Happy NEW Year!

Happy New Year to all!

2010 was a year of growth for me. I learned to learn about myself. I learned that I don't have to be perfect. I learned that it's natural to feel restless and dissatified sometimes. I learned that just because you are feeling restless and dissatisfied it doesn't mean that anything is really WRONG! I learned that it's a good thing I don't have to rely on myself so much. I have a God who loves me and sends me supportive family and friends to help me with the feelings I go through. I learned that God is not finished with me yet!

That leads me to the clean slate of 2011! Isn't it refreshing to think about new beginnings? I recently read a friend's Facebook post that said that New Year's Day is kind of like the first day of school...it gives us HOPE of new and better things to come. That is my wish for myself and for all of you! While we look forward to new and better things, we don't always think of the change that comes with it. Change is hard. I am rereading a book called Switch: How to change things when change is hard, by Chip and Dan Heath. There is MUCH sage advice in this book, but the one that sticks with me...if you want to change something, SOMEONE somewhere has to start doing something differently. Being that SOMEONE is hard. Especially when there is so much change going on around you. It is easy to get exhausted by the effort it takes to work on change in so many different areas of your life. For example: I am trying to CHANGE the way I eat and the amount of exercise I get each day. That takes effort to plan and carry out. At my work, technology is causing the library field to change faster than we can keep up with. That takes effort to learn and adjust. My daughter is a teenager and is testing me every day. While she has always tested me, the WAY she is testing me is different as she is now more confident and wants more independance. THAT takes effort to adapt (and not wring her neck in the process!) I am getting older and my body and mind isn't capable of all that it used to be...the world is changing...gas prices, grocery prices...CHANGE CHANGE CHANGE. No wonder I can't keep my calories under 1300! It's just too hard to keep up!

But, as I have said in other posts, it's a good thing I don't have to try to do this on my own. I need to remember to lean on God and allow Christ to give me the strength that He so willing provides. I need to allow myself to rely on friends and family to help me, even if I just ask them to keep my efforts in their prayers.

I have to give a brief testimony tomorrow at church regarding how First Place 4 Health has made a difference in my life. This program is all about life balance. I have 4 sides, the emotional, spiritual, physical and mental. All sides of me have grown and changed in the last year. I have grown closer to God, and I invite Him into my life every morning through my Bible study and daily devotional. He allows me to share what I learn with others through my First Place messages and now through this blog. My Sunday First Place group has become a very supportive family to me and I am thankful for every one of them. We study God's word, laugh, cry and help each other through our daily struggles. While I still have a LONG way to go before my body is where I want it to be, I think my spirit is a lot closer to where it needs to be. Nowhere near perfect, mind you...THAT will never happen. But I have more peace in my life on a daily basis than I ever have had in my life. I still have my moody and depressed days, but they don't last that long any more. I have too much to be thankful for and too much to look forward to!

So, bring it on 2011! I am ready to begin again! I am ready to keep working on that life balance and learn even more about how to deal with CHANGE in my life!

I hope you come along with me! Enjoy your first day of 2011 and may it bring you HOPE, JOY, PEACE, LOVE and DETERMINATION!