Changing How You think about your Goal

As the New Year approaches, resolutions are made. High aspirations for the New Year, focusing on doing more, and being better. I know some people try to have a resolution for every area of their life, meaning one spiritual, health, career, financial goal. I love and respect wanting to improve every area of your life, but that can be overwhelming. One resolution typically does not last until February, so I could not imagine how long 5 goals would last. We approach our goal thinking our life is a bunch of drawers. When we make goals we typically focus on doing one thing. Trying to address one drawer and make it better, but out life is not a bunch of drawers, our life is a lot more complicated, and intertwined. Trying to figure out how to do one goal leads to thinking about how eating health and working out will effect your schedule will you be compromising on something that is also important i.e. sleep, family time, finances, career. It can be really overwhelming and you haven’t even done anything yet…

What if instead of isolating, we take step back and think about the whole picture. We start with an approach about how we think about losing weight or looking better.

Do I view it as a chore or lifestyle? Why?
Do I think people who eat healthy are weird? Why?
Do I think eating healthy is important? Why?
Do I think exercising is important? Why?
Do I think celebrations have to be with food? Why? Do I think it will ruin family functions?
Do I think I need a certain food when doing an activity?  Why?
Do I think that I am  ugly and not good? Why? Is that true i.e. in the Bible?
Do I think I am a failure for having extra weight? Is that true i.e. in the Bible?
What does a healthy person mean to me?
What would a healthy person’s day look like? Is that realistic? What do I need to make this a possibility? Can you come up with a realistic healthy day?
Do I think I can do it with God’s help? Do I think I can do it with my own willpower?
Would you be okay if you were healthy, but stayed the same weight (or even gained weight)?
Do I think people who lost weight are better than they were before?
Do I think I am better than people who weigh more than I do?
Why do I want to lose weight?

(I know all my questions are about losing weight, but you stumbled across a health blog and it is a popular New Year’s resolution take these ideas and replace it with your goal.)

This is a lot to process, and you do not need to answer these, but I just wanted to introduce you to thinking about losing weight, and getting healthy starts with your mind. Your mind has a lot going on and processing them whether you love to meditate, go for a run, talk to a trusted friend, paint, or journal may be a great way to approach your resolution this year. Our thoughts are powerful and should be addressed as they come from your heart… and I know someone who would love to come in to those deep areas and clean it up and replace it with His unfailing love and truth. <3

Thankfully God does the heavy lifting, power cleaning, and transforming. Changing is never easy, but God is with you and change is possible with HIm.

<3 Jessica