Hello Journal & Friends,
I am such a squirrel!!
I tend to keep things, squirreling them away, and am always coming across scraps of paper with notes on them that I wrote eons ago.
I recently found one dated Sept 6, 1985! Here is the part that caught my eye: "From now on my constructive outlet for stress will be: water & exercise."
I crack myself up sometimes!! Oh, how I wish I had added consistent ACTION to that declaration. I am not down on myself at all. I am more than a little amused... but in a good way.
Ya know what? That Loretta back then had already "failed" so many times (with more to come, little did she know) and yet there she was, gearing up for another attempt. Gathering her strength, for yet another battle. I have to give her credit for trying! She would try, get knocked down, and get up again. Try again... get knocked down, get up again, and eventually try again. SHE NEVER GAVE UP. She kept coming back.
And eventually SHE turned into ME. And I finally found what worked for me. Because I didn't quit... I kept trying to learn... I kept going. No matter what.
I've been talking quite a bit lately about Dr Phil. Hope I don't sound like a groupie! I just appreciate the material, though I admit I rarely watch the tv shows much any more, unless they are weight related.
But the written material: excellent. Simple, down-to-earth, not a lot of psycho-babble. Just do-able stuff that you can apply to your life, right here and now. For those of you who love the fancy labels, he actually uses a lot of cognitive behavioral therapy techniques. But for the rest of us peons, it's good old-fashioned horse sense.
He's written a series called The Ten Life Laws. I had planned to write about them sometime, but this one sort of fits my train of thought today:
Life Law #5:
Life rewards action.
Strategy: Make careful decisions and then pull the trigger. Learn that the world couldn't care less about thoughts without actions.
Talk is cheap. It's what you do that determines the script of your life. Translate your insight, understandings and awareness into purposeful, meaningful, constructive actions. They are of no value until then. Measure yourself and others based on results--not intentions or words.
Use any pain you have to propel you out of the situation you are in and to get you where you want to be. The same pain that burdens you now could be turned to your advantage. It may be the very motivation you need to change your life.
Decide that you are worth the risk of taking action, and that your dreams are not to be sold out. Know that putting yourself at risk may be scary, but it will be worth it. You must call upon yourself to leave behind the comfortable and familiar if you are to move onward and
upward.
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Any time I get stuck, I can count on The Ten Life Laws for a reality check, and a swift kick in the pants that gets me going again. (Here) is a link to all ten of them... enjoy your reality check! mwa ha ha ha ha
From Dr Phil's book: "Are your thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes moving you closer to what you want?"
6 comments:
I am definitely checking those out. Your note from 1985 sounds similar to many that I have written to myself.
Loretta, I can't tell you the number of notes scraps, comments on date books, and journal entries I have come across that sound just like yours. And, if onlies filled my mind... But, like you, here I am--trying again. Only this time, THIS time it's different. We're doing it--may be slowly, butit's gettin done. :D Good job, us! (And thanks for your comments on my blog. I am amazed by the similarities of our experiences sometimes.) Deb
I have yo-yo'd, too. Gained. Lost. Gained more. Lost more. Gained more. Each attempt we do learn something about ourselves and how we work.
You can't fail if you don't give up. Can't tell you how many times I banged my head on a wall about some other things.
Inspiring words, law #5. That's why I behave how I want to be. Eventually I become that. It takes time, but it does happen. I want to be happy. I behave happy. I want to be healthy. I behave healthy. I want to be a writer. I behave like one. And so on.
I too sound like the girl you used to be. I've made and broken the commitment to get healthy so many times I've lost count. I would lose focus and eventually just quit, only to begin again. The thing is though we never quit!!! It was a vicious cycle until I realized it had to be a complete life and attitude change!
So, we're now changing not only our lifestyles, but our attitudes. We're working on the physical and the mental part of our problems!
That's why this time around I know we'll be successful! We're going to make it to goal in 2011! I have complete faith in that my friend!
As always, GREAT POST! I loved your blast from the 1985 past. Girl, that note is older than I am!
"Learn that the world couldn't care less about thoughts without actions."
I think that one will stick with me. Thanks for sharing!
yeah loretta,
My favorite thing to do is go back through my diary entries and read the psycho babble I was spewing....whatever self help book I was reading at the time. In the end it all kind of coalesces into this big ball of Poo.
But if You can extract the nuggets of wisdom from it, it can help...I think that is what Dr. Phil is good at...pulling diamonds from the poo.
In the end it comes down to...let go of the past, it's over...figure out what is true, what is not, discover who you are, what you believe and what you want....then do it. Easy to write...years in the making lol.
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