Happy Thanksgiving!
I have so much to be thankful for today... today marks 3 years of sobriety for me!
This week brought back a lot of memories, especially of the thoughts that were consuming me before I decided to embrace change.
“Why can’t I change? What is wrong with me? I’m so weak. Next week I’ll stop drinking. Maybe January 1st I’ll stop drinking & change my life.”
These were the common thoughts I had over & over that consumed me before I decided to change.
I once read a quote that said, “Don’t live the same year 75 times & call it a life”. That’s what I was doing, I wasn’t changing my habits or behaviors, so every year was repeating itself. I could picture my life the way I wanted it to be, but it seemed like there was this mountain standing in between where I was & the life I wanted.
The life I wanted didn’t just include a better financial situation. The life I wanted including feelings of self-respect, more meaningful relationships with my friends & family, and a feeling of purpose. But changing habits is just so damn hard!! I had trauma from my past that I was burying and using alcohol helped me numb those memories. I needed to dig them up and work through my emotions, but oh my goodness that sounded painful. So instead I stayed stuck every year.
What do you do when you finally decide enough is enough? Where do you start when it seems so very overwhelming? You take it one day at a time, sometimes one hour at a time. Identify the key habits & behaviors that are keeping you from the life you want. For me, I needed to give up alcohol. I needed to put in the hard work of healing, and change my mindset. I read a lot, especially personal development. When your thoughts aren’t positive & happy, you need to use someone else’s thoughts, so listen to podcasts and start to retrain your mind. Make small changes, you can’t change a ton of things overnight & expect to stick with it, take baby steps and celebrate each small step no matter how insignificant it seems. Small changes over time add up to big results. Be consistent. I needed someone to hold me accountable for these changes, someone I could call when I wanted to give in and drink, for me that was my friend Diane. Find your person and make sure they are living a life you want to have. You can’t hang out with negative people and expect your life to get better.
A quote that helps me is “Whatever you are not changing, you are choosing”. Read that again!!
I hope this helps you if you are struggling with feeling stuck. My life is proof that change is powerful! I am staring at a completely different life than I was on November 28, 2016... the day I decided to CHANGE! ❤️