It’s no surprise that big moments can have a big impact. Like the time I almost died!  That kind of experience will shift your perspective a bit.  And oh, how about the second time I almost died?  The first was during a bike ride when my heart spiked to 280 bpm; I was by myself for 45 minutes fading in and out of consciousness until paramedics arrived and shocked my heart back to normal.  The second time?  When I received the precious gift of a donor heart and became Kristy 2.0.

Although these were HUGE life-changing events, the changes I get really excited about and embrace everyday are the small ones.  Because these are the changes that make the biggest impact over time. Maybe they won’t be quick fixes and they may not always feel easy, but they can be ever-lasting and life-changing. 

Cold turkey?  A terrible idea.  Over-committing?  Nope.  Depriving yourself of things you love?  Not gonna work.  I am an all-things-in-moderation gal and it works.  I take this approach to fitness, work, food, my social life, my emotional wellbeing. 

So how do you actually get started in taking back control of your life with these small but crucial changes?   Pick “a thing”…maybe a very small thing, and commit to it in incremental doses.  

Think of it this way.  If you wanted to make a shift, which of these scenarios do you think will stick for the long-term?

• “Starting tomorrow I’m going to cut out caffeine, get up an hour earlier everyday to exercise, eliminate all sugar and salt, and finish work at 5p every night.”

OR

• “This week I am going to work out for a total of 30 minutes more than I did last week, replace one day’s worth of salty fried snacks with veggies, and finish work on time one day to spend an extra evening stress-free at the dinner table with my family. Next week I’ll re-evaluate and if I did ok last week, I’ll plan to do just a little more. And the next week, and the next week…”

It’s pretty clear the latter option is the better one.  It’s not only attainable, but it’s training you to build new, healthier habits over time which makes it easier and therefore more likely to stick.  This is my superpower and how I stay healthy, happy and savoring every moment of life I can.  I invite you to do the same.  Don’t wait for a big moment to almost take your life.  Take control of your life today and start enjoying it.  It’s the only one you get.

Be ready to have setbacks, but don’t let them stop you.  I subscribe to the practice of commit, forgive, commit.  Be ok with the bumps and the misses…just keep going.

For more tips on balancing a variety of dimensions of wellness, visit my website www.changeofheartmemoir.com and click on the Wellness Widget tab.