2017 – The year of now

Welcome to the new Gregorian year. What are you going to do to make it a better year?

I have seen a lot of things across social media platforms telling people to stop blaming a number on a calendar for everything that happened last year. That 2016 had nothing to do with all the bad stuff. The truth is though, that collectively we decided that 2016 was to blame and so every big or small tragedy was attributed to that collective bad energy.

That’s all it was though, a bad energy created by the many negative thoughts around it. Those negative words, those negative thoughts, all that negativity affected everyone, you could be as happy go lucky as a Gummi Bear but if everyone around you, every online outlet, every message sent out is negative, you won’t be dashing and daring for very long.

Speaking of negativity, I came to realise something over the last couple of weeks. I guess it’s something I knew all along but never really _got_. After the Strand street incident I got a lot of support from friends and strangers, but still, when one person in the Times Live facebook thread made a negative comment my mind went straight into the negative mode.

I found it easier to agree with the lady, to believe what she was saying than to believe the hundreds of positive comments that were made. I have always, somehow, never really accepted good comments and taken to heart every negative comment made.

Having a good, long think about it I realised that the answer to this was a simple one. I believe all the negative comments because they are the same words I tell myself. I believe them because they match the voice in my head.

I have been horrible to myself for so long that I am not able to believe that I am better than that, that I am a valuable human being, that I am amazing, that the fact that I get up every Saturday morning and sweat through an hour of parkrun. The fact that I have not given up on myself and I keep fighting to get healthy, to lose weight, to change. All these make me a strong person. Not just my sparkly personality, not just my fierce loyalty or my gentle heart.

While may fat percentage may be dangerously high, my body is something to be in awe of. It is strong, it carries me every day. It brought my son into the world. It wakes up every morning. With this body and this mind I make delicious, healthy (and sometimes not so healthy)food, do my job excellently, help my family, my friends and strangers every day.

2017 for me is a year of “YES I CAN” and my pledge for the year is to eradicate the words “When I am…” If I can do it now I will do it now. I will not wait until I have lost x amount of weight or been doing something for a certain amount of time. I will do it if my amazing body and sharp mind (and finances) allow.

2017 is also the year I stop being humble about all the good things I am and all the great things I do. We are all too humble. Own your light and shine it. 2017 can be the best year ever if every single one of us change the voices in our head, allow ourselves to not just believe the good things about ourselves but to say those good things TO ourselves.

Shine on people. You are all amazing!