drag. But if you really love what you do and feel a sense of purpose...you know what I'm getting at.

So with that idea in mind, and armed with my non-resolutions (no feeling ashamed of myself and owning my behaviour and emotions), I hereby pledge that 2015 is going to be great. Maybe the best year yet. Are y'all with me?

To hell with the status quo and let's do what makes us happy. (You know, within reason - not endorsing anything crazy here.) For example, most of you know that my primary fitness goal is fat loss. I've felt super frustrated with my physicality for the last, oh, two and a half years, and I've been furiously training and obsessing over eating plans and beating myself up over the extra weight I carry around. I'm done with that.

Instead, I've switched over to a workout program that I genuinely enjoy: training for FREAKISH STRENGTH!  And I'm not stressing over my extra weight anymore, because that wasn't fun - all the negative self-talk, the wondering what people must think of that fat trainer, convincing myself that I have nothing to offer anyone because I don't look they way I should...instead, I am working on appreciating the body I have. Considering how mean I've been to it, it treats me pretty well. And really, it's high time I started returning the favor.

Of course, it's not an easy switch to make - changing a habitual line of thinking is like changing the course of a river after it's worn a deep valley in the ground...it's going to take a while to build a dam and force the water to go where you want it to go. Some little rivulets of nastiness are going to escape from time to time and go down the old path. It's inevitable - and it's okay. It's almost good because it's a reminder of how much the old thoughts hurt.

Hurt. Doesn't it seem sort of ridiculous that hurtful patterns can so easily turn into the default setting? Here's the thing though: changing that reflex to shudder inwardly when you pass a mirror actually feels good. I mean, it's kind of funny to force a good thought in front of a mirror because it feels so weird...but it's a good weird. Silly, even. But some silliness is a welcome change from the constant stream of not-good-enough-ness.

So gang, let's make a deal. In 2015, be happy. Do what gives you a sense of purpose and fulfillment. Honour yourself (even if it's a stretch) and the people closest to you. Pick up heavy stuff for fun. And stoke that big-ass love fire so that good things happen!