Chicken Little strikes again....

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Pretty much completely off-topic of my usual blogging, I cannot believe sometimes how much people are like chicken little. They run around, listening to the media, listening to each other and feeding off the negativity of each other. The molehill becomes an insurmountable mountain, fear reigns and we forget our sensibilities.

Of course the perfect example right now is H1N1. Before it was terrorism and anthrax. We had SARS a few back and a couple of decades ago it was AIDS. Are they trivial matters ... of course not. Do we need to keep our heads? You bet.

So I have a challenge to anyone who wishes to accept ... keep a positive outlook and forget the negativity and the doom and gloom. One better ... when you hear people acting like chicken little, set them straight. Put a positive, or realistic, spin on the issue. People (and I think we've probably all done it at one time (probably more) or another, but when one person makes a comment about a negative issue, a second person will agree, then a third persons joins in and before you know it, we've got a good old bitch session going on or we've escalated it to the point where it's the most tragic issue on earth.

So let's try to keep things in perspective. Let's lift each other up and instead of bringing each other down. That is my challenge to each of you (yes, including myself).

"Goals give you the ability to be self-directed and in control"

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This is something I am HORRIBLE at. I write them down. I don't always concentrate on achieving them. By writing them down, reading them, visualizing them, and making a real effort to achieve them ... that will lead to success.

My goals, while a little lofty, to be achieved by January 9, 2010 are:

• lose 15 pounds


• wear a size 12


• Lose 3" off my tummy


• reduce my caffeine intake to espresso only

How's it going so far (did I mention these have been my goals for the past 6 months?):

• the scale is not my friend ... but muscle weighs a lot more than fat so I the proof is in the pudding (or in this case the pictures) so I'm not sure about this one.


• still in a 15/16 (was up to 19/20 so I am making progress)


• from March 22nd to October 17 - lost 1 1/2 inches - halfway there except that my start date for this 3" is Oct. 18th so I still really have 3 inches to go


• reduce caffeine intake ... yeah, I seem to have a serious addiction. or maybe it's just habit. i'm able to resist on the weekend. the fact that I sit on my rear most of the day ... doesn't help my cause AT ALL.

Anyway, this isn't all about me ... I just want to encourage you to set goals, write them down, focus on them, work towards them ... and you'll be able to achieve anything you put your mind to.

"Every transformation starts as a dream"

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Bill Phillips talks about putting your dream list together. Things you'd love to accomplish. Things that make you feel excited, alive, optimistic and energized. He's not just talking about fitness, he's talking about life.

I think as we get older we get so bogged down by stuff we need to do. Things that are expected of us. The practical. Some of our dreams are attainable. Some are not. Mostly we are the only thing standing in our way of achieving our goals.

Even though I'm still very young at heart and have this crazy husband who keeps me from taking life and myself too seriously (best thing I ever did was answer his ad ... and propose of course), with my birthday approaching in 3 months, I seem to be getting a little introspective.

I forgot how much I enjoyed writing ... used to do a lot of it in my early 20's. I loved dance. I used to be so much into music ... I seem to be re-visiting my 20's. But in a good way. I know I'm not 20 something anymore. Doesnt' mean I can't be the absolute best me that I can be.

Speaking of transformations, I decided to post an updated profile picture. I'll have to get Barry's new pic on his profile. Oddly enough we don't have updated pictures of him or just us. It's on the list. The very long list.

So don't ever give up on your dreams. It might take a while to achieve them. But if they're important ... never give up.

Focus on the Positive

I was reading Viva magazine today and came across an awesome quote from Sheila Lewis of British Columbia. She was speaking with one of the contributors to the magaazine and said "Would you rather live your life keeping an inventory of self-hate, or look back on your life and count all the ways you found your life to be beautiful?"

It hit me like a ton of bricks. Sometimes we get so caught up in beating ourselves up and focusing on the negative aspects of our lives (fitness, work, relationships, whatever) that we forget to appreciate the positive aspects. As I've said before, we need to start giving ourselves (and others for that matter) a break. We're not perfect. We can strive to be the very best that we can be. But if we miss a goal, if we let someone down, we (and they) need to understand that we're not perfect. We can only be the best we can be. And that changes with every person. We all have our own unique qualities.

Sometimes I get really hard and down on myself. I'm not making the progress I want to make as fast as I want to make it. The important thing is I'm working on it. And that I don't quit. I've done that too many times in the past. But I'm on a roll and I think I've basically changed my outlook which has helped with everything else.

So remember ... instead of focusing on all the crap in your life ... focus on the beautiful things ... your friends, your family, sunrises, sunsets ... whatever makes you smile and feel good inside.