Inside - Outside

So how are you doing on your goals so far for this year?  Are your changes coming along the way you want them to?  If yes, congrats!  You're doing something only a few people ever achieve in January. If you're not, then don't beat yourself up.  As Scarlett O'Hara said in Gone with the Wind, "Tomorrow is another day!"  Yup, it's another day, another chance to start.  And once you get going on whatever that goal is - it's amazing to see what else begins to change around you. 

I called this article "Inside - Outside" because a funny thing happens.  When you work on changing some external part of you - the outside - your inside changes as well.  I don't mean your organs or blood vessels although if you're losing weight or working out, those certainly improve.  I mean who you are inside begins to change.  You feel differently about yourself and that improved sense of self begins to reflect on everything you do.  You treat people differently (especially yourself), you change the way you look at things, you start getting other parts of your life in orderr.

When you change some internal behavior, what's outside you begins to change too.  Say you've decided to be more positive or to start keeping track of your money better or to learn something new, that ripples over to the more material parts of your life, the outside as it were. 

I think it's all tied up with self esteem.  You can't help but feel better about yourself when you're doing something to enhance your life especially if it's something you've always wanted to do.  One good change leads to another, snowballing and effecting every little corner of your life.

So take the plunge back to that goal if you've slipped a little or take up a new one that's on your list.  Best to consciously focus on one big goal at a time because that's how willpower and focus work best but don't be surprised if you begin to notice lots of other changes going on - inside and outside!