Thought from November 27:
You cannot hope to build a better world without improving individuals.

- Marie Curie, Nobel winning chemist

The best way to make the world a better place is to make it your business to build people and help them improve themselves (and that includes yourself). Start by improving yourself and developing the strengths that can set an example for others. Then use your strengths to help others develop their own. I think that this is something that I’ve really achieved lately. Everyone I see is proud of the weight I’ve lost and I think I’ve positively influenced people to start eating more healthfully and exercising more.


Thought from November 28:
All problems become smaller if you don't dodge them, but confront them. Touch a thistle timidly, and it pricks you; grasp it boldly and its spines crumble.

- William S. Halsey, WWII U.S. Admiral

Grab life by the horns. I’ve found that confronting my fears and my difficulties has really helped me to become a better person. I was able to face my inactive lifestyle and have improved to a healthier lifestyle. This time last year I was hardly active and feeling really crummy about myself. Now I feel a lot better about myself and I’m much more active.


Thought from November 29:
The future belongs to those who prepare for it today.

- Malcolm X, American spokesman for the Nation of Islam

If you can clearly state and see what your vision is, you're well on your way to seeing it come to life. I think that’s why I’ve done so well on this program. I made myself a visual motivator and set reasonable goals for myself. As of today I’ve lost 35 pounds on SparkPeople in the last 11 months. I’ve done it slowly and surely, had some ups and downs along the way, but with the gradual weight loss I’ve been able to keep it off and really make a Life Style Change. I’m not worried about gaining back the weight I’ve lost because I know that I won’t gain it back. I’ve learned to listen to my body – I avoid overeating and watching the types of food that I eat and it really works.


Thought from November 30:
Conscience is the inner voice that warns us that someone might be looking.

- HL Mencken, author, critic and newspaperman

Ever get the feeling that you should be doing something other than what you are? Not just in the area of good vs. evil, but in your exercise and nutrition choices. Well, that’s your conscience. I’ve really started to listen to my conscience – I really pay attention to everything I eat and do now.


Thought from December 1:
It is a common experience that a problem difficult at night is resolved in the morning after the committee of sleep has worked on it.

- John Steinbeck, author

Tough challenges call for clear heads. Muddled minds and sluggish skulls make bad decisions and are quick to rash reactions. For sharp thinking, nothing beats regular amounts of good sleep. I felt really great this weekend after getting a good night’s sleep each night. Friday and Saturday night I went to bed early and got so much more achieved than I do in most weekends. Guess sleep really is the best way to get a clear mind to solve problems.


Thought from December 2:
A man who wants something will find a way; a man who doesn't will find an excuse.

- Stephen Dolley Jr.

You gotta really believe that you can do it. Think more about why you CAN make it happen instead of why you can't. No more excuses.


Thought from December 3:
To be nobody but yourself--in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else-- means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.

- ee Cummings, poet

Be myself? Who am I? How do I define myself? I’m not really sure about that yet, but I try my damnedest to be myself and try not to be someone or something I’m not. I try hard to live the “What you see is what you get” philosophy. I hope that what people are seeing is something that I can be proud of in years to come. I think so.


Thought from December 4:
When things go wrong don't go with them.

- Elvis Presley, rock idol

Getting caught up in negativity has always been something that I’ve struggled with… I’m working to get over it and my hubby and his positive outlook on the world has helped me a lot. He always reminds me Remember that what happens to you is not who you are. It's history. It's past.


Thought from December 5:
Kindness is difficult to give away because it keeps coming back.

- Church billboard in Louisiana

Okay, this one gets me. I’m probably going to go on a tangent here, but forgive me this; it is my blog after all… I find that I try my best to always be kind to everyone – friends or strangers. Sadly, I feel that I am often abused of this. I drop everything for my friends when they are in need, but when I’m in need it seems that I’m alone… I know that normally it’s not like that in my life, but lately I’ve been feeling left out in the cold by my friends… thought I know this is not the time or place so I think I’ll stop this rant here.


Thought from December 6:
Friendship with oneself is all-important, because without it one cannot be friends with anyone else.

- Eleanor Roosevelt, human rights activist

If you met yourself, would you want to stick around and talk? Are you the kind of person others can be proud of? I think the answer to both of these questions about me would be yes. So, if the answer’s yes why am I so damned down on myself all the time? I really don’t know. It’s something I’m working on…


Thought from December 7:
The value of marriage is not that adults produce children but that children produce adults.

- Peter de Vries, novelist and editor

Caring for a family can really help one to become an adult quickly and to become responsible quickly. I was given a lot of responsibility early in my life and lately I’ve come to resent it. I’m tired of being the grown up and the caregiver. I want someone to care for me! But that doesn’t seem to be my lot right now, so I’ll continue caring for others and being the adult.


Thought from December 8:
If I have seen farther than other men it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.

- Isaac Newton, physicist

Greatness happens when people get together and pool their strengths for each other's benefit. It happens when lessons are passed down and taken even further. Even Newton knew that he had to rely on the teachings and discoveries of others to get to where he ended up. I know that I need to rely on others to get to where I want to be, but I find that relying on others is hard… Guess it’s just something I’ll have to work on.


Thought from December 9:
No change of circumstances can repair a defect of character.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer

We all know people who just like to complain. It seems that no matter how good they have it, they're always spreading negative energy. Even the best, most painstaking listener can have trouble with someone who finds fault with everything around them. You can shine even in the worst situations if your character is strong. The email from SparkPeople suggests that I should take another look when I start seeing the “dark side” of things too much… which I’ve been trying to do. It’s hard work, but I’m trying.


Thought from December 10:
People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing--that's why we recommend it daily.

- Zig Ziglar, motivational speaker

The secret to staying consistent with your goals is to stay motivated. That means finding ways to fire yourself up on a daily basis. To keep myself motivated in my weight loss goal and Life Style Change I have posted a visual motivator in my bedroom right under my light switch so I can see it every day. My motivator had pictures of what I’d like to look like, adjectives that I want to describe myself and a BMI chart charting my starting BMI and my goal BMI. It’s really helping me to stay motivated in my Life Style Change.







Wow, a lot of that blog ended up more bitter and angry sounding than I had originally intended... guess I'm in a bad mood or something tonight.