Resolved, Part 2

The two major changes I made in my life, the decision to quit drinking three years ago and the decision to quit smoking two years ago, were begun in November of the year. I'm not much one to resolve in January because I know that the failure rate of these rosy resolutions is high.

When I made the two changes, I looked forward to the day that I had been sober/non-smoking for an extended period of time. I wanted success to be long-term. And now it is. Although I still wouldn't trust myself with a pack of cigarettes and a martini in a room alone for more than five minutes, I have a degree of confidence in my ability to continue saying no.

Last month, I decided to start going to the gym at least three times a week. I have done this, and actually like the routine of the elliptical machine and using the weights. But I'm finding myself wishing the same thing as when I quit the booze and cigs: I wish it had been longer since I started. I wish I had lost some weight and that my arms were less flabby, my knees capable of pulling me up without holding on to something. I'm impatient to see results and to feel confident about my ability to sustain my efforts.

When I am facing a difficult situation--surgery or dental work, for example--I often get through it by saying, "In a few hours/days/weeks you will be looking back on this. It will have already happened. It will be over." I want to apply this same thought process to going to the gym, using the successes of the past: "In one year, you will have been going to the gym for a year. You will feel strong and fit, proud of the effort you made to do so."

It's going to be a happy new year, friends and family. Here's to 2009--year of promise, year of peace and personal success. Take my hand, let's sally forth!