Just One Thing

One Small Step at a Time,
Takes you to the Top

   How do big things happen? Just one thing at a time. Think of the big things you want to do this year. If you read the blog yesterday, you wrote down your 7 Top 2012 goals. If you pick just one thing to change or do each month for each one, you will make 12 changes in  your lifestyle, home, or daily activities for each that will add up to big things in your life by the end of the year.
  One of my 2012 goals is to be more fit and healthy by the end of this, better put, throughout this year. It's not just an end goal but a continually improving process. The one thing I am
concentrating on this month is eating better and approaching my ideal weight. I know a big thing I need to do is eliminate simple sugar, aka soda pop, from my diet but it's not easy. For me, that is a really big thing. My favorite drink is Dr. Pepper. Instead of setting myself up for failure and saying I am just going to quit drinking Dr. Pepper this month. I am going to do just one thing to help make that big thing happen. This month I am only drinking Dr Pepper between noon and 4pm. I am going to practice making better beverage choices and exploring other options in the morning and the evening.
   An amazing thing has happened. I have discovered there are other drinks out there that I like. At the movies the other night as we made our selections at the concession stand, I discovered the best Berry Tea Latte. Oh Yum! And I would never had tried that if it hadn't been after 4pm. I now have favorite morning drinks, orange juice and green tea, and favorite evening drinks herbal tea and cran-apple juice. Every once in awhile I'll treat myself to a yummy Tea Latte. I now enjoy Natural Spring water when I am exercising or working outdoors because I don't feel so bloated from soda pop. I still like my 12 ounces of Dr. Pepper during the afternoon, especially at work, but with all the other favorite and healthier drinks I am adding to my drink list I will have an easy time eliminating it altogether if I decide to do that in the future.
    Maybe you don't have a problem ignoring the high calorie sugar drinks, it could be chocolate or cookies or some other vice that holds you hostage. Whatever it is just one thing you can do is to cut back on it by setting some well defined limits. Limits can be time boundaries like the ones I used to only allow soda pop between noon and 4pm or limits might be quantity such as using portion control at meals to limit calories. Anything outside the limits is a chance to practice your lifestyle without it. Especially when you are giving up something, replacing that activity or item is a must. The more time you spend thinking and enjoying what you replaced it with, the less likely you'll be dwelling on what you missed. See how I allow Dr. Pepper between noon and 4pm. I don't forbid Dr. Pepper before noon and after 4pm, I discover new favorite drinks in the morning and evening.
    Just one thing can also be used to impact other goals you might have. If your goal is to declutter your home, try eliminating "Just one pile" day. Maybe you'd like to improve your social life and have more friends, you could make time to call and be involved in the life of just one new friend this month or sign up for just one meet up group in a setting that interests you at http://www.meetup.com/ . A finanical goal will improve if you do just one thing like pay off a small debt this month, put off a purchase and avoid a new debt, or set up a small allotment to a savings account with self-imposed access limits. Access limits include not getting a debit card for that account, using a bank in another city, and setting strict withdrawal parameters such as only if the car breaks down or the furnance goes out.
   Think about your 7 year end goals for 2012 and write down Just One Thing you can do for each one to make a change in your lifestyle that will take you one step closer to acheiving the big things. Share your Just One Thing list with others to help stimulate their creativity by posting them here. Big things happen, Just One Thing at a time!!