I am a complainer. Correction: I was a complainer. I complained about work, about my body, about a lot of things. I don’t necessarily think I complained enough to bother people around me, but I know it bothered me. So I stopped.
Truly, I stopped just like that. Now, I still complain from time to time, but what I realized more than anything is I need to stop complaining about things that are in my control. There are so many things that I cannot control in my life, so I needed to be in charge of the things that I could.
It all started with 8 flights. Of stairs. My office is on the eighth floor. Now, I typically take the escalator to the second floor everyday, followed by an elevator trip up to eight. It was easy, it was simple, obvious. But then I realized I complain about my body almost every day, every time I look in the mirror. If I claim that I don’t have time to work out, isn’t taking the stairs every day at least something?
So I took the stairs. And I wanted to die. By the time I got to the top my legs were killing me and my lungs were on fire. But I did it again the next day, and again the next. Finally, taking the stairs has become a part of my daily routine. Along with my 8 flights, I have adopted a few other tidbits that I think are making me a better person. Maybe they can help you in some small way too.
1. Do something BIG
Now, I’m not suggesting that you quit your job and move to a tropical island. Instead, take that class you’ve always wanted to take, go camping for the first time, or go skydiving. For me, something big was chopping off about eight inches of hair (the number 8 seems to be a reoccurring theme here). Seriously though, I’ve always been the girl with the pretty long hair and I was sick of it. So I went to the salon and had it hacked off. Although I cried while blow drying it the next day, I’ve been in love with it ever since.
Then
And now!
Pardon the crappy, MySpace style photos– of course the professional photographer boyfriend was at work when both of these were taken. Regardless, this change has been incredible. Something as silly as hair has changed my outward attitude and how I look at myself. Now, if quitting your day job and moving to a tropical island is your definition of big, then go for it!
2. Be GRATEFUL
Now, this seems to be big on a lot of blogs lately, so I can’t begin to claim this was my idea. But I have made it my own. I’ve read of people having gratitude lists five, ten, fifteen items long. I focus on one. Now, I know most if not all of my readers use some sort of planner. This makes your gratitude list (or item) easy to track. I literally write one thing I am grateful for each day on my Filofax day per page. So I can look back and see what I was thankful for each day. Sometimes they are serious, “I am grateful that I got to know my dad, even if it was just for a little while” and some of them are fun, “I am grateful that B left for work early so I got to have the bed all to myself this morning.” Looking back on my grateful items has made me realize that despite the flaws in my life, I have a lot going for me.
3. Get PHYSICAL
Ok, get your minds out of the gutter. (But if that’s the kind of physical you want to be, go for it!) What I mean is be the healthiest you that you can be. I started with eight flights of stairs a day. Since then, I’ve decided to start working out, something I used to despise. Instead of setting up some sort of routine, I made one rule: I must do something physical every day. Whether that’s 30 minutes on the eliptical, or going for a bike ride, or hiking, I make sure that each day has some sort of activity in it (outside of regular walking). This lack of a strict schedule has led to me actually enjoying the act of working out. In the last two or so weeks, I’ve ended up going to the gym at least four times a week, spending half hour on the eliptical followed by time on arms, abs, and legs.
Being active has led to me wanting to eat healthier as well. Now, I love my ice cream and potato chips, but if I’ve spent time working out, I want to make healthier choices. I love to cook, so this has also allowed me to try new recipes, like my beloved sweet potato fried. I’ll share the recipe soon!
Whew, this was a long post. But for me, it has become a very important topic and something that has honestly changed my life. I never thought that three little concepts could alter my outlook on life. I’ve noticed that not only do I feel better, I feel happier. And while I don’t know how noticeable my complaining was, Bri has told me that he can tell that I am in a much better place these last few weeks. Hopefully I can continue on this long, happy road.
I love this post. (Although I'm fascinated by you not liking your body…it's always thin women..) Any hoo! Your hair looks FAB!
Off to read the post again and again, because I loveses it, then I'll comment for real.
Yay for you! I think your plan is awesome, and I'm glad you took the stairs. Who knew that would be the catalyst?
I am also impressed that you seemingly jumped right in and made some phenomenal changes to your outlook, appearance, and lifestyle. At the point in time you are now at, I would still be contemplating the changes to make, how to make them, where to note things in my Filofax. And, planning itself is only step one in taking action!
Go J!
You look great, it seems the season for shorter hair styles.
It might be just me.. most probably is. But at first I wouldn't have said that that was you… For some reason you look different in these photos to the ones in the meet up…
Hope B approves of your new look too.
Thanks guys!
@Sandra- I think that's why it's working for me… I didn't plan it! I just decided one day that this is what I was going to do 🙂
@Steve- Hmmmm, I suppose I do look a bit different! I don't have makeup on in either of these pictures… maybe that's it! And yes, B definitely approves!!
First, let me say, good for you, for taking on this "new" lifestyle. I can speak from experience when I say that people who are unhappy with things often don't know how to change them or are afraid to in some way.
Second, I love the 'do! I liked your long hair also, but the shorter, sleeker hair seems more grown-up somehow. But maybe it's just me. Like Steve, I was always going to ask if B approved, but your comment gave me the answer. 😉
I have a gratitude list in my Happiness Binder. I am updating it only when I think of things to write. Before that I was writing 3 items a day but felt like I was stretching to meet that. However, now I'm finding that I'm not updating my list often enough. Maybe one item a day is the right amount. Or at the very least, I can make room for one a day and add something if it fits and leave it blank if I've thought of something that I already have written down. Thanks for giving me that thought!