TJ’s post the other day and this article from Gail Blanke, the awesome Life Coach from Real Simple Magazine, really got me thinking about listening and how important it is for us and those around us.  This is a skill that I was born with and growing up I was always good at.  And just to clarify, I am not talking about the kind of listening where your mom says “go clean your room” and you “listen” to her and go do it.  Nope, I was never good at that kind listening.  :) 

I’m talking about the kind of listening that helps develop friendships, deepen relationships, and build trust.  The kind of listening that we do when we are genuinely concerned or care about what someone is saying. 

Growing up I always made friends with the outgoing types, because I was not.  As you probably know, outgoing types like to talk!  And what better friend for them than someone who likes to listen?!  But somewhere along the way, my listening skills literally diminished.  Let’s just say that the older I get, the more my attention span has grown shorter right along with my patience.  I swear I thought it was supposed to happen in the opposite way!  That being said, I would like to improve my listening skills.

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Well, what can I say?  I am going to claim temporary insanity.  At least I would but I don’t want to be insulting to anyone who is doing the Upday Downday Diet.  I still believe this is an effective diet and that there are plenty of people who have made it a success.  But for me and where I was coming from, it was crazy.  I just haven’t been right since getting back from Disneyworld.  Maybe it was all those darn churros!! 

I’ve not been patient with my weight loss or motivated to do much.  I am most definitely a hardcore creature of habit.  Does any watch the Big Bang Theory?  Okay, that is seriously one of my favorite shows now.  It’s right up there with The Office and Survivor (my top two all time favs).  So if you are familiar with the Big Bang Theory… I can simply illustrate my point about being a creature of habit by describing myself as Sheldon.  I’m grinning right now because some people are probably cringing at the thought.  But it’s true, right down to eating cereal on the same spot on the couch every morning, watching the same show every morning while I eat it, and not wanting to really talk to anyone until I’m done.  Yep, my hubby totally agrees that Sheldon and I are one.

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Well, I’ve decided to try something different.  After months and months of hard work, dedication, and frustration, I am ready to take a different track on my weight loss journey.  I’ve come to terms with the fact that my body does not want to budge from it’s current weight and that I need to make a change from what I’m doing. 

That being said, I am going on a diet.  Yep, an actual diet to get this weight off.  I’m already living my lifestyle change.  I already eat healthy, exercise, and am living a much healthier lifestyle than I ever have before… I’ve been doing really good with it.  My food portions are good, my caloric intake is right on target, and I do cardio four days a week and am training for my two 5k runs this summer.  Doesn’t it seem like the weight should be coming off? 

So yes, back to this diet.  I found a diet that I am going to try because I think it has some good potential without doing anything too crazy.  It’s called the Upday Downday Diet.  Very simply put, you alternate between low calorie days and higher calorie days.  Apparently the jumping back and forth between the days helps kick the metabolism into gear.  Sounds easy enough, right?

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My daughter has started whining.  This must come with toddler-hood because she rarely whined as a baby.  But her new way of expressing her emotions is through scrunching up her face and spitting out this high-pitched whine.  And oh no, not just once or twice, but over and over and over. 

So it got me thinking about whining and it reminded me of a story I heard about last year.  It’s about a pastor from a church in Kansas City who decided to encourage his entire congregation to become complaint-free.  (Apparently his congregation had been full of trivial complaints and it was really having a negative impact on them.) 

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I want to share something that has truly helped change my life in so many ways. I was a member of Narcotics Anonymous for 6 years and this is something that I learned there.Write on the top of a sheet of paper,

God, please help me to be:

And on the bottom of the paper,

God, thank you for helping me be:

In the middle of the paper, write down your every desire for the person you would like to become. Some examples from my own list are: responsible, helpful, loving, an awesome wife and mother, a better decision maker, etc.

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I am a procrastinator at heart. And there is a side of me that is lazy, selfish, and gluttonous. If I let this side of me out, watch out world, let the negativity fly! Actually, there’d be nothing to watch out for because I’d be asleep, watching tv, stuffing my face, or doing some other non-productive life-wasting activity. And wow, is that an unhappy me.

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