Baby Steps
But think about it. It’s not that easy, because then you remain stuck, and that’s not always an easy condition. Maybe the difficulty of change isn’t as hard on you as giving up.
I have experienced change many times over. Rarely does it happen overnight. The catalyst might happen suddenly, but the actual change requires more than just deciding. Great change becomes lasting when kneaded in gradually, in steps, baby steps. The smaller they are, the more lasting habits will form.
When I moved to Atlanta, I was not well. I had elevated blood pressure and inflammation in all of my joints. I had allergy symptoms in both sinuses and skin. My skin was aging and I was overweight.
I had been trying to change these things for some time. I had cut out most processed foods and increased fresh produce intake. But I was still gaining weight and getting sicker. Then I was given a gift, one ticket to Qi Revolution.
I learned how the health of my mind, body and spirit were connected, and found some tools to practice therapeutic body movement, breath work, spiritual meditations and food healing. I adopted a high-phytochemical diet and began meditating. I threw exercise into the mix.
Thankfully around this time I got the job at exhale Atlanta, and began taking yoga and core fusion classes. I was feeling better and inflammation was clearly leaving, but I still wasn’t losing excess weight that had snuck on over the past decade.
My doctor ordered allergy testing. I was allergic to about one-third of my diet. I went to the grocery store after the results were read to me and had a tearful breakdown in the freezer section because I didn’t know what to buy. Once I regained composure and determination, removing wheat, corn and yeast really was just a baby step. I was already accustomed to eating salads. Rice and potatoes became my favorite foundations for sauces and piles of veggies. Since I had already changed so much of my diet, making these small adjustments wasn’t that difficult.
Once that was working, my next baby step was to cut out meat and adopt a high fat, plant-based diet. That’s when the weight basically fell off, 10 pounds at a time for the next year and a half.
Today I am 60 pounds lighter, some people confuse me for a late-20-something, and I am still taking baby steps. Each day is a new day to make new decisions. Each meal, each bite, each opportunity for fresh air and sunshine, each chance to take stairs instead of the elevator—each and every one of them counts.
The dietary and lifestyle changes weren’t all at once. They were micro decisions, started with one tiny change at a time, counting toward a massive lifestyle change.
I have used the baby step method many times with positive results in health, in home, in relationships, on work projects and in education. Set a goal, and decide what you can do right now to move closer. Then make one more tiny decision. Make it a habit.
It’s okay if you wobble at first. That’s the nature of first steps. Tiny, manageable changes aren’t that difficult, the time will pass, and one day you will be running along and realize how far you’ve come.
So, what is your goal, and what step will you take right now toward it? Make it tiny, it will still count. Even if you failed in the past, that was just practice. You can do it this time. I believe in you.
To learn more about Qi Revolution, visit QiRevolution.com.
If you have a personal story of awakening that you’d like to share in Walking Each Other Home, please contact [email protected].
