Transformative Change

"Sometimes a different environment makes all the difference" are the words written on the little strip of paper from the fortune cookie I did not eat from first Chinese take-out place on Lenox at 137th St.

That was the second and last time I bought take-out from that place at the corner of my block. I thought to myself these words cannot be more true, so the next time I got Chinese take-out I went to a different location, only three blocks south on Lenox and the food was much better.

That was the last week of February of this year a few month later I found that fortune inside the wallet I use to store my old IDs and social security card, the wallet I don’t carry with me. This time when I read the fortune was July and again I thought, these words cannot be more true, especially now.

Earlier this year I made several major changes, one of them was relocating to New York City and the other was a change in the way I see myself. Part of that involved seeing me as a healthy, fit person.

This change involved eating differently and thinking about the way I eat and the food I eat. The change also involved a fitness regime that was consistent yet balanced.
The results of this change have been dramatic, and some would say rapid. In only three months I lost over 35lbs of fat and in the process gained not only lean muscle but a new sense of self.

A change indeed for the better in ways I did not expect. I was always a relatively confident person, but I now feel more confident from my core, not just intellectually. I also feel healthier, with much more energy, stamina and mental alertness. I sleep more soundly and am more alert professionally and socially.

Besides the added benefit of looking good is the emotional benefit of feeling well, whole and sound. There is an inner peace of spirit and contentment that emanates and radiates from my core. It is a contagious spirit that is peaceful and positive. I am convinced it has to do with the food I eat and the activities of my mind.

I think therefore I am or is it I am therefore I think? I think healthy, fit and attractive, therefore I am. I am healthy, fit and attractive therefore I think. I work for those things and yet the activities do not at all feel like work. They feel like fun. Though the word fun does not encapsulate my feeling. I think enthusiasm is a better word.

I am enthusiastic about life and living it. Prior to this I simply enjoyed and only when I was in situations that I naturally found enjoyable. Now I can accept many things that I once couldn't and I enjoy things I had once only accepted and I am enthusiastic about things that I once only enjoyed.

The other benefit of my change is now I realize that I do not have to do anything that I cannot accept. If I analyze myself and the situation and I cannot create any enjoyment and not even acceptance then I must stop the activity of remove myself from the situation.

Changing the environment for me made all of the difference. I recognize that in a different place with different people and a different way of thinking and living I was able to make a transformative change. I am content. This is the good life.