New Year, Improved You: Be The Person You Want To Meet

I spent the first week of the year, sick in bed with the flu. What a way to bring in the new year! At first, I was miserable, thinking how much it sucks that I had to spend New Year's Eve and the first week of 2012 being extremely sick. However, looking back on the time I spent sick, I realize that being sick was also a blessing. I know it sounds weird so bear with me here...

While in bed, I read so many magazines and watched 5 seasons of Dexter (lol). And the one constant thing I kept seeing is the phrase "New Year, New You". And that made me reflect on my own life. It also annoyed the crap out of me. Just because it's a new year does not mean you have to be a new you. What's wrong with who you are now? Or who you were in 2011? I guess to me, that phrase just comes across as if someone is telling me that the present me is not good enough so I have to become a "new" me because it's a new year. And I think that's ridiculous.

A new year is a time for renewal. The key word is re-newal, as in "re", which is repeating something aka a do-over. A do-over, to me, is getting another chance to get it right, whatever you are trying to do. However, that does not mean you have to become a completely new person for you to achieve that change or goal. It just means you learned the lesson from past mistakes and now you are going to make a better decision. But while making this decision, you are still YOU. You're just an improved you, not a new you.

Being sick reminded me that the best way I can improve myself is to take better care of myself. That means taking care of my mind, body and spirit. When you take care of those 3 key things, you become the person you want to meet.

Mind: The mind can be a beautiful thing or your biggest saboteur. The quote "It's all a state of mind" is so true. I wrote last week about creating vision boards and that is one way to change your way of thinking for the better. It will also help you with recognizing and focusing on your goals. It doesn't have to be a vision board, though. It can be as easy as making a list. I am the queen of lists. They help me stay focused and organized. You can make a list of goals that you would like to achieve in 2012. A few things on my list are: I want to get my driver's license, eat more healthy, exercise more, and clean up my credit. When you make a list, you are validating your inner wants and dreams. You are making yourself accountable; you're making those goals a reality by listing them. Once you have a list, you can then focus on how to obtain those goals. Following your goals will help in getting yourself right because you are improving your life for the better.

Body: A mind cannot be fully healthy, if you feel like you're going to pass out after walking up a few steps or not having any energy at all. How are you supposed to follow your goals if your body is not right? Ladies, if you're over 35, you must get a mammogram once a year. We all need to get a yearly physical and a pap smear every 6 months. We should educate ourselves on food by reading labels, making substitutions where necessary and really looking at our portions. Drink 6-8 glasses of water a day and limit your soda intake.

If you make small changes to your diet, it will work wonders. I'm not talking some fad diet or fast weight loss. Being healthy is a lifestyle that you have to commit to long term. It's okay to indulge every now and then. But for the most part, you have to fuel your body with the right things in order for it to work right at any size. Do your research online. Look up recipes and learn how to eat well with healthy food that tastes great. It's all about eating healthy foods you like, eating three meals a day with two snacks a day, and moderating your portions.

Eating well is not the only way to get your body healthy. Living an active lifestyle is essential as well. You don't have to join a gym to exercise. You can walk around your block. You can find a flight of stairs that you go up and down a few times on. You can dance in your living room, using the gaming system like the Wii or xBox. I love to exercise using the fitness on demand channels that my cable provider offers. My fave is the walking channel. You walk in place in your living room and the instructor changes it up, asking you to lift your arms, step back and then front, or bending your leg...all of this is done without you stopping. Before you know it, you have walked a mile. It's amazing. Always check with your doctor first before starting any exercise regimen to get his/her blessing on what exercise is good for your body.

Spirit: Your spirit goes hand in hand with your mind. Your spirit affirms what the mind is thinking and pushes you to go after your goals. So you have to get your spirit right or the mind won't be right and then it affects the body. Affirmations are a great way to nurture your spirit. I wrote a few weeks ago about the importance of daily affirmations, surrounding yourself with positive people and doing things that make you happy. These are all things you can do to make your spirit the best it can be...nurture it and give it a boost when needed.

So while it is a new year, YOU as you are is pretty amazing anyway because as I always say, there's only 1 you in this world. However, there is always room for improvement and as we evolve, our goals and needs change. There's nothing wrong with being an improved you. Strive to be that person you want to meet, whether it's as a friend, colleague or romantic partner. As Oprah once said and I blogged about previously, you are responsible for the energy you bring into a room. Whatever energy you put out in the world is what you'll get back. With that said, if you know your worth and have high standards for yourself, you will not want to have people in your life who are not worthy of you.

2012: The Year of YOU....not a new you, but an improved you. You can do it! Let's get it!