If it is important to you, you will find a way. If not you'll find an excuse.
This statement is true for all aspects of life. I am really trying my hardest to not make excuses for anything anymore.
If it is important to me to lose weight and be healthier, there should be no excuse, I should just be making the changes needed to be healthier. I have already made significant changes but I know in order to reach my goals I will need to kick it up a notch.
I seem to have already hit a plateau in my weight lose although I have only lost 10 pounds. I was consuming 1700 calories a day, but I have decided to cut out 200-300 of those calories and bring my total daily intake down to 1400-1500 a day.
I also RAN on the treadmill at work last week. This was SUPER exciting for me. I have never ever been a runner, but with my injury it just seemed so out of the question. Granted it was only a 2 minute sprint, but it felt great and not only did I challenge my body, I challenged my mind. I KNOW that a big part of my limited exercise is mental fear of hurting myself. But I showed myself that I can do alot more than I give myself credit for. As a birthday present to myself, I ordered a pair of FiveFingers sneakers. I've heard great things about these funky little sneaks. Hopefully I will be able to wear them comfortably on my bum foot and really focus on incorporating at least 10-15 minutes a day running on the work treadmill. If not, I will return them, get my money back and just wear my old sneakers and do the same.
If it is important to me to be financially stable and also prepare for my retirement and my son's continued education, then there should be no excuse. I have went from zero savings, no retirement fund, and no college fund to a little over $200 saved over a couple accounts, enrolling in the 401k plan at work and also enrolling in a 529 college fund for my son. I have cut back on spending, made a plan to tackle and pay off all of my debt, and made my first significant payment towards eliminating debt. All of this in less than 4 weeks.
I plan to continue in this manner, cutting back even more. I am anxiously awaiting January, when my contract with Verizon wireless will be up and I can drop them and go with Virgin Mobile as a provider. I currently pay approximately $60/month with VW, I will only pay $27/month with Virgin Mobile. HALF! The money I save I will put toward paying down my debt.
I have been coupon crazy over the past month and have saved over $100, just by clipping coupons and being semi-organized. I also saved .80/gallon on gas during my last fill up just by carefully planning my grocery shopping at Stop & Shop. That was very exciting :) $2.46/gallon!! I have also been depositing the amount that I save with coupons in to my savings jar. I will go to the bank this weekend and deposit all that I have saved into my savings account and I WILL NOT TOUCH IT!
If it is important to me to have a clean, presentable and inviting home than I will do what it takes to make it that way. I will stick to my cleaning schedule and take care of my small daily tasks. By spending a few minutes everyday I alleviate myself from being stressed out and confined to my house to clean for the entire weekend. It is important to me to not be overwhelmed by what is on my plate. If I am overwhelmed and stressed then something needs to change. I know that if I do not prioritize my time efficiently I do not get anything done and I end up running around like a mad woman and usually have a crappy attitude that I unfortunately subject my family to. When I take a few minutes to evaluate my surroundings and what needs to be done, everything just falls into place. I know that I can not do everything in one day, so I prioritize what is most important and take care of that first.
Small changes bring major results! No more excuses, just get 'er done!
What have you been making excuses for? How will you overcome and make the changes necessary? Please share :)
