Take Responsibility for Reshaping Your Life

We say we want to eat better, feel better, and look better. But in order to make our goals materialize, we have to take responsibility for what we want by taking the appropriate actions. Here are three simple steps to help you turn your healthy goals into concrete accomplishments:

Step One: Blame No One. Pointing fingers at the fast food industry, the media or your mother is not going to move you one step closer to reaching your goals. Blame invariably inspires guilt and reproach, so that when we start out blaming others, before we know it we are faulting ourselves. There is no time for that. Besides, the minute you blame something or someone for the shape of your life, you are denying yourself the opportunity to take the action you need to transform your circumstances. It isn't a question of whose fault it is that you are where you are today. The point is to shoulder the responsibility for moving your life in a more positive direction.

Step Two: Expect Nothing. Taking responsibility for your life is its own reward. We should do so because it is the mature, grown-up thing to do. A willingness to be accountable for our choices and actions is what it means to be an adult. Because there are no guarantees in life, if you decide to begin making your health a priority, don't expect your family to support you or that your blood pressure will be lowered. An ongoing healthy lifestyle is not about trying to slim down so you can fit into your swimsuit by summer or about living to be 100. It is about saying, "I am going to take care of myself because as far as I know this is the only body I am going to get, and it makes sense that I should respect and care for it."

Step Three: Do Something. Responsibility demands action. Until you do something about the shape of your life, nothing is going to change. And here's the kicker: because it is your life and you are responsible for the way it looks, only you can decide what you must do. So, take stock of your life and do what you can do to improve it. If you have been sitting around, get up. If you can't run, then walk. When you fall down, take a minute to gather yourself, and then get up and continue with your plan of action. Because in the final analysis, how much we weigh is not a fraction as important as taking responsibility for our lives by doing what we can to make them healthier and happier.

About The Author

Jackie Stanley is the author of a series of personal wellness and weight loss journals titled Lettuce is Not Enough. www.lettuceisnotenough.com

jackie@lettuceisnotenough.com

---

Google News Updated : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 08:49:19 GMT Man with financial woes kills family, self - San Francisco Chronicle Sydney Morning Herald Man with financial woes kills family, self San Francisco Chronicle - 1 hour ago An unemployed financial adviser apparently despondent over his troubles shot and killed his wife, his mother-in-law and three children before taking his own life in a gated community, Los Angeles police said Monday. Video: 6 Die in Family Murder-suicide in Upscale Home AssociatedPress California: Six Bodies Found in Los Angeles Home New York Times CNN - Reuters - Los Angeles Daily News - FOXNews all 557 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:38:59 GMT Turkey hits PKK targets in n. Iraq on Tuesday - International Herald Tribune Voice of America Turkey hits PKK targets in n. Iraq on Tuesday International Herald Tribune - 1 hour ago ANKARA: Turkish warplanes pounded suspected Kurdish rebel targets in northern Iraq for a second straight day on Tuesday, stepping up a bombing campaign after the death of 17 Turkish soldiers in a cross-border ambush. Turkish warplanes bomb 21 PKK targets in N Iraq People's Daily Online Turkish airstrikes target Kurdish rebels CNN United Press International - Aljazeera.net - AFP - The Associated Press all 1,633 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:30:40 GMT Sri Lanka: international probe called into killing - International Herald Tribune ABC News Sri Lanka: international probe called into killing International Herald Tribune - 29 minutes ago AP COLOMBO, Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka's top opposition party called Tuesday for an international investigation into a bomb attack the previous day that killed a popular former army general and 26 others. Video: Sri Lanka army closes in on Tamil Tigers - 07 Oct 08 AlJazeeraEnglish Former Tamil rebel fighter named as member of parliament Monsters and Critics.com guardian.co.uk - The Associated Press - ABC Online - Radio Australia all 1,419 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 08:19:30 GMT Frerotte leads Vikings to Monday night victory - FOXSports.com Boston Globe Frerotte leads Vikings to Monday night victory FOXSports.com - 1 hour ago by Alex Marvez Alex Marvez is a Senior NFL Writer for FOXSports.com. He's covered the NFL for 14 seasons as a beat writer and is the president of the Pro Football Writers of America. Frerotte proves mettle against sloppy Saints SportingNews.com National Football League Game Capsules Sports Network Minneapolis Star Tribune - Boston Herald - Philadelphia Inquirer - Newsday all 1,172 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:39:53 GMT Red Sox roar into AL title series - Boston Globe Red Sox roar into AL title series Boston Globe - 1 hour ago By Dan Shaughnessy Bring on the Rays. Bring on the Dodgers or Phillies if you like. There is plenty of champagne left in New England and Mayor Menino has sent the duck boats to have their tires rotated. Red Sox not taking Rays lightly in next round of postseason MLB.com Red Sox squeeze past Angels, advance to ALCS Washington Post SI.com - ESPN - Boston Herald - FOXSports.com all 3,162 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 06:49:29 GMT Fan in Room Seems to Cut Infants’ Risk of Crib Death - New York Times InjuryBoard.com Fan in Room Seems to Cut Infants’ Risk of Crib Death New York Times - 5 hours ago By TARA PARKER-POPE Sleeping in a room with a fan lowers a baby’s risk of sudden infant death syndrome by 72 percent, a new study has found. Study Suggests Fan Use Cuts SIDS Risk in Babies Wall Street Journal Study: Using fan on sleeping baby reduces risk of SIDS San Jose Mercury News U.S. News & World Report - WebMD - USA Today - Medgadget.com all 424 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 03:22:40 GMT McCain, Obama introduce newly sharp tone amid major news events - Los Angeles Times Washington Post McCain, Obama introduce newly sharp tone amid major news events Los Angeles Times - 1 hour ago McCain intensifies his attack on Obama's past and character, and Obama returns the favor. The tactics may not resonate with voters in a time of crisis. Video: AP Campaign Minute AssociatedPress McCain, Obama unleash another round of attacks Reuters New York Times - Chicago Tribune - Dallas Morning News - The Miami Herald all 4,436 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:01:25 GMT RSS For Web Pages More Web Site Traffic

PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

Seeing Your Energy At Work

Our bodies are made of pure energy. With Quantum physics... Read More

Invest Your Inner Wealth

It started out like any other Wednesday - reports to... Read More

Helping Relationships: Understanding the Helpee

One of the most distressing observations I have made among... Read More

Communicating Anger Compassionately

Whether it is irritability or unmitigated rage, anger is an... Read More

Priorities: Are You Living Yours?

In the Charles Dickens classic, "The Christmas Story", Scrooge is... Read More

An Example of Allowing a Desire to Arrive on Its Own

I don't know why, but it seems we trip over... Read More

How Do You Build Momentum in Your Business and Life?

A few weeks ago at a "Leadership from the Ground... Read More

More Money & Less Stress?

At 2pm last Wednesday, I got a call from one... Read More

Boost Your Self-Esteem

What Is Self-Esteem?Self-esteem literally means to esteem, or respect, yourself.... Read More

Q-Tip It!

Back in the 1920's when Polish-American entrepreneur Leo Gerstenzang invented... Read More

Greasing the Path to Success: Finding the Confidence to Step Up to Key Moments

Whether it's making a prospecting call to a promising business... Read More

We Are Exactly Where We Choose to Be

The idea for this month's newsletter came from an unlikely... Read More

Coaching Prime Time

An awful lot of fantastic coaching has been coming out... Read More

Curbing the Public Nuisance (Part 2)

Yes, that pillar of society that has been with us... Read More

Leading Grief Groups: The Preliminaries

Preparation: If you desire advertising the group, announcements need to... Read More

5 Keys to Powerful Communication

As a coach that specializes in marriage, couples and family... Read More

Run to Win

I was never much of an athlete growing up. Notoriously... Read More

A Coaching Secret

I've told people for a long time that one of... Read More

Is The Apprentice Bad For Your Health?

If you know who I mean when I say Kwame,... Read More

Personal Development Profiles

Personal development profiles, also known as personality profiles, are a... Read More

Trump University - Why Success Education Is Important

Trump University recently unveiled offers a bonanza of success secrets,... Read More

Coaching is Asking the Right Questions

Have you ever known anyone who asked themselves "Why me?"... Read More

Lovers Remorse

Direct Answers - Column for the week of July 29,... Read More

Business Career, Executive, Life Coaching Article Mechanisms of the Mind (Achieving Success)

Suppose that the human mind is nothing more than a... Read More

Change vs Transition

"There is a time for departure, even when there's no... Read More