Change of Habit! (This has nothing to do with the Elvis movie)

First, to comment on some comments made on the last entry –“Such a Funk!” One friend commented that she wished she could afford to go buy new clothes but it just wasn’t a possibility. We don’t have to buy new clothes to put our best foot forward. The thing is not to put on the worst outfit we have. Get up in the morning and put on the best thing you have. Maybe just add a new lipstick color, a little makeup, a hair accessory or pair of earrings to your wardrobe.

There are many little things that we can do to help boost our self-image and change our attitude. Things to help us get out of the funk we can sometimes find ourselves.

Also someone told me I would fail at doing this blog. They think my intentions are good but when I get busy I will quit blogging, which is very possible. I would love to say I am going to do an entry every day or every week or even every month but I’m not making any promises to anyone on that. All I can say is I will do my best to share what I can, when I can.

This blog is just random thoughts I have, things that I am trying to do myself to be a better (old) person. I don’t always walk the walk but I’m pretty good at talking the talk. That would be the Langdon in me (just a little family joke). All we can do is try our best to be the best we can.

Our habits can create issues with our attitude as well. Changing bad or creating new habits can be difficult. But, can be so rewarding. At heart I think of myself as a pretty lazy person. Mostly it’s just easier not to do certain things. Like most things. ha! I used to never make my bed. Ever. Not even later in the day. About 8 months ago I read an article that by making your bed every morning before you leave your bedroom you have accomplished at least one thing for the day. Being able to look back at your day and have at least one accomplishment, no matter how trivial it may seem is a great motivator. I’m trying to add a few other “good habits” to my daily routine.

The biggest thing I would like to change is my eating habits. I am slowly making some positive changes. A huge change I have made is drinking those 8 glasses of water that my body needs. My morning starts with drinking a full glass. Of course this is after I make my bed. Sometimes the desire to eat food is actually dehydration. Drink a full glass of water before every meal to make your brain think you are full.

Portion control is another thing that I am trying to change. It is an important thing in losing weight. I am realizing that if I eat smaller portions at my main meals and then eat small snacks in between meals it is easier to eat smaller portions all day. Snacks can be raw veggies, a small piece of chicken, Rye Krisp with a little peanut butter, yogurt, cottage cheese, an apple, almonds, protein shake or even a smoothie.

I need to add more vegetables and fruits to my diet. Lunch is where I have things only half right. I might have a healthy sandwich but I will grab a bag of chips to go with it. How healthy is that? Now I try to have some carrots or apple slices instead of those chips.

I'm learning to change what kind of carbs I eat. Whole grain breads have been a part of my diet for the past several years. Brown rice is now being used instead of white rice. And whole grain pastas instead of regular pastas.

Little changes with the hope of big results. Its all about one day at a time, one meal at a time. Changing our eating habits can help with all kinds of health issues. Losing weight (if needed) can change our self-image and self-esteem which affects our attitude.

A thought for my friend that can't afford a new wardrobe. How about every time you choose not to buy a "bad" snack you put that money in a "new me" jar? When you have enough use that money to go shopping for a new outfit. Create a fun jar that has a drawing of a sexy lady or a picture of a new swimsuit or something else that would be inspirational. Put it somewhere that you will see EVERY day.

While typing and retyping several times, I was trying to do a little planning for my blog. I want it to have a "free spirit" but I don't want it to be this ramble of nothingness either. I'm not sure this is where I wanted my blog to go and maybe it won't stay on this track But for now, I'm kind of thinking that each day of the week could have a theme. I'd like to post diet ideas, exercise ideas, healthy recipes, maybe some creativity motivators, daily motivators, maybe a funny story day. I'm still not sure where this will take me or for how long but I plan to have fun with it.

Tell me what you would like to see or hear. I'm open to ideas. In October 2009 when I started this blog it was going to be just a bunch of funny stories but once I started to type I realized that I really wasn't as funny as I thought I was. ha!

If you click "FOLLOW" to the right you can add your name so you get an email when I do post something new. And it will make me think I'm more important than I really am.

Tomorrow is Monday. Let's start the week with our "best foot forward".

Such a Funk!

For most of us this has been the longest winter of our lives. Yesterday, I was so tired of the dirty snow, the bare trees, the slush, the cold and on and on. When I went to bed I was in such a funk. The more I laid there feeling sorry for myself the more I realized it was ME that I was most tired of. My own attitude was what was making everything around me seem more gloomy and dreary and dirty than it really was. Don't get me wrong its ugly out there.

Reflecting on my week, I realized that I have worn the same shirt and the same really awful pair of polar fleece pants for at least 3 days. Yuck! If I wore the same clothes for that many days it is fairly likely that I haven't showered in that many days either. (I know way too much information being shared.) It has been a week of not accomplishing much of anything.

There are many serious pitfalls of working at home. Not interacting with human beings from the outside world on a daily basis being a huge one. Because I don't always deal with other people doesn't mean I can't look my best or at least better than I have for the past few days. Oh, but wait - I DID interact with 4 customers two nights ago. When they left I noticed my shirt had some very lovely looking stains on the front and I had on those same tacky looking polar fleece pants that could be considered "waders". What a great "best foot forward" that was. NOT!

This morning I read a family member's blog. His post was about how good looking people do better in business. It was about putting a smile on your face and putting your best foot forward. Dress to impress. I realized that even if I don't go out into the working world every day how I dress and what my appearance looks like DOES have a direct affect on my attitude. Which in turn has an affect on my business.

Your attitude is affected by many things. Some things we can control others we can't. Our attitudes affect not only our business relationships but ALL of our relationships. Spouses/partners, children, parents and friends.

So today I am off to shower, put on a pair of jeans I like to wear, a warm sweater and my red cowboy boots. Then I am off to shop for a new business casual wardrobe. Little changes in your appearance can make big changes in your attitude. And your attitude colors the rest of your world.

I'll keep you posted as to how my attitude changes as I make an effort to put my best foot forward. Will my confidence change? Will I be able to get my business to be more manageable. Will I get things accomplished during the day to make time for ME? We'll see. Only time will tell.

Who else wants to take the challenge? Should we call it the Get out of the Funk Challenge?