Are YOU happy with YOUR success?

     What is success?  When asked what makes a person successful many start to list money, career, family, homes, cars.....blah blah blah!   BLAH?  So many people strive for those things THEIR ENTIRE LIVES only to fall short, or at least they never get ALL that they want so they feel like a failure. What an awful way to live your life.
Now don't get me wrong, sure it's nice to be financially independent, have a beautiful home & family and some nice wheels, but something I have learned over the years is, You can't be happy with a lot until you are happy with a little.

     This is not a new comparison, that thought process has proved true for years (and I mean years) even in the bible, "faithful in little....faithful in much".   So why do I ask if you are happy with your success?  Because TODAY I reached a milestone, a small one in my long journey BUT none the less a milestone and I am HAPPY.  I am over the moon with excitement and I want to share it with the world!
     For so many years I would always look at the big picture, 120+ lbs to loose "ugh".  I've only lost 10 lbs "ugh".  So my pants zip now "ugh"  GET THE IDEA!
      
     I didn't appreciate the hard work I had done because I kept looking at all I still had to do and that is the WRONG way to do this.  We cannot keep doing this to ourselves.  Getting healthy and losing weight will not happen overnight but it WILL happen.  Each day has to be a triumph.  What did that penguin in Happy Feet say, "give it a Try & follow with a great big UMPH" (or something like that) You have to appreciate your small victories EVERY DAY in order to REACH the big ones.  I wish someone had really explained that to me or just took the time to help me celebrate them. And NOT celebrate them with food, just be happy in the moment.  Realize that 2 weeks ago you could not zip those pants and today you are wearing them out. That is HUGE, don't you think so? 

Now here is the kicker, tell me 

Would you be happy for ME if I told you that?  Would You?

SO WHY ARE YOU NOT HAPPY FOR YOURSELF???

(think about that for a minute)

We will encourage, rejoice, compliment, congratulate & celebrate our friends smallest accomplishments but then 'poopoo' on our own.  How mean are we to ourselves? Getting healthy & loosing weight is a kind & loving thing to do for your body. So why would you not Celebrate & Congratulate yourself for ANY step or accomplishment you have?  WHY???

So here is my Compliment to me, "I am so proud of you Donna, today you have lost 20.6 lbs since Oct. 7 and in those 5 1/2 weeks you even went on a week cruise, you stuck to it, made good choices, gave it your all and SUCCEEDED in getting healthier. You are beautiful & loving and I know you will keep it going by taking care of this body you have been given. I AM PROUD OF YOU and you DESERVE every bit of this."

Today is November 14, I want all of you to sit back and think about at least 1 good thing you did since Nov. 1, go back further if you need to, then take out a piece of paper and write down how PROUD you are of yourself, just like I did above. Address it to yourself like I did and put it on your bathroom mirror (I will to) and every day we will look at it and be PROUD of ourselves for the previous day and strive to do something healthy for this new day to come.

Have a beautiful day everyone, 

you are all amazing & strong and are fighting just like I am. 

Let's do this together and get a jump start on 2015 and make 

it the Year of Transformations!

My New Milestone Charm - I'm so Proud!

How has everyone been doing.  I am still plugging along.  

I'm so excited, lost another 2 lbs and am now down 27.6 lbs!  

Woot! Woot!

Little by little I am chipping away, learning how to LIVE with a healthier lifestyle. I'm not focusing so much on the pounds but on the overall change, which is what is most important right?

I enjoyed my pedicure when I hit my 25lb milestone and it was so nice, but I wanted something a little more permanent.

Something that would show me my milestones all along the way, that I could look at daily, reflect on and remember just how far I had come.

I mentioned in a post before that I have a crafty side. Yes I love to create items with a Shabby chic & Vintage flair and I sell them at a local Antique market & online on Etsy.  So I have a true appreciation for the small business person and I love to be able to support fellow crafters like myself.  So I found Shealyn who makes hand stamped jewelry at Clearique Boutique on Etsy. She has some beautiful items that caught my attention but none that were exactly what I wanted. So I sent her an email and we put our heads together. Several conversations later she created this just for me:

"Find Your Strength  *  Never Give Up"

25

This is for my first 25lbs I have lost, never to go back on me, stamped into this pendant to remind me of how hard I worked to get here.  As I reach my next milestones, which ever I choose them to be, I will get those pounds on disks to add to my necklace.

Until ALL the weight is gone from my body and hanging on this pendant, never to return. 

She can do something very similar for you too, a pendant, bracelet  key chain, mirror charm, whatever. Please visit her Etsy Shop and look around at least, she has so much to choose from that I know you will see something you like.

So I send a HUGE Shout Out to a very talented woman for her patience & talent in working with me to design the exact piece I needed to hang around my neck and remind me that 

I Do Have the Strength to Never Give Up!

My 25lb Milestone Reward - Pretty Toesies

Even thought I hit my milestone of 25 pounds down on Tuesday, with my busy schedule and waiting on funds, today (Saturday) is when I got to get it done.

Yep, my reward was a pedicure.  Now I know there are those of out there who have this done monthly or more often BUT I have not had one in almost 2 years (since before our last vacation).  Money is tight, we have to watch our spending and things like this are just not a regular option for me anymore. So this was a special treat for me and I was looking forward to it.  I have a regular place that I used to go to all the time, it's call "The Nail Place" (yes, see the picture, I am not making it up) and I like them because their prices are fair and the facility is clean.
So here are some pictures of my fun little event and I brought along my sweet little Destiny to join in the fun (don't worry, no pedi for her, a simply toe polish is only $4 for little girls) and she was so cute sitting in the big chair like mommy!

All it all it was a relaxing time.  I enjoyed the pampering and it felt so good to have my feet & legs rubbed especially after all the working out.

My next goal is the 40 lb mark, 15 more lbs to go, hmmm I wonder what my next reward will be???

What I do know is this:  my journey for this next 15lbs will be done with pretty red toesies!

My First Milestone!!!!!

Hey everyone, how have you been?  It's have been an interesting few days since my last post on Saturday, but slowly I truckin' along and I keep chip, chip, chippin' away.  It's crazy, I have had some wonderful conversations with some very special people in the last couple of days and what I realized is this, I can offer some great simple & probably motivating advice and yet not listen to it myself.  Mostly referring to the negative thoughts and being happy with your accomplishments, no matter how small.  My negative thoughs have been beating me up lately and I think part of this whole process is learning to stop them and say something positive to myself, EVEN if  I don't believe it at that moment, say it again, and again, and again. Write it on a  note and tape it to my mirror, car or nightstand.

Tell Yourself:

 YOU ARE WORTH IT!

YOU ARE ABLE! YOU ARE SOMEBODY!

So......let me tell you how ABLE I am and that THIS SOMEBODY hit her first milestone!!!!!

I wanted to lose 25 pounds and I did it !!!

It took me 8 weeks and I am sooo excited. 
Starting weight: 292.4
Current weight: 266.6
Total of 25.8 lbs GONE 
My reward is to go get a pedicure (which I haven't had in almost 2 years).

So this weekend I will go get my toes did!

So what is on the horizon for me?  Well my next goal to meet is to hit the 40 lb milestone. So another 15 lbs.  Not too shabby.
I am having something very special made to mark & remember my milestones so I never forget this journey. I hope to have it soon and I will share it with you all!!!! 
(hint: it's a piece of hand stamped jewelry)

So thank you all for your kind words, support & motivation. 
TOGETHER we can do this and be successful!
WooHoo Way To Go!!!

I AM SO PROUD OF ME!