Assessing January, Teju Cole and Goals for February
For the first time in a long time I can really truly say that 2006 has got off to a good start for me.
My detox came to its official end yesterday and after 31 days I have lost 6kg without even trying. I feel so good that I have decided to carry on. Of course I will have the occasional hot chocolate with marshmallows (here I come Coffee Republic) or slice of pie with custard, but they will now be my treats to be had once or twice a month.
For ages I have read and been told that once you do something consistently for 30 days it becomes a habit. I have found out for myself that this is very true. It's strange but I can now look at food and know straight away what is good for me and what isn't. For example, I went for a training course yesterday at head office and lunch was sandwiches and crisps (duh!) and I went into semi panic because I now know that white bread is so bad for my system (think spots) and I hadn't had any in 31 days!! But yeah, it's really good being able to discern between 'good' and 'bad' food. I feel good, look good, I feel healthy and most of all there is a real sense of achievement I derive from having been disciplined enough to stick to my goal.
My bible reading is also going very well and one thing I can tell you is that it is such an interesting book. I never thought I would ever say that but it's true. I have tried many times to read the bible in the past but never succeeded because I think I approached it with a feeling of pain. It seemed like a chore. But this time I have approached it with pleasure and with a reason or two.
The first one being: I have called myself a Christian for almost six years and have never taken the time to read the book which I claim is pivotal to my faith. How sad is that?
The second reason being: all knowledge and interpretations of scripture I have of the bible have come from third parties: Preachers, fellow Christians, teaching tapes, books, TV and so on. And this has bothered me for a while, the fact that I am accepting all this information without checking it out for myself. Therefore, I am not reading for any great and miraculous revelations (if I have some then great, if I don't I am not going to get cut up about it), I am reading simply to get rid of my ignorance, for the knowledge I will gain, the pleasure I derive from reading it and above all else to get to know God. I mean really know Him. And those are good enough reasons for me.
For the past one month I have been absolutely captivated by Teju Cole's blog which is (was) all about his visit to Nigeria after an absence of 11 years. It was a blog I looked forward to reading everyday, a ritual I guarded jealously. The way he described Lagos, his experiences, the people he met and places he went to made everything come so alive for me. I could feel, smell, see the places and things he was describing. I had been to these places a thousand times before and never seen what he saw or looked at things from his perspective and sometimes, wonder. And his style of writing was so fluid and choice of words so right. Although I must admit that I had to read some of his entries armed with a dictionary because many of the words he used I didn��t have a clue what they meant! However, all this came to an end on 31 January as, true to his word, he took his blog down. But I am so pleased to say that after seeking permission, I downloaded and printed off every single one of his entries. It seemed such a shame to let them go and I would never have forgiven myself. Besides I know my mum would just love reading them. She recently recommended that I read 'Ada's Story' by Buchi Emecheta which she had just finished reading in German!! I searched high and low on the internet for it and finally found one on eBay, for the princely sum of ?1.99 (including postage). How lucky was that? So, that's something new for me to look forward to.
I think this year is working for me so well (and will continue to) because I have finally decided that I am ready for change. It's a great feeling and since I am a believer of striking when the iron is hot, I am setting three more goals for February. These are:
Have an hour of power everyday. I am currently listening to Anthony Robbins Get the Edge Programme on CD ( or should I say my iPod :-)) and so far it is excellent. This hour of power will include a brisk 20 minute walk, prayer and/ or meditation and a positive talk time (I don't really like this term but can't think of a better one to use).
Keep a gratitude journal. Write down five things everyday for the next 28 days that I am grateful for.
Reply to my emails as soon as I get them. A hard one but I am determined to give it a go.
So, hello February!
My detox came to its official end yesterday and after 31 days I have lost 6kg without even trying. I feel so good that I have decided to carry on. Of course I will have the occasional hot chocolate with marshmallows (here I come Coffee Republic) or slice of pie with custard, but they will now be my treats to be had once or twice a month.
For ages I have read and been told that once you do something consistently for 30 days it becomes a habit. I have found out for myself that this is very true. It's strange but I can now look at food and know straight away what is good for me and what isn't. For example, I went for a training course yesterday at head office and lunch was sandwiches and crisps (duh!) and I went into semi panic because I now know that white bread is so bad for my system (think spots) and I hadn't had any in 31 days!! But yeah, it's really good being able to discern between 'good' and 'bad' food. I feel good, look good, I feel healthy and most of all there is a real sense of achievement I derive from having been disciplined enough to stick to my goal.
My bible reading is also going very well and one thing I can tell you is that it is such an interesting book. I never thought I would ever say that but it's true. I have tried many times to read the bible in the past but never succeeded because I think I approached it with a feeling of pain. It seemed like a chore. But this time I have approached it with pleasure and with a reason or two.
The first one being: I have called myself a Christian for almost six years and have never taken the time to read the book which I claim is pivotal to my faith. How sad is that?
The second reason being: all knowledge and interpretations of scripture I have of the bible have come from third parties: Preachers, fellow Christians, teaching tapes, books, TV and so on. And this has bothered me for a while, the fact that I am accepting all this information without checking it out for myself. Therefore, I am not reading for any great and miraculous revelations (if I have some then great, if I don't I am not going to get cut up about it), I am reading simply to get rid of my ignorance, for the knowledge I will gain, the pleasure I derive from reading it and above all else to get to know God. I mean really know Him. And those are good enough reasons for me.
For the past one month I have been absolutely captivated by Teju Cole's blog which is (was) all about his visit to Nigeria after an absence of 11 years. It was a blog I looked forward to reading everyday, a ritual I guarded jealously. The way he described Lagos, his experiences, the people he met and places he went to made everything come so alive for me. I could feel, smell, see the places and things he was describing. I had been to these places a thousand times before and never seen what he saw or looked at things from his perspective and sometimes, wonder. And his style of writing was so fluid and choice of words so right. Although I must admit that I had to read some of his entries armed with a dictionary because many of the words he used I didn��t have a clue what they meant! However, all this came to an end on 31 January as, true to his word, he took his blog down. But I am so pleased to say that after seeking permission, I downloaded and printed off every single one of his entries. It seemed such a shame to let them go and I would never have forgiven myself. Besides I know my mum would just love reading them. She recently recommended that I read 'Ada's Story' by Buchi Emecheta which she had just finished reading in German!! I searched high and low on the internet for it and finally found one on eBay, for the princely sum of ?1.99 (including postage). How lucky was that? So, that's something new for me to look forward to.
I think this year is working for me so well (and will continue to) because I have finally decided that I am ready for change. It's a great feeling and since I am a believer of striking when the iron is hot, I am setting three more goals for February. These are:
Have an hour of power everyday. I am currently listening to Anthony Robbins Get the Edge Programme on CD ( or should I say my iPod :-)) and so far it is excellent. This hour of power will include a brisk 20 minute walk, prayer and/ or meditation and a positive talk time (I don't really like this term but can't think of a better one to use).
Keep a gratitude journal. Write down five things everyday for the next 28 days that I am grateful for.
Reply to my emails as soon as I get them. A hard one but I am determined to give it a go.
So, hello February!
posted by Pilgrimage to Self at 12:54 pm
2 Comments:
Oh, I'm glad that the year is off to a great start for you. This speaks of even better things for the rest of the year.
I can't tell you how great it feels when things just fall into place.
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