8 Things

I came across list on a blog called 8Things: What I Know For Sure. It inspired me to write the list below.

8 things I know about myself

1. I want to love life everyday: Sometimes I can’t quite pull it off but deep in my heart there is a desire to live a screaming wonderful life. That is not to say I expect things to always be easy or great every single day– one look over my own rearview mirror tells me that hindsight may be 20/20 but don’t expect it to always look pretty.

2. My life is comprised of a lot of facets:
The me I recognize in my own head
Mother
Daughter
Friend
Workmate
Coach
Other duties as needed

3. Balancing all the facets is a challenge: we have all experienced this – enough said

4. I love to learn: I don’t know when or where I picked up the phrase “knowledge is never wasted” but that is the way I feel. I don’t need a reason to learn about something in particular – I just like to know things. I may not be an expert on one particular thing, I want to know enough about lots of subjects to make connections between them.

5. I need quiet time: I stayed at home when the kids were small. I had time to think as I did household chores or when the kids were down for naps. I don’t get quiet time as much as I used to. It is just as important (actually, it feels more important to me know) but I don’t get enough. I have to make time for the quiet time otherwise all the thinking I need to do piles up like dirty laundry in my brain – then I am unable to Love Life (see #1)

6. I enjoy doing the maintenance work on myself: I like to be active. I like eat well. I feel good about the world and good about myself when I do these things. Sometimes I forget that it makes me feel accomplished to take good care of myself but when I re-establish those habits, I remember how good it makes me feel.

7. I need a job I feel passionate about: I am fortunate to love my job. Just like everyone else (or at least I assume most of us), I have days where I am not stoked about going to work. All it takes for me to fall back in love with my job is to feel I have made a meaningful connection with one of my clients. I get the same feeling when that happens as I do when I hit a sweet shot in tennis or golf – when the racquet or club resonates at the perfect pitch. That is what I love about my job – making connections with people and helping people make connections with themselves.

8. Things change and sometimes not as quickly as I would like: The person I am today is not the same person I was yesterday. I am shaped by my reaction to the events of yesterday. Hopefully, that will be in the most positive way possible, however, there is a chance that I might be negatively shaped by yesterday’s events. Today I can change the course of my life. Nothing is ever set in stone. I am in control of what I make of today.

Now I know this is a blog about mindfulness and weight loss specifically but the underlying theme (if you haven’t picked up on it already) is KNOW YOURSELF!!! If you are running on autopilot (in your finances, in your relationships, IN YOUR EATING) you will stay in the path of least resistance because dealing with resistance requires thought!

If you are not in charge of your weight, there is a reason for it – figure out the underlying reason and you can make some changes. Keep running on autopilot and you will stay where you are.

So how would I use the above list if I was coaching me? Well…

1. I would get me to start thinking about how successfully being in charge of my weight would free up brainspace (I would not be worrying about how I looked, what I am eating, what I should be eating, etc. so I would have more energy for LIVING). If I can create a vivid picture of living life without eating worries sapping my energy, I can use that as a measure of how much I want to eat that second éclair – do I want more of that flavor more than I want to live that visualized life?

2. Yup – I have a lot of people (including myself) to take care of – easier to do if I am not spending so much energy worrying about eating concerns.

3. Yes, this is one more thing to balance (read more work) but…what is the payoff to putting little more work right now?

4. Being mindful is a chance to get to know myself better. Examining why I am doing what I am doing will lead to insights on what works well for me and what doesn’t. I can’t think of a time when this has been a bad thing (confusing sometimes but never bad).

5. ??

6. Being in charge of my eating is an opportunity to do just that – take better care of myself.

7. ??

8. I can make small changes. I am in charge of my behavior. I can manage my weight successfully today – string those todays together and I will achieve a healthy weight over a lifetime.

So…what do you think? Could you create a list for yourself? Would you take it a step further and make the list work in your favor?

If you need help with it, let me know. kristi_eatingcoach@live.com