Happy Sunday to All. I'm going to bite the bullet and just go for it. It's too late to join the challenge, but who says you have to be in a contest to start feeling great about yourself? I'm still in a wheel chair and hope to be out of it in a few weeks but will still be in a cast until mid October. I can still do upper body workouts and pretend like I'm cycling while holding light weights for cardio, right? I'm going to put the cigarettes and Diet Pepsi down that I picked up after my physical setback and take care of myself so I can be a better, healthier and happier person. I loved when I was doing BFL before and eating the EFL way. People around me were more pleasant to be around, which makes me think it was/is me that impacts the negative feelings. In other words, I'm not as nice to be around as I usually was. I even put in my two weeks notice at work because I'm just not a happy person. I let my health issues get in the way of happiness. I used them and am still using them as an excuse to feel sorry for myself and be bitter. Bitter No More!!!! I love life too much to just sit by and watch it happen. I want to be a part of it and will start Monday morning. Poor pitiful me is now gone forever. I love people and want them to want to be around me. If I'm not happy with myself, how can I expect others to be happy with me? Okay, best of luck to all of you and I wish you all the best. I see all of your smiling faces on this site and want to be one of you again.

"People around me were more pleasant to be around, which makes me think it was/is me that impacts the negative feelings.....................

I love people and want them to want to be around me. If I'm not happy with myself, how can I expect others to be happy with me?"


Welcome aboard......
Hi Laura2,
Perception of mind, spirit, and body is a powerful force that will serve as a huge catalyst if you let it. Nice observation... Please swing by if you ever need anything!

You're in the right place - and GOOD FOR YOU not worrying about officially being in the challenge - you'll LOVE this place - SO MUCH love and support and care about one another - being a part of this has really opened up my heart - WELCOME & ENJOY - Terrie-Gainesville, FL

LIGHT highlighted exactly what jumped out at me. Let me tell you something Laura...

THE POWER OF A MOMENT is...well...POWERFUL! The moment you decided, girl, changed your world. THE CHANGE is happening! Looking forward to hearing about your victories.

Kevin

Hi Laura - welcome to the community !

I was in a VERY similar position to you but won't bore you with all the details (you can get those from my profile page !) ... suffice to say I was in a wheelchair for a while and felt that the only thing I could do was address my attitude and "eat clean". When I got out of the wheelchair, again, all I could do was upper body - in fact I didn't do ANY lower body cardio until my 10th week of my official BfL challenge (in 2005).

I'd like to share a couple of insights with you (and anyone else reading this post) that I learnt as a result of my experiences ...

1. There is no such thing as a problem - only a situation that can be improved. A change in language DOES make a huge difference in how we perceive and subsequently deal with a situation. Using more positive and self-empowering perceptions such as "challenge, opportunity or lesson" give rise to a much more creative and energetic response.

2. All of us already are, and always have been, perfectly beautiful, happy and content. It's just that we're not aware of it.

Most of us are familiar with the story about when Michelangelo was commissioned to create the sculpture of David he looked at hundreds of blocks of marble before he decided on the "right" one.
To most of us all those blocks shown to him would have probably looked more or less the same, but for Michelangelo it needed to be a certain piece of marble - nothing else would do.

Why was that?
It was because he knew exactly what he wanted his David to look like. He could see the end result in front of his eyes.

When asked how he was going to create such a fine figure of David out of such an enormous chunk of marble his answer was: "That's easy. All I have to do is chip away everything that is not David."

During the course of our lives we have accumulated many memories, impressions, false beliefs and misunderstandings. All of these cover and hide the pure, powerful, peaceful and loving essence that is "the perfect you", just as you were created.

And just like Michaelangelo, we don't need to add to what we already are ... we just need to chip away what is not our essence - we need only become aware of everything we have accumulated that is false and drop it.

We get to decide, in any given moment, whether we want to be a Victim, Survivor or Thriver - Bitter or Better ? ... the choice always has been, and always will be ours ... I'm so glad to see you've made the right choice Laura, along with so many others here !

Welcome to the rest and best of your life !!

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Paul,
Thank you so much for sharing your story and giving me a different way of looking at challenges. I'm no longer a victim, nor survivor...I'm a THRIVER! I like your analogy of chipping away at what's not me. I like that a lot. Seeing what you have done with yourself is also awe inspiring. I read somewhere that "It doesn't matter how long it takes to achieve a goal. The time will pass, anyway."
Thank you and God Bless.

I just read the other "welcome aboards" and got kind of emotional. (I'm not a highly emotional person.) I don't feel like I'm going to be alone on this journey anymore and that gives me a warm feeling. I'm humbled. Thank you and I'm here for you...ANYTIME.

I can promise you that you are NOT alone - we're all travelling this road together ... I'm delighted to be in your company !!

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