[SuperCecilia]

Hello friends,

It seems to me that the encouragement and energy I get from being successful in weight loss (after finally figuring out a way of eating that works for me) is spilling over into other areas of my life and making me want to take on other challenges. I thought I'd share and invite your thoughts on other positive changes you are trying to make in life while becoming healthier - whether it's improving a relationship, developing a new positive habit, financial, etc.

1) Be impeccable with money and make sure the way that I am spending it reflects my values. I don't make a lot of money, never have, as I have always valued meaningful work where I'm feeling like I'm able to make a difference and help people...and that usually doesn't translate to a big salary. It's easy for me to slip into spending money not-very-consciously and then all of sudden wonder where my paycheck has gone - a latte here, a book ordered from amazon there, an impulse buy, etc. So I'm using my debit card instead of my credit card and really committing to living within my means.

2) Declutter! Reclaim my life from stuff. In the process of swapping out winter and summer clothes this year, I got to a point where I was just fed up with the amount of stuff I have. Clothes! Books! I don't even know! I swear the t-shirts in my dresser drawer have been independently reproducing in there. While I'm never going to be one of those minimalists who has only ten things on a hanger in the closet, I want to make sure I am intentional about the stuff I have and making sure it's stuff I need and use. I've heard the quote "have nothing in your home that you don't know to be useful or believe to be beautiful" and that's my guiding principle.

3) Write more, and submit articles for publication. I published my first article last spring, and then had another piece printed in January. It feels good to get my work out there - and even make some money doing it. But it's not easy to make writing a priority - full-time job, relationship with DBF, relationships with family and friends, volunteer commitments, staying focused on weight-loss goals all require time and energy. I'm committing to putting "writing time" in my day planner, really scheduling it, and then following through.

How about you all? What other goals do you have that you are working on as you are losing weight? Here's to believing that we can do it and support each other in making healthy and life-giving changes.

[ichoose2believe]

I too have the goal to declutter. I have so much extra stuff around the house I am sure someone can make good use of it some where. But also declutter my relationships remove people from my life that are toxic and harmful.

-improving my relationship with myself. Spending more time on me and for me. Finding out my likes and dislikes and holding fast to them.

-spending more time outdoors and exploring. just getting to know the world and people around me. I feel like we take the world for granted and we shouldn't. I want to discover new things while they are still here and while I still can.

[Radiojane]

I didn't start out with any "new" goals when I decided to lose weight, except for the ones that were always in the back of my mind, like save money, clean my house etc. I have found however, that as I feel better and have more energy, I have the stamina and mental clarity to accomplish more. Now I'm working on:

1) Living in a financially responsible manner - we're looking to build our own house on our land soon and I want to be as ready for that as possible

2)Keeping up with my housework - I've been an extremely messy person for years. I find now that I feel better it's much less of an issue, and I'm starting to pride myself on my home.

3) Being a better person in general. I try to be nicer and not snarky even in my thoughts, Spend time outdoors, never blow off my friends or family because that time is precious... Read more... The list goes on. I feel like now that I'm halfway up one big mountain, I can look ahead at others.

[EagleRiverDee]

To develop a savings account. I've lived paycheck to paycheck for years, and need to create a rainy day fund.

[wolfgirl69]

In Appearance:

Cure stretch marks with bio-oil.

In Therapy:

Get back into public school.
Stop hating every aspect of myself.
Learn to comfort, be there for, and support myself.

[krampus]

1.) Spend less money on crap.
2.) Keep a neater and more organized workspace/apartment.
3.) Don't screw up the company finances (recently became bookkeeper)!!!
4.) In addition to ^, be more proactive at work and get a raise.
5.) Take more time to spend quality time with my parents who are only 20 minutes away.

[PreciousMissy]

Great idea for a thread!

My goals are to finish school and to cross more things off my bucket list! There are so many things I've wanted to do for so many years, but there was always a reason. My other goal is to make an effort and find the time to spend more time with friends.

[carpediem]

My goals are trying to stay injury free, work in posture and movement. I read a lot about it and I'm trying to retrain my standing and seating habits. I'm also working on my gait and on exercises that develop my muscles to have a good functional body. My main focus is weight training, walking, foam rolling, mobility exercises, breathing and yoga. I also try to stay in connection with my body and love what it's able to do, I had to work on that as I was injured again last Fall. Sometimes we think that our body does not cooperate when we are doing everything right (diet and exercise) and I think that disconnection between your body and your mind is not the healthiest one, so I'm working on that too.

[SuperCecilia]

Wow, everybody - great goals. You all gave me some ideas too. Natasha - I really appreciated that part of decluttering has to do with relationships and the people we choose to spend time with. Thanks for sharing and best wishes with both goals for overall wellness and quality of life.

[Roo2]

Self improvement ,organize life , go back to school
Roo2

[Katie816]

1. Grad school- I should be starting my masters in education this August, I basically just want to get through it in the intended time frame the school has. My bachelors degree took forever, I kept changing majors and adding minors to the list.

2. Financially- To start with I'm working on improving both my and my husband's credit scores. I'm also trying to figure out a way to start saving for both a new house (our first house!) and infertility treatments.

3. Appearance- Besides losing weight I want to get in the habit of fixing my hair more often and wearing makeup.

[sparks17]

Originally Posted by Radiojane

.... as I feel better and have more energy, I have the stamina and mental clarity to accomplish more.

This is my first goal! I sort of dimly see the areas that I need to focus on/improve...but they are not yet clear, beyond my immediate goals of eating well and exercising.

[Psychic]

I'm working on paying off all my loans. Only 15k to go. I'll have it paid off within five years probably.

I'm also trying to teach myself to be more social. Depression and social awkwardness has always held me back. I'm trying to develop my people skills.

[luckymommy]

These are in no particular order:

1) Keep my home neat and clean...not leave a mess lying around unless I feel very ill.

2) cook. I was buying a lot of very easy things to make because I have hated cooking but now, I've been inspired and am cooking every single day...as long as I feel ok...and it is amazing. I fell SO good about that for my family. I feel just completely better about myself to be able to give them better food. Btw, I made this change and then got back on track with my diet.

3) Working on being the best parent I can be...use every frustrating moment with the kids as a teachable moment.

[PreciousMissy]

Originally Posted by Psychic

I'm also trying to teach myself to be more social. Depression and social awkwardness has always held me back. I'm trying to develop my people skills.

What really helped me was going out and doing things by myself (restaurants are great because of the interaction with the waitstaff). I know, exactly how is that being social? It forced me to interact with people rather than just the person I was with.