It’s actually two words No Excuses.
Something we were withholding made us weak, until we found it was ourselves.
– Robert Frost
Today marks the sixth year that I quit smoking cigarettes. Six years! A New Year’s Resolution gone right. I mean, nobody actual succeeds at those…do they???
But I did. Cold Turkey. I smoked my last one around noon January 1st, 2006. I never picked them up again. Not another puff.
I’m not saying it was easy to just walk way from a long-term habit. It wasn’t. I’ve been addicted to a lot of things in my life and this one, by far, was the hardest to kick. I grew up with smokers. I went to France as a teenager surrounded by young kids smoking. I picked it up pretty easily.
It was in my blood, and in my brain. And it became a habit I had to break for many reasons, but mainly health, and for my daughter.
It was tough.
But I did not give myself an excuse to start back again. No reason was good enough to start smoking, because I wouldn’t let it be, and it wasn’t too long before I hardly thought of it. After a few months smoke-free, I became allergic to smoke.
Now, if I’m around it, it gives me a headache and it makes me feel nauseous.
Thing is, I was probably allergic to it all along. No wonder I felt so much better after I quit.
That year, I went on an exercise kick that lasted many years. I quit smoking, I start drinking a ton of water, and I added hard-core exercise. Sometimes, I exercised three times a day.
The extra weight I carried melted away.
Seven months later in 2006…..
I had a No Excuses mind-set. I would not let anything stand in my way.
Now…I am back to photo number one. I need the mind-set I had in 2006 – one that quit smoking, quit over-eating, and exercised daily. A No Excuses me.
The last few years there have been excuses…….
-
I’m too tired. I’m too stressed. I’m too busy. I’m too injured…..from a car accident, a fall, or a nasty break-up.
Excuses is what I have eaten for dinner and taken to bed. They are my BFF.
And I use them, not just for healthy things, but for everything in my life….my photography…..my reading….my side business….my friends.
Excuses. The why I can’t complete or succeed at ________ (fill in the blank).
So this year, I will put my excuses in 2011, and they can stay there.
How about you? Do you have a word or a resolution for 2012?
Living, Loving, Laughing.... 
My New Year’s Resolution…to become a healthier version of my current self. Happy New Year, Angelia!
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I have a goal in mind, but I need to sit down and make a plan in order to accomplish that goal, because it is pretty broad.
Good for you and your “No excuses” attitude. I will be here to cheer you on. You contact me (twitter, e-mail, blog, FB, call) if you need someone to give you encouragement or even dinner ideas! I was so happy with my 30 minute meal the other day, I was proud of myself. Cooking can be quick. Takes a little prep work, but it pays off in the end especially when you come home from work tired and hungry.
XOXOXO YOU GO, ANGELIA!!!!
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I am down to 15 cigarettes a day. But on March 2 I will have been alcohol and drug free 10 years. That’s after 35 years of daily use.
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Hey I’v nominated u for the 7×7 link award 🙂
http://enrapturingtune.wordpress.com/2012/01/02/cranks-first-award-_/
Cranky me ^_^
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That’s so inspirational!! Talk about a NY resolution that brought about so major healthy changes! I’m with you! I need the same attitude to losing weight (again!)! I did it once and I want to do it again, for real this time…no excuses!!
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No resolutions for me but I do have two words
Breathe
And
Family.
Ps you rock girl!!
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Good for you for quitting smoking and never picking it back up! I once had that mind set and got in shape…it seems I’ve lost my mind. Help me find it!
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I think that is wonderful Angelia! I don’t have any “resolution” per se. I have decided to just try to do better and be a better person.
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Wow! Good for you!!! So glad you stopped smoking! (:
I love your words for 2012. In fact I should make those words some of mine words for 2012 as well. I’ve become a procrastinator/excuser pro in the past few months. Must stop that. Thanks for the inspiration. Good luck this year!
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Congrats on your successes! My word for the year is ATTENTION. 🙂 Just stopped by from NaBloPoMo.
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Mine is HEALTHY – my goal is a year WITHOUT antibiotics…and WITH improved eating so that I stay healthy.
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Niiiiiice.
My word for 2012 is PRACTICE! Like your word(s) mine encompasses all areas of my life.
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Congratulations. As a former smoker who, even after 20 years, still has to be reminded that smoking is always a choice and one I choose not to do. I also quit cold turkey – put on weight, took off the weight and have put it back on. 2012 is my year to treat myself better. Great blog –
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Hmm. No I don’t. But I have a lot of things I’d like to do so maybe I’ll steal your two words… Great post!
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Oh boy, same for me! I want to exercise and eat healthier (also feed my family healthier). It is frustrating to have lost ground, isn’t it?!!! Best of luck to you and to me!!!
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I really don;t have a resolution for the year. I just want to keep going forward in the direction we are going in, the ups and downs and all arounds that is the crazy goodness of my life. I too have quit smoking, March 2007 was mine. I have never picked up another cigarette since either.
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Love this! No Excuses …amen!
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I also have a goal to be healthier in 2012. I have about 40 pounds to drop to get to a healthy weight and must force myself to get off the couch. I understand about the excuses – I am the Curator of Excuses. This is the year to stop the excuses and start the hard work. Best of luck to you!!
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