A decade ago, I decided to get fit and lose 62 pounds. Since then, I developed a personal creed to guide my efforts. Articulating this creed seems an appropriate task to conclude 2011 and begin 2012. Here are 10 guiding concepts:
- Just do it: At a minimum, each day needs to include a period of playful creativity and exercise.
- When you don’t know what to do, do whatever is in front of you: If you don’t know where to begin, ask for help. Learn from—and lean on—those around you.
- Every day is a new day, unlike any other: Enthusiastically welcome each day as an opportunity to continue your fitness journey.
- If the rearview mirror is all you see, it’s not safe to drive forward: The only obstacle worse than letting past failures block your vision for the future is being asleep at the wheel.
- Make hay while the sun shines: It’s better to develop your own unique fitness program before you develop an irreversible medical condition.
- Waste not, want not: Measure your fitness footprint and adopt environmentally sound approaches to eating and exercise.
- Be useful to others: Live life with purpose by encouraging everyone around you to share in the joyful fun of being alive.
- Now is always the right time to begin: It’s never too late. Today may never seem like the perfect time to begin, but it is always the right time to begin.
- Experiencing good health throughout life is the goal: The best way to reduce medical costs is to avoid incurring any.
- If your shoe fits, you’re not allowing room to grow: Continuing your education stretches your mind, just as regular exercise stretches your body.
If I follow my own creed and keep learning, I just may have a new set of concepts to begin 2013.
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