I feel everyone is on their own journey. I know for me personally, I have struggled my whole life with my weight. I believe that losing and maintaining a healthy weight are LIFESTYLE choices, not a 'diet' you can follow. I can look back at my life and see that there were times when I CHOSE healthy and times when I CHOSE the opposite.

After four months on SP, I decided to read The Spark. I still feel my motivation is high, and I haven't reached a plateau; but I attribute that to not waiting for those things to happen to seek out new sources of inspiration. I don't think The Spark would have affected me as much had I read it earlier in my journey.

I chose to read it in February because it is a 28-day program and fit that month quite nicely. I printed out the trackers and carried them and my journal everywhere with me this month. I participated in the action steps it recommends. I found week four to be a little abstract to me at this point in my journey (focus on maintenance and goal setting beyond weight loss), but I've bookmarked several items to revisit and feel extra sparked to get to that point in my journey.

I think there are two words I would use to describe my journey:
1. Different
2. Awareness

I strive to be different - I know that up until this point I have not lived the life I want to live, but this time it's different. I strive to be aware - of the choices I make with food, activity, how I spend my time, where I focus my energy, with everything.

The Spark and Sparkpeople.com have really shown me how to accomplish my goals. The resources are endless and endlessly valuable. There are resources for every stage, every struggle, every victory along the way - and I feel like I've only begun to use a small portion of them.

I encourage anyone out there who is wondering where to start, where to find the motivation, or even where to direct themselves now that they've accomplished their goals to read The Spark. It's another great tool to help you along the way!