The possibility for change

The CRON blogosphere has been fairly quiet these days. I'm sure we're all scrambling around, feverishly preparing for the holidays. I miss the days of my childhood when I could just sit back and watch everything unfold without doing very much. It's much more difficult being the orchestrator of all things festive. Entertaining family and friends, planning large meals, Christmas shopping, sending out Christmas cards, decorating the house - there's just so much to do! I've found it *so* much harder to squeeze all these things in while caring for my little ones and working a full-time job. I feel stretched too thin, like there just isn't enough of me to go around.

I think a lot of people must feel this way at this time of year. Isn't it ironic that a time designated for spreading love and joy winds up being so difficult and stressful? That combined with all the feasting opportunities no doubt contributes to the 5-pound weight gain most Americans associate with the holidays. There's just something so very comforting about a big chocolate chip cookie or a hunk of peanut butter fudge.

But in the calm after the storm, as we survey the damage - bulging waist lines and a wicked hangover, most likely - most of us will become reflective and, perhaps, a bit remorseful. Another year is about to die, and with it, all our failed good intentions of the previous year. What about that resolution to go to the gym every day? To eat less and exercise more? To be more patient, organized, forgiving, productive and self-disciplined?

It's at times like these that I tend to feel discouraged. I am all too familiar with my myriad flaws, and with each passing year, I become more and more aware of how difficult change can be. Oh, how I wish I could just wake up one day and be a naturally sunshiny person with infinite patience and a perfectly organized house! Wouldn't it be great to just snap your fingers and suddenly become the person you've always longed to be - that perfect vision of yourself you've been striving (and failing) to live up to for so many years?

But life doesn't work that way. Sometimes I think it would be easier to free myself from quicksand than it has been to liberate myself from certain thought patterns and behaviors. Change is hard - much harder than we are willing to acknowledge.

We are what we do every day. Aristotle said something to that effect, I believe, and it's just as true today as it was 2000 years ago. All of our resolutions for self-improvement mean nothing unless we really find ways to incorporate changes into our daily lives. I did that with CRON. Even now, as I've been eating more to gain a little weight, I still follow all the same principles I did when I was restricting my calories. I still weigh and measure most of my food. I still log everything into COM. I still pay attention to everything I eat each and every day. These things no longer require much effort. They are natural and ingrained. They've become habits.

Exercise is also something I no longer think about. I walk to work every morning and back home every evening, even in crappy weather. That works out to about 3 miles of walking every day. I don't have to coax myself into doing it. It's just what I do.

These things give me hope that true change is possible. The key is to find the right tools and the right approach to create new habits. CRON has taught me that little things matter. Doing something every day - even if it seems almost trivial in and of itself - can make a huge difference in the long run.

So as the New Year approaches, I've resolved not to have any resolutions. Instead, I'm compiling a list of new habits I'd like to form in 2008 - little changes that I hope to incorporate into my daily routine. I'm striving not to be too ambitious. These truly are small things, and I'm hoping to introduce only one or two new daily habits each month. We'll see where that gets me this time next year.