No More Mysteries

What could possibly stop me from running at 5 AM on January 1^st?  Well, let me see:

* I have been sick as a dog for the last few days

* A huge bottle of Grey Goose was taken care of to end 2011, as a result of which:

* I have an incredible headache

* I went to sleep at almost 3 AM, and – most importantly:

* I can’t find my sneakers – I am pretty sure my older son sold them on EBAY

Good excuses, I know, and actually in my prime (not so long ago) none of these would have stopped me from going out.  I guess I should strive to do a little better in 2012, now is the time for those famous New Year resolutions…

As you may already know, I don’t do New Year resolutions – I sincerely don’t believe in them.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s good to set goals and to work towards them, but at some point after January 1^st, somewhere along the line the determination just loses its steam, the focus and drive you clearly felt around the New Year’s time slowly dissipates and gets sidelined by the daily distractions and the pile-up of responsibilities that we call life.

Let’s put it another way – I love resolutions, just not time-based.  I believe in the overall lifestyle adjustment, I believe in change, and I strongly believe in our ability to make those adjustments and changes permanent.  I have said it time and time again: whatever it is that you don’t like in your body has been caused by years and years of improper eating, lack of exercise and any other kind of self-imposed abuse.  Do you really think a temporary adjustment will make a difference in the overall scheme of things?

If someone tells me that he or she will never eat bread or sweets ever again, well, they will definitely lose weight and will probably look better overall, however, the question stands:  can this person really stick to that promise FOREVER?  More likely than not and depending on how strong-minded this individual is, he or she will last for some time, but then some circumstances, possibly even beyond their own control will push them to abandon the commitment and they will find themselves snacking on a hoagie before too long.

In my truly humble opinion, the only adjustments and resolutions that make sense are those that are easily within grasp and are definitely possible based on your personal circumstances and abilities.  If you typically get up at 7 AM, you can make a resolution to get up at 6:40 AM and do something useful during those extra 20 minutes.  Definitely doable and definitely meaningful.  OR perhaps instead of saying to yourself that you will never eat breaded goods again, make a commitment not to eat them late in the day – something you actually CAN do and CAN control, making it a long-term consistent commitment.

There should be no mystery about anything, everything should be simple, because ONLY SIMPLE works over long term.  You know, they say that the easy way is likely the right way, so why not keep it simple?  It is just that most of the time, it is difficult to find a combination of easy & effective… Well, I’d like to give it a shot.  Even as you read these words, I am working hard on trying to formulate all this into one general idea, soon to be revealed to the world!  Until then, smile and

Keep it running!