Let the Change Begin

 There is a super song composed by Jana Stanfield, who is a respected wellness motivator that really gets to the core of what we are attempting to achieve when we step through the door at that first TOPS® meeting. For those of us who have been in TOPS® for quite some time and seem to have lost our enthusiasm for the journey, it resonates even more strongly. The title of the piece is “Let the Change Begin”. I invite you to enjoy it as you read.

 It starts…

We cannot change the world we see.

The change begins in you and me.

We change the world around us,

When the change begins within.

 These words are so true.  The obesity epidemic is spiraling ever upward, effecting children with greater frequency for many reasons. The adult population grows larger and more sedentary and health complications multiply. We may actually be the first generation with a higher life expectancy than our children if current trends are not reversed.

 Thousands of words will not make as much difference in affecting this change as one positive action. For people to believe in what you say, they first look to what you do. How do you live your life. How do I live mine? Do we model the behaviors we pay lip service to? Are we making honest, sincere efforts to adapt our lifestyles to healthier approaches? Do we walk our talk? We tend to listen most attentively to those who light the way for us and take our hands and guide us, steadying us when we fall.

 Let the change begin,

Let the change begin,

Let the change begin,

Within.

 So, let’s get back to the very beginning. Let’s remember the motivators at our first TOPS® meeting. What was your purpose? Is the goal still valid?  Do you still want to be healthy? What are you doing to get there? Is it working for you? If not, why are you still doing it? Maybe we need to make some changes and recommit to our own best selves? What one change can I make today to start anew?

The lesson from the willow tree

Is strength in flexibility.

When nothing seems to go my way,

It's time to learn to sway. 

Each of us knows that there will be potholes, roadblocks, detours and sidetracks.  We have learned many lessons and will learn many more throughout the journey to good health. Happiness needs to be part of the trip… not the final destination because this is a lifelong quest. We must remain aware and be willing to alter the course and move in a different direction when an impasse is met. When we are rigid and unyielding, we may begin to feel defeated when the results are not as we wished and give up due to frustration. Success is truly getting up one more time than one falls down, dusting one’s self off, learning from the experience and moving past it. 

Patiently, courageously,

Be the change you wish to see.

Picture the success you seek clearly in your mind. Imagine how this success will impact your life. Live each day as if you already had achieved this goal. See yourself as a picture emerging more clearly from the canvas with each brush stroke. This is your self-portrait. You are crafting a unique work of art now. Each of us are works in progress, beautiful just as we are and worth celebrating fully each day.

"Sing like you don’t need the money

Love like you’ve never been hurt

It’s got to come from the heart

If you want it to work!”

Others will join you in celebrating each day, enriching and inspiring your journey as you are doing for them. Within each of us is the change we are seeking. It is up to each of us to discover and use that change. I believe in me and I believe in you! Today, let’s begin our change within!