This is not an advertisement

OK, so I know this is going to seem like an advertisement for "Practical Horseman" magazine. I promise it's not. However, I just got the January issue in the mail yesterday, and it reminded me as to why I love this magazine so much.
I know I'm not unusual because I am in the resolution mode this time of year. Turn on the TV, the radio or the computer, and you get bombarded by messages of weight loss, quitting smoking, or one of a million other typical "I need to change this about myself" ideas. The fact of the matter is that you really don't get anywhere in life unless you set goals for yourself. Goals are at their very nature resolutions. While most people break their resolutions within weeks or even days of setting them, goals tend to stand up and demand further attention. So...as I began to really focus on my goals for 2010, I found January's issue of "Practical Horseman" waiting for me in my post office box. Here's why it made an impact:
There isn't a woman out there who isn't trying to lose weight, myself included. One of the best articles in this issue is about Becky Holder's search for a higher level of fitness (and this doesn't just mean a weight adjustment.) Becky states more than once in the article that she doesn't want to be a role model and isn't really comfortable being one. Well, too bad! The article detailing her struggle and triumph should be an inspiration for us all, and not because Becky is now a size 4 and always will be, but because she is realistic about how hard it is to get fit and stay there. AND...being a size 4 isn't the ideal for each and every one of us. We all need to find our best level of fitness, no matter what our actual weight is and no matter what our actual pant size is, and strive for that, even if it means (gasp!) that we need to gain weight!
The key to it all is being good to yourself, and if you are a "giver" by nature, that is the hardest thing of all to do. Givers see self-kindness as taking. It's not! If you aren't kind to yourself, you will never accomplish your goals or your resolutions. Becky Holder figured this out, so my hat's off to you Becky and to "Practical Horseman" for publishing a fantastic article. Now I just have to put all this to work for myself...

Whoo Hoo!

Wow! I just have a few moments before I must sign off my computer and move on to other things, but I am just so excited to finally have created a blog that I had to write SOMETHING.
And now I have the dreaded writer's block, so I'll just say this..."Charity, I did it!!! Now you can get off my back!!!"