words

If you want to make a change in your life, start by looking in the mirror.

On her live album, Jill says that she’s not just a singer, she’s a poet. And having seen her live, she does impart a lot of wisdom during her show, but that one line above that she ad-libbed into the song really hit home when I was listening to it a few days ago. “It begins with me,” she sings and I’d like to think that I’ve tried to make the past few months not “all about” me but working on positive change stemming from me. Hopefully there’s been less whining about things that I have control over, instead saving my complaints for the stuff that really grinds my gears and is more or less outside my sphere of influence — though not really in some cases. I could complain about the slow service at Starbucks ’til I’m blue in the face, or resolve that by just bringing in my own coffee at less cost with a likely better result. I can whine about the added responsibility in the office, or view it as a reflection of a job well done over the past three years and my employer’s faith in my abilities. I don’t really deal in “instant karma” but I do believe that keeping a more positive outlook leaves you more open to the good in yourself and others than maintaining a negative or pessimistic one. Though where I am right now, I’d call myself a cautious optimist.

With a more literal interpretation of her words, I have been looking in the mirror, not checkin’ myself out, but trying to see the effects, if any, of my foodie lifestyle choices, and it’s not horrific, but not really pretty either. I bought some more workout clothes on Amazon to get rid of the “my shorts are all funky” excuse for not doing my home cycling and I’m doing the little things when I can, stairs instead of elevators, water instead of “juice” that contains under 5% juice and mostly sugar or HFCS, whipping a Lean Cuisine out of the freezer instead of calling for take-away from across the street. It’s all little stuff, but slowly and surely it is having an effect. I was weighing in at about 200 two months ago and I’m down to about 193 now. I don’t have dreams of a six-pack, but it would be nice if it were a little harder for me to pinch an inch.

Like they say, Stop Bitching, Start a Revolution. A little trite, but there’s something to it in concept, if not necessarily in practice.