Day -5 - It's all about CHANGE and ONLY YOU can choose to make the change you want to happen!

Day 2 in our new decade brings me to the subject of CHANGE......This is a tough one and one we must think about in our planning before we start the journey ahead...

CHANGE -
We change some things every day without a blink of an eye...

-our underwear (well hopefully)
-our socks
-our dishes (clean ones for the dirty ones)
-our dog's water
and many others that happen without barely a thought....

HOWEVER, there are some harder ones out there...the next level of change...

-What to wear today - well, let me see, what still fits after all those holiday cookies, drinks, rolls (Michael, that ones for you :)) and of course my biggest downfall CHOCOLATE!
-What should I do today? I know what I need to get done or what I should do, but what will I choose to do?
-Which emails will I answer first at work? The easy ones or will I tackle the hard ones to get them out of the way?

And moving on to the tougher CHANGES....

-How can I change my life to become healthier? Will I choose to get up and exercise or sit and watch TV (like The Biggest Loser - just sit and watch what they are doing on TV while you WISH you were doing it....)
-How can I change some relationships .....whether I need to get back in touch with someone or mend some broken fences or just reach out to let someone know I care that needs help....
-How can I change the way I look at things.....those "things" that I complain about today- Figure out whether I can change those "things" or change the way I look at them..

So there are many levels of "change", some so simple you do them without a second thought and others that are painful to even start on.....(like my basement "toy room" for example.....there's another change I need to make in 2010! Clean it up and get it ready for my granddaughter Hannah Isabel's visit in June so she can use the same "toy room" her mom and aunt did when they were small!)

So, I thought about what CHANGE means to me....
CHANGE spelled out.....
C - Courage and commitment it takes to get started
H - Hard work that will be ongoing to get the change to happen and keep it changed
A - Attitude you must have to be successful in changing
N - Not giving up along the way, keep fighting
G - "Gumption" to go for the gold, it is all up to you to make it happen!
E - Excitement of seeing your change happen and the energy I will have with the change I'm making!

My husband's cousin Brad was over the other day and I was telling him about the contest and just asking him for his thoughts on getting healthier and losing weight, as he told me he really needs to lose weight as well. He is this great guy you just like being around......He is full of, well among other things, lots of great thoughts and ideas....he has been a teacher and counselor for years....and he said
"Before you can look to the future, you must look to the past....before you can change, you must think about how you got to be a fat a** :)" He really wasn't calling me a "fat a**, or at least I don't think he was! HA! I asked for it! But I liked what he said and it makes sense to me - He told me I could change the last 2 words, but that would take away the meat of the quote! I get it Brad - thanks for the wisdom and thought to think about!

Here are some great "change" quotes to get you thinking about what you want to CHANGE in 2010 and how to start making it happen....

Leo Tolstoy
Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself/herself.

John Welwood
The most powerful agent of growth and transformation is something much more basic than any technique: a change of heart. (OH I LOVE THIS ONE!)

Caroline Schoeder
Some people change when they see the light, others when they feel the heat. (I CAN RELATE TO THE HEAT PART!)

William James, often attributed to Marilyn Ferguson
The greatest revolution in our generation is that of human beings, who by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives.

Thomas Fuller
Nothing is easy to the unwilling. (DON'T BE ONE OF THOSE UNWILLING FOLKS....DEBBY ARE YOU READING THIS :)?)

Maya Angelou
If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain
(MAYA IS ONE AMAZING, WISE WOMAN!)

Robbert Oustin
Life is like a hot bath. It feels good while you're in it, but the longer you stay in, the more wrinkled you get.-- (I CAN RELATE TO THE WRINKLED PART :()

Don Miguel Ruiz
Life is like dancing. If we have a big floor, many people will dance. Some will get angry when the rhythm changes. But life is changing all the time.--

Attributed to an octogenarian named Mavis Leyrer, of Seattle
Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, champagne in one hand - strawberries in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOOHOO - What a Ride!"-- LOVE THIS ONE, WHAT A VISUAL!!!

Albert Camus
Life is the sum of all your choices.-- (SIMPLE BUT SO POWERFUL AND TRUE!)

And last, but not least:
Grandma Moses
Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be.-- GRANDMA KNEW WHAT SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT!! WHAT WILL YOU MAKE IT TODAY?

Until tomorrow, do something today worth remembering!