That’s So Yesterday

Now that we have kicked off a new year, people are inspired to reinvent themselves, do better, improve on things they didn’t like from the year before. The new year brings about new energy and the winds of change. However, have you ever found that when you are trying to improve or change something about yourself, you receive negative feedback from the people that surround you? A lot of times it’s your family or friends, the people closest to you.

They hold you to the “old” you. The You from the past. “Oh now you’re too good to eat meat?”, “You didn’t get up in the mornings and exercise before, why are you trying to do that now?, “You used to hate to read, trying to act smarter than you are or something?”. I had a friend that had lost weight in a healthy way by trading in her processed junk food habit for a whole foods way of eating. She had also started running in the morning and wow what a difference a year makes! When she was going home for the holidays to see her family that she hadn’t seen in a year she was all too excited to show off her new physique and healthy lifestyle. She came to my house in sad and discouraged state after seeing them and she told me that they had nothing but negative things to say to her. Instead of embracing and supporting her healthier lifestyle they accused her of forgetting where she came from and that she thought she was better than everyone else. Wow, talk about hurtful. It’s shocking coming from those that love you!

And it’s not like change is easy. I’m trying to create a new schedule for myself, a workout plan, a healthy eating agenda a business layout etc. Holding myself accountable daily is hard enough, but then encountering one of these naysayers is enough to make anyone want to quit their schedule and say “you’re right, what’s the point, what you see is what you get, I’ll be the same today as I was yesterday”.

Please do me and yourself a favor and reach for the stars anyway! Do not let the negative voices (whether in real life or inside of your head) affect your progress and journey to self improvement. Yes, that’s who you were, but that’s not who you ARE, NOW. If last year you had no ambitions and lacked direction, that doesn’t have to be your current reality. You can choose a new start every moment of everyday. If you fall of the wagon, don’t say to yourself “yep, I knew it and my naysayers knew it too, I just can’t do this, I’m not capable” . We all have set backs, but it’s those who persevere that see results. There is a Japanese Proverb that says “Fall 7 times, get up 8” because that is the formula for success.

What I’ve started saying to myself, and maybe this will help you too, when the negative record player starts playing it’s age old tune in my head or when the negative people (or haters as some people refer to them as) start imposing their negative opinions on you, I say your response is “That was so Yesterday”. You don’t have to say it aloud, just to yourself to let yourself know that maybe you smoked yesterday, but today you are a non-smoker, maybe you used to gossip and that’s what your circle of friends are accustomed to, but “that was so yesterday” and today you don’t. Or maybe you’re a work–a-holic or a “yes” person, but today, you are taking time for You. When you start catching the heat from people, just smile to yourself and think “That was so Yesterday”. They do not define you. You define You and through prayer, meditation or whatever you use to connect to Your Inner Voice and Spirit you will get to know more about Who You Are.

Try this through your journey we call life and let me know if you have success with this!

Love, Light & Hugs