How do we move a mountain?

I love New Year’s Day, a spanking brand new year.  The opportunity to start fresh, start things anew, and leave all the garbage in the past.  I do a cleanse, house, mind, and soul.  I love to make room for possibilities and welcome challenges with optimism.

However, sometimes, we are faced with a mountain.  Overwhelmed, we stand in awe looking at the mountain before us that we must move to push forward.  We sigh, sometimes we even cry; and, then, too overwhelmed we look away and hope it will just go away.  I’m not a big fan of “hope”, I find that people that “hope” just sit there and waste time.  I’m a big fan of doing.

But, how do we move a mountain?  The task may be too great for us, too painful, to strenuous.  Of course, it’s easier to walk away pretend and hope.  We don’t want to be defeated, “this mountain is too big!”  We think.

Well, we move a mountain, one stone at a time.  That’s how we do it.  We take a good look at it, and start with one stone, it doesn’t have to be big; then we move to the next; and then another; and then one more.  One stone at a time, one step at a time, and before we know it, we’ve started to overcome not by sitting and “hoping”, but by doing.  By taking our lives in our own hands and moving.

So, today, as we sit looking at our pile of bills, credit cards, the number on the scale, our cholesterol; whether, we smoke too much or drink too much; or are too tired to walk or move; if we are in a bad place and that mountain just seems too enormous; take a first step and pick up one stone just one.  Start with the smallest of credit cards, pay that one off first – minimums to the rest.  Start with a commitment to walk just 30 minutes a day, good for your health and for your mind.  Give up just one food, sugar, bread, pasta… just one for 30-days(If you do it short term, you’ll stick to it).  Take two fewer smoking breaks a day.  Drink only on Friday nights or Saturday nights.  Just take it one step at a time.  You can say, “instead of smoking, I’ll go for a quick walk.” “ Instead of eating this donut, I’ll have an apple.” 

Do the little things first, and the big things will follow.  But, it’s up to you to move your mountain.  It won’t move by itself.  It won’t disappear.  It won’t fade just by hoping that it will.  You must take action, you may not think it’s much, but it adds up.  You may fall off the wagon, that’s okay, you pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and move on ahead.  It’s all right.  You are not alone, we all have mountains, and yours may just be a small hill compared to others. 

And, 364 days later, you’ll discover that you are closer to your goal than ever before.

Copyright ©Lucy Tamajon 2011