“It”
What are you thinking about yourself?
What are you feeling about yourself?
What are you saying about yourself?
Our thoughts, emotions, and the words we attribute to ourselves have power, whether negative or positive, and become our actions. What we think, feel, and say about ourselves transform into our realities. We must discipline our minds. We must discipline our feelings. We must discipline our words.
When we do this, we get to a point when we get sick of our “it”. Oftentimes we have more than one “it”, for the “it” that is in us is that which is no longer conducive nor productive to our current state of existence and that which forces us to elevate to the next level, a new, improved state of transformation and being, thus the outcome is yet another version of ourselves.
So, I’m pausing this week from my “Road to 40” series to share what that “it” was for me. November 2020 I decided to shift from my standard working out and healthy eating to get specifically and tangibly goal oriented. It’s one thing to set a goal, but it’s crucial to make your goal SMART:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable/Achievable
Realistic
Timely
SMART Goal Example:
I will exercise for 40 minutes during lunch five days per week using Leslie Sansone’s Walk At Home program for the next four weeks to increase my activity level since working virtually.
The “it” I reached was the point where I got absolutely sick of having inflammation and the laundry list of issues that comes with having inflammation such as added weight, overall discomfort from bloating, joint pain, extreme fatigue, brain fog, and more. Those of us living with autoimmune conditions battle inflammation by default, and stress can also add to it, but there are things we can do to decrease it. Each person’s body is unique so I’m sharing what’s working for me; therefore, the way we choose to alleviate symptoms may not apply or work for everyone.
In my case, however, my mom (who is very health conscious) and my holistic health coach, James, advised me in March 2021 that instead of simply eating “healthy” as I had been doing for years, that I transition to eating foods from the Mediterranean Diet. I am careful to not call it a “diet” in the Westernized sense, but rather this is a lifestyle. The Mediterranean way of eating is loaded with anti-inflammatory foods, and, in addition to eating this way, I track my food, sleep, and workouts through the WW app (WW is formerly known as Weight Watchers).
WW works for me because they now follow a holistic health approach and they don’t force you to eat certain foods. You eat what you want, and it suits your lifestyle. It simply keeps me accountable for what I am eating through its points system. Through DAILY exercise, eating sensibly and tracking, drinking water primarily, praying, meditating, getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep, managing stress despite the hiccups/challenges that come in life, I released 15.2 pounds in a month!
This is not a diet; the transformation happening is not simply to “look” a certain way. While I will reach my goal weight, there is a far greater reason for this stage of my wellness journey, and a central focus is YOU. This journey is to encourage someone to never give up on any goal despite the “its” that come your way. It may not be a physical health goal for you, but rather something else.
What is an “it” you’re facing currently and what actions are you doing or will you do to conquer the “it”?
What were some of the hardest “its” you’ve experienced and how did you manage to survive?
How are you helping others to grow and mature through sharing your story?
God has created you to be a finely woven tapestry: intricate, detailed, colorful, uniquely styled, valuable, bold, daring, complex.
Share your story.
Conquer your “it”.
Call to Action
Create one SMART goal you will accomplish in the next 21 days.
If you want to learn more about uncovering the blocks which hold you back and launch you toward fulfilling your wellness goals, email me at coach@aletheafelton.com or check out https://aletheafelton.com for more information, and download my free ebook, “10 Steps to Getting Unstuck and Reaching Your Dreams without Feeling Overwhelmed”.