Today is the first day...

...of the rest of your life! Do you remember your firsts....the victory you felt when you rode a two-wheel bike the first time? (Mine had a turquoise banana seat and tall handlebars with turquoise handles and silver streamers.) Do you remember your first job, your wedding day, or the first time you held your child in your arms? What do your firsts have in common?
PASSION! Get back in the game of life! Yes, thanks to Keith Kochner (http://www.mentorfish.com/) and the 2-Day Exchange Event that I just attended, I plan to be a better coach for those of you who want to get healthy. I want to be more than a friend that encourages you to reclaim your health, I want to be your mentor...and I think I have been too easy.
Today's post will be a direct reflection of some things I learned from Keith Kochner. First, let me say if a 2-day Exchange Event is ever within driving distance - GO!! It is life changing and unlike any other leadership conference I have attended. For one, Keith's vision for helping people comes from God and he is not afraid to share his faith. I firmly believe that FAITH will get you where you want to go. Faith is a huge part of true abundance, and in my personal opinion, the most important part.
Remember that you are never alone on the journey. Jesus is with you through every first, and every last. Will today be the day that you eat that last piece of destructive food, whatever it may be? I know you have a goal, but what are you willing to do to get there? "Don't let the past poison your future." Additional wise words from the exchange and I can relate them to a healthy lifestyle change.
Yes, like me, you may have tried to diet previously, and like me, you probably did not achieve your goal. OR, if you did...you relapsed and gained it back. That's your past. Look ahead to your future. FOCUS!! As I have said before, visioning where I wanted to be had a lot to do with my weight loss success. When I was tempted to go buy a candy bar for a mid-afternoon craving, I asked myself..."will this help me get where I want to be?" The answer, of course, was no, and I opted for the apple I had brought along to work for such a time as this. (Lesson to take from this - have the healthy options available!)
You're going to get hungry, but that doesn't mean you have to revert to your ways of old. This is the FIRST DAY of a new you, even if you had a relapse yesterday, this is a new first day!! Don't look back...focus on the future and what you want it to be.... healthy; 20, 40, 60 lbs. less of you; disease free; less joint or back pain.... whatever your vision may be!
What's in your life right now that you don't want to be a part of your future. It's about choice, it's about progress, and it is about YOU. Don't blame others for yourself, because one thing I do know about success vs. failure, is that it is up to you. Support is good, but not required. If you want something bad enough you can achieve it. You know why? Because you are never on this journey alone. You are a child of God and He wants for your body to be healthy. He has designed you so well that you were made to be healthy. Give your body what it needs to run at optimum performance and this will not only be the first day of the rest of your life, but the BEST DAY!

Make it happen,
Rita S.