Think of a change, do it twice, feel better!

I envisioned having the energy and motivation to run at lunchtime two days ago. I did it yesterday and today and I can honestly say, I feel great! It's amazing to me how little we sometimes need to do in order to feel so much better! Just two days ago, I felt like a a bit of a sloth, not even 2 week post-marathon. The change in the weather to cold and getting darker earlier, the change in my exercise routine with the loss of my regimented running plan and maybe eating a bit differently and I was feeling very off. But only two days into running at lunchtime, with the sun out and the daylight and I feel wonderful.

Sometimes we can feel like the hills we need to climb are so high, they're more like mountains. Losing weight, finding a new job, creating a new exercise routine, saving money... these things all can seem like they're out of reach when we think of the ultimate end-goal. But when we break them into reasonable chunks and just start doing something, anything, related to our ultimate goal, we create energy and the momentum. It's this that starts to make us feel better because we finally feel like we're moving forward! Maybe it's a small step; changing what you eat for lunch if you're trying to lose weight; making a list of contacts if you're trying to find a job; finding a new yoga class and attending one class if we're trying to create a new exercise routine. But small steps lead to big change. No steps leads to: nothing! So, envision where you ultimately want to be and then identify one small way you can start to create forward moving energy and momentum. You'll be amazed at how good you start to feel: right away! And guess what? The universe very much honors positive energy. It begets more positive energy. This means the more postive energy you create, the more the universe supports you in the direction you want to go (if you don't believe this, that's ok. You don't have to.)

The other area of my life that I recently began examining is my finances. I always am watching them closely but recent events in our country caused me to take some more radical action in order to save money. I made a list of personal steps I can take to save money and made a commitment to start doing them. Things like regularly bringing my lunch to work; not buying magazines, limiting eating out; cutting back on Starbucks stops and making drinks at home; taking cash out at the beginning of the week and only using that until week's end ( no last minute runs to the ATM). Finally, I made a plan for dinners and did one grocery shopping on Sunday to last me all week. Oh, and I went outside my neighborhood to find some cheap gas stations. You'd be amazed at what you can find if you look.

With my new-found list of budget changes, I feel more in control then ever before. Now, when I turn on the news and I hear about the stock market's status, the consumer confidence level, the economy's temperature I just smile. I have created my own economic climate and for now, things are not so bad.

Get out and enjoy the sun!