Small Things, Big Difference

Small Things, Big Difference. This has been the topic of a couple of Pastor Ben's sermons lately and it has really struck a chord with me.  We all want everything now, immediate gratification, no waiting.  We look at the big picture and it looks overwhelming so we don't even try. Or we try to do everything all at once and its too much, so we give up.  In my own life, I KNOW I am guilty of this in many instances. 

I decided a month ago that after the holidays were over I was going to get my healthy journey back on track.  I'd fallen way off, hadn't seen the gym in weeks, was eating like crap and as a result I felt like crap.  I was tired, grumpy, my stomach hurt all the time and worst of all - I got REALLY sick.  I know you all remember my "Oh Lord, I'm dying" FB posts =/  I don't think it was a coincidence that I got so sick at a time when I was treating my body so badly.  And I think it was just as much a result of what I was putting INTO my body as it was what I WASN'T putting into it. I was back to not eating breakfast, snacking on junk and living on coffee.  Gone were the fruits and veggies I had been eating for the past 3 months, gone was my morning lemon water, and most of all gone were my morning shakes with my Juice Plus :(  I was doing a serious disservice to myself, and the worst thing was I knew it.  But I justified it because it was the holidays, and I'd been being so good.  I'd lost 15lbs after all.  I knew what to do to get back on track so it was ok, right?  WRONG!  

I stepped on the scale the Saturday after Christmas and was so angry with myself. Between Thanksgiving and New Years I gained back the 15lbs I had lost.  That Sunday we went to church as usual and it was like a light bulb went off in my head when Pastor Ben was talking.  It really is the Small things that make the Big differences.  "It's often the small things that no one sees that result in the big things that everyone wants".  How true is this?  We hear of someone getting a promotion at work, but don't realize how hard they worked for it.  We see someone with their happy family, but have no clue of the daily struggles they face.  Everyone else's victories always seem so easy compared to ours.  We don't realize that these people don't just get things handed to them, we just see them getting or having the things we want.

Back to my point here.  My point is this - I am going to focus on the small things that are going to get me to where I want to be a year from now.  And I am going to focus on them one at a time, not all at once.  I need to lose the 70lbs I have gained over the last 5 years.  I want to be healthy again.  I want to be able to run again, and to feel good and to maybe get rid of the CPAP machine again.  I'm not interested in being skinny, I love myself now and my husband loves me so that isn't even a factor. I want to be HEALTHY and I want to feel good.  Looking better in my clothes is just a bonus ;-)  

I read this today - 

And suddenly, my 70lbs doesn't seem so bad.  Using that formula it averages out to 1.5lbs a week, rounding up.  That is so doable.  Its 6 lbs a month.  I have a list of things I have been trying to do over the past year, some of them have become a habit but some are still a struggle.  We have quit eating processed foods and for the most part sugar is no longer a part of our diet.  We drink our shakes in the morning with our Juice Plus.  Those things are easy.  The things I struggle with are the consistent exercise, the alcoholic beverages we enjoy too often, logging my food, and getting enough protein.  I have made a list of these "Small Things" and am going to pick one each Sunday to focus on during the coming week.  I need to get back into an exercise routine, so this week that is the small thing I am focusing on.  I will still be aware of trying to eat more protein, logging my food, drinking water, etc... but my main focus is going to be getting that 30 minutes of exercise in each day.  

Something else I am doing is trying to make Jacksonville feel more like home to me, and to do that I need to be happier here.  I am taking small steps to do that.  The main thing is trying to find the joy in my days. I bought a journal and am writing in it each night, highlighting the good things about my day,  It's a small thing, but it's working.

Whatever you are trying to do within your own life, break it down into the small things.  It will become easier, and eventually will lead to big differences in your life.  It's only been 3 weeks for me, and the small things I am doing to find my Joy everyday has already made a huge difference in my life.  Change your thoughts and you can change your mindset - I promise!!

"Be careful with your thoughts, for your thoughts become your words and your words become your actions."