My word for the year was OVERCOME.
I wanted to lose 30 lbs.
Here I am just about a year later, and I'm pretty sure I have more than 30 lbs to lose now. Hmmm... That didn't work like I'd hoped, did it?
I did overcome a lot of things this past year, like hormone issues, some scheduling / overcommitment issues, and some other things I can't think of at this particular moment. But when it comes to a lot of the areas I struggle with, I'm learning that overcoming isn't as big if it isn't accompanied by discipline. So this year my word for the year is...
DISCIPLINE
It's a word that's been on my heart and mind for a while now. And, I've been making progress toward it. Waking up, getting up, spending time in the Word, reading / listening to the scrolls, doing my 6 MIT each day. Of course, making progress is not the same as mastering, so I still have a LONG way to go. I'm hoping 2011 is the year of discipline.
I found a few definitions for discipline that I particularly like in light of choosing this word for 2011. They are:
1. activity, exercise, or a regimen that develops or improves a skill.
2. behavior in accord with rules of conduct; behavior and order maintained by training and control.
3. orderly or prescribed conduct or pattern of behavior
So, I suppose the question is... for definition #1, what is the skill I want to develop or improve? I've tried making it about the weight, and that obviously isn't working for me. So what do I REALLY want to improve? What behaviors and patterns of behavior do I want to see in my life?
When it comes to food, I find myself making poor choices, often as a result of unbalanced emotions. I buy things because they sound good (and are on sale! So of course, I have to buy 5 of them...) and then eat them because they're there. Really, I tend to eat things because they're there. So perhaps one skill I want to work on this year is discipline in my shopping habits.
1. DISCIPLINE in my shopping habits.
But how do I do that? Well, I suppose first off is by keeping and FOLLOWING a grocery list. And creating some rules. If it's not on the list, don't buy it. I can add it to the list when I get home if I want, but I have to wait until the next time I go to the store to buy it. I suppose another area in which I ought to discipline my shopping habits is to follow a budget.
Once I've got items in my house that are generally acceptable to eat (and not just the result of a buying binge), I need to ask myself why I am eating. Is it because I need to? Is it because I'm stressed? Is it because I'm craving something?
2. DISCIPLINE myself to think before I act.
This is going to be a hard one. I think thinking before I eat includes planning meals. I've been doing this, and it definitely helps, but only if I actually start dinner earlier in the day. If I wait until dinner time to start dinner I just snack on junk. So one rule I could implement is... Plan the meal before I eat it. Decide ahead of time what I am going to have for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Thinking my day through will help.
3. DISCIPLINE myself to enjoy the food I'm eating.
I think one of the reasons I eat as much as I do is that I am not actually thinking about and enjoying the food I'm eating. I'm thinking about other things, or watching TV, or trying to eat and do something else at the same time. If I actually sit down and enjoy the food I'm eating, perhaps I wouldn't want more when I was finished eating. Perhaps the code of conduct I ought to follow is... Enjoy what I've been given.
Okay. That gives me 3 things to strive for. Discipline in my shopping, thinking, and focus, especially where it concerns food.
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