New Year | Fighting Fibro with Fire

Hello, 2015!

New year, new me!

Just kidding. Honestly, I hate that phrase and all it’s implications of self loathing. Yes, we’ve just entered 2015 and it is a brand new year, brimming with brand new possibilities, etc., etc., etc., but I am so tired of hearing people say the same exact thing over and over again.

We all get so excited at the thought of totally new, unblemished calendar; we set all sorts of goals and make thrilling new plans… Can you even imagine how awesome life would be if we could get as excited about the start of a new day? Sure, our goals would have to be smaller, but if we could start each new day with the same enthusiasm that we have for a new year, we could all take over our own little worlds.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t set long term goals, those are definitely good things to have, I’m just suggesting that you break them down into smaller pieces. Instead of eating an entire triple decker cake in one go, (making yourself sick and getting totally burned out on cake in the process), why not slow down and take a bite a day? You’ll enjoy it considerably more in the long run and every day you can savor the anticipation of taking that bite.

So, this year, the only resolution I am making is: to remember that every single day is a brand new chance to take a step towards where I want to be. It doesn’t matter whether that place is a smaller jeans size, a faster mile or bigger bank account, as long as I get out of bed every morning with the knowledge that today is my chance to get closer.

Happy New Year!

I can’t even begin to tell you how thrilled I am to be able to say “Happy New Year” and actually mean it. That’s not to say that I wasn’t happy last New Year, but it’s not the same kind of feeling. Last New Year, I was surface happy; the kind of bliss that comes from pretending your problems don’t exist. This year, however, it’s more of an all-encompassing kind of bliss. 2013 was, for me at any rate, a total train wreck; especially the first half of the year. I did manage to pull myself together there near the end and I am able to start 2014 with a clear mind and a light heart.

I’m not saying that all of my problems have been magically solved, (I wish!), but instead of ignoring them, I have faced them head on and found that they’re not nearly as bad as I had originally believed. It’s like those monsters you used to see in the dark as a child; once you turned the light on, you could see that instead of a snarling, child-eater, it was simply a jumble of toys/clothes and that all you had to do to defeat the “monster” was clean up your room. Not a pleasant task, but certainly much less hazardous than having to actually fight off a creature with sharp fangs and tentacles!

This time last year, I felt sure that my world was ending and that my life was going to be utterly ruined. While it’s true my world as I knew it did in fact, end, my life is far from ruined. I found the main source of the negativity in my life, which as it turns out, was myself, and I then I found the strength to make the changes I needed to make. Once that ball was rolling, I was able to cut out the people in my life who were fueling my negative outlook. My friends list may be a bit shorter, but at least I can say that it only contains people who love and respect me for being exactly who I am.

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you make your 2014 a great one!