Ok, you’ve decided to finally take control of your weight or stop smoking. Now What? Congratulations on taking the first step… but MOST will Fail (unless you have help). We know that losing weight and being free from bad habits won’t fall into our laps… and a healthy body and lifestyle are the result of hours and hours of work. If you’ve been trying to use willpower or fad diets. You’re probably feeling paralysed by the fear of being stuck or overwhelmed. You’re stuck with your unhealthy habits, and you don’t know where to start with the right approach, and if you’re like most people, you can’t feel confident fast enough. You’re stuck in the details. You know you want to quit and make healthy choices but don’t know how to get started. Taking control can seem impossible. You know deep down inside that you need a proven strategy that is both long-lasting and effective.
slide > >
This year the airwaves have been filled with stories about stupid people, greedy people, heroic people and politicians. Bombarded by a continuous stream of talking heads, the media’s so-called experts foist their opinions on us at every opportunity. Some have been worth listening to, but most have just filled the gap where independent thought might have thrived.
Stupidity seems to have taken centre stage. Personally, I think the UN could have done better than to declare 2020 as the International Year of Plant Health. The International Year of the Stupid makes more sense: the toilet paper stockpilers, the anti-face-maskers, the anti-vaxxers, the QAnon conspiracy theorists, the pro-Trumpers… sadly, the list goes on.
But looking on the bright side: As the seasons come, go life goes on. Take the case of the paragliding Santa in California who crashed while delivering joy to local kids from his powered parachute. Fortunately, the ever capable and unflappable emergency workers were able to disentangle him from the power lines. The only injury was to his pride.
It seems to me that how we view the world – whatever our personal circumstances – is a good indication of how well we face life’s challenges. Here in the Lucky Country, most of us have been inconvenienced but still, largely untouched by 2020. We’re the lucky ones. Sadly, there are 908 people who won’t see this Christmas, but this is far fewer than the lives lost in most other countries.
I’m grateful to hear that most of our friends around the world have been similarly fortunate: In the south of France, Claire and Raphael have just moved into their new home. Claire’s Grandfather Jacques turned 100. While the celebrations were more subdued than they might otherwise have been, the joy for his family of sharing another year with this fine man was not restrained.
Some things never really change: Life is an ongoing battle between what we humans perceive as ‘good’ and ‘bad’. We can’t do much about the bad things that happen to us. Dwelling on them only makes them harder to bear. But we can be uplifted by what is good in our lives.
I’d like to know what were the positives that you’ll remember from 2020. Please write your answers on the back of a $100 bill and post to me before 2020 has passed!