Life is Awesome!

Life is just so freakin' awesome sometimes. I've been reading and studying personal development information since 1988. A friend of mine (I consider him my mentor) introduced me to this information, and a whole world opened up. It never occurred to me that it was up to me to be happy. I always thought happiness came from the world around me. I can't tell you how my life changed.

I read Think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill, As a Man Thinketh by James Allen among others, and numerous email newsletters over the years. But as Bob Proctor says, I've been setting goals and planning my future, but my thoughts have remained negative. I don't know why, but that's the way it's been. After 7 years of studying, listening, and reading, life got in the way, and I forgot a lot of the important things.

Then 3 or 4 years ago, a friend introduced me to "The Secret." We watched it as we put together our treasure maps (or vision boards) for the year. I'd hear what they said and say "that's so true," and, again, someone would say something that I'd learned years before, and I'd say "that's right!" Then it dawned on me that I'd put all those thoughts away for at least 10 years! I just got mired in the muck of daily life and forgot to dream and plan and set goals. I mean really set goals.

It took a couple of years before I got together with my mentor and started the learning all over. Jim Rohn says sometimes you don't move forward until you learn the lesson. Gosh, I hope I've learned the lesson. I think I'm ready to move on to bigger and better things.

I've set some crazy goals for this year -- to weigh 135 by Christmas 2010. I'm thinking this will take lots of work. And if I put my mind to it, I can at least get close. I have a walking partner who wants to accomplish some amazing things this year as well. I'm going to Weight Watchers to work on the eating plan. We walked a 5K on June 5. Another friend, Leslie Hoy, got a group together to work on cognitive behavior therapy for weight loss. It was a help. I have some tools to use when I struggle. Unfortunately, most of my bad habits are so ingrained that I don't realize I'm screwing up until after the fact. I'm so unconscious most of the time. Hopefully, with time, things will change for the better.

Another goal I had was to take a reposition cruise from Galveston to Spain next year. I've been planning on it since last year. But, finances aren't working out too well, so I may have to put it off until the next year and go to Great Britain instead. My walking partner may go with me. I'd love to combine the cruise with a train ride around Europe touching all the countries at least for a day excursion or a drive through. I'm thinking a month -- can our friendship handle that? I'm working on goal setting, and I have to have faith that if I really set these goals and fall in love with them like Bob Proctor says, the universe will help me attain these goals. I'll find myself doing the things that need to be done to achieve these goals.

I know that Suze Ormon would say "DENIED" to my request for $5200 for the month-long tour of Europe. Maybe I won't tell her. In the meantime, my friend and I will be checking out travel agencies to see how much it will really cost! I'm getting excited again!

I lost a pound today at Weight Watchers. Good considering I missed last week, and I'm wearing heavier clothes than I've been wearing. I decided it's time to summer it up color wise. I have a pair of mocha colored pants and 3 blouses of the same style that go with these pants. This way I won't look so much like I'm wearing a "uniform" because I wear the same thing each week. It's the only way to know if I'm actually losing or gaining. A very interesting thing popped up today when I added my new weight to the Excel log I'm keeping. I have such a pattern. I lose for 5 weeks, then I gain, lose 5 weeks, gain, lose 5 weeks, gain. It's amazing. I've done it since I started December 22. So, now that I see that, I'm going to have to be more vigilant on the 5th week.