One on 1 - Time To Choose a Battle

Welcome to another One on 1.  Thanks again to Margie for keeping us all in step.  Warning this is a long post - lots of waffle ... sorry!

Ali Edwards really made me think this month - to choose a battle and let go of another.

Sunday 25 September I had an epiphany – it involved a mailbox and an armful of envelopes.  
 
On 13 July I committed to take part in a swap showcasing the new ideas book and catalogue.  To cut a very long story short, finally last weekend, 34 days late, I changed the design time and time again as I struggled with the task and then sat for several hours and made all of the swaps.  I ticked the job off my list and instantly felt the release – already I was feeling my creating mojo returning – it had been lost for the whole of the month.  I packaged them all and popped the dogs on the lead and set off for the mailbox.
 
As the lid snapped shut with a loud bang (what is it with Aussie mailboxes – I often feel like I am going to lose a hand when I post a bulky item) taking with it 34 days of worry and stress it suddenly struck me.   What would it feel like to 'post' my one permanent goal in life. 

As I continued on my walk with the dogs I likened this experience to that of the one thing in my life I want to CHANGE.  The whole reason I started on this journey in the first place.  Yes I was committed, yes sometimes things in my life do, and will, become more important than the task itself, yes I make this task much larger than it needs to be, and yes I have heaps and heaps of excuses as to why I haven’t achieved my goal …. But honestly …. I just need to buckle down stop whinging and get on with it.

What would I feel like if I achieved the goal that is always top of my list – the mountain I have tried to climb for about the last 20 years and have never quite got to the top of, what would it feel like to be living a healthy lifestyle, to shed the unwanted and unloved excess kilos, and more importantly exercise was as much of my daily routine as preparing fresh meals every day or brushing my teeth?  

Yes it really did take a few swaps and a deadline for me to reach this point.  The expectations, letting friends down, receiving my pack of swaps knowing that I hadn’t kept my side of the bargain, the unfinished task, I’d let all of it overwhelmed me.  
 
So in asking myself, what would it feel like to be healthy and fit. To not stress if sometimes takeaway is all I have the energy for. To enjoy a glass of wine or coffee and cake with a friend without thinking I'm too fat to eat this ... or I shouldn't be eating this.

What would I feel like if I achieved the goal that is always top of my list – the mountain I have tried to climb for about the last 20 years and have never quite got to the top of, if exercise was as much of my daily routine as preparing fresh meals every day or brushing my teeth?  

I would be free to conquer another goal wouldn’t I! How cool would that be?  To have another goal in my life to focus on!  How far would that sense of achievement empower me to achieve other great things?
 
Food for thought as I drag myself out of bed at 5.45am each morning to honour my date with the treadmill J

Weight lost so far during 2011 – 11kgs (or 24lbs or 1.7 stones depending on where you live) – okay healthy lifestyle – you are the chosen battle for the rest of 2011 – this is it!
 
And whilst looking for pictures of an Aussie mailbox as mailboxes tend to differ around the world and some of you may not understand how much clanging happens here when you post bulky items LOL – I found this great image – isn’t it just perfect.  

I now have several of these little images stuck in prominent positions like the alarm clock and the treadmill.  Slow and steady but persistent and determined to win this battle.  

When it came to letting something go, that was a bit harder to decide on but I have decided that setting myself the task of cleaning out all of the cupboards was really a bit unnecessary - my husband may not agree but hey .... there is always the Christmas holidays to tackle that one!

And here's my album.  Somehow I seem to have ended up the wrong way round but that's okay - I'll fix it up.

Being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, the little butterflies are from the Kindness Matters set and the little snail, from the Button Buddies set.  And as I started with the Love Letters DSP I thought I'd keep it going throughout this year even though it is now retired.

Isn't the little snail cute - got a bit carried away with the aquapainter and Riding Hood Red ink to.

Time to hop along and visit the lovely Sam to see what battle she has chosen.

Thanks for stopping by .... and for getting to the end of this post.

Have a lovely month.

Nikki

x

Here's the list the OLW Sisters in case you get lost :o)

Margie http://xnomads.typepad.com
Julie Ann http://julieannshahin2.blogspot.com
Cheri http://cheriandrews.blogspot.com
Nikki www.inkyart.com.au <http://www.inkyart.com.au/>
Sam http://learncreatedo.wordpress.com/
Jan http://mysimplelittlelife.typepad.com
Jenn www.studiojenn.blogspot.com <http://www.studiojenn.blogspot.com>
Nicky www.seejanebake.blogspot.com <http://www.seejanebake.blogspot.com>
Jill http://jillconyers.typepad.com/ <http://jillconyers.typepad.com/%0A>
Monica http://questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com/
Lynn www.crafty-creativity.blogspot.com <http://www.crafty-creativity.blogspot.com>
Lisa http://backtoallen.com/writers_blog
Cindy http://seriousplay.typepad.com