I’m so excited that 2014 is here!! I tend to not create “resolutions” but I do like to come up with a theme word for the year and I know without a doubt my word for this year is COURAGE.

The online dictionary defines courage as “the state or quality of mind or spirit that enables one to face danger, fear, or vicissitudes with self-possession, confidence, and resolution; bravery.”  

And let me say, I”m going to be relying on courage a lot this year!  Why? Because there’s a lot of change happening in my life – both personally & professionally.

What’s interesting is that humans tend to not like change – we tend to be “creatures of comfort” and prefer to stick to what we know and are familiar with…sometimes even when we don’t like it.

In fact, I believe we have an incredible ability to tolerate things and even when we desperately desire change we’ll often make the choice to stay stuck. Or even worse, we’ll sabotage our own progress.

But – often we don’t see it that way.

We’re clever. We come up with things like rationalizations and justifications of why we’re doing what we’re doing.

We’ll say things like:

• I’m too busy

• I’m too tired

• It’s too much work

• It’s too hard

• I don’t know if I could do it

• My kids, husband, dog need me

Those are actually just excuses cleverly disguised.

You’re stopping yourself from even trying in order to not fail. But failure is actually a gift. And when you can drop the veil of expectations you have for yourself and the perfection complex you possibly developed along the way of becoming an adult and remember that making mistakes is ok, and failure is just another way to learn…well, that can change everything.

But of course, you need to have the courage to start (and then to keep going).

My friend says that “change happens when you’re uncomfortable”. I couldn’t agree more. The trick is to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

How does all of this relate to fitness + weight loss?

Well, like I said, you need courage to start and the courage to keep going. You have to have the courage to believe that anything you want is possible for you to achieve. You need to remember that even if you’ve failed in the past, there’s a very good chance this time you’ll succeed (but not if you don’t try).

Do you hate exercise?

Maybe find the courage to try something new. OR do something you used to love even though you think it’s ridiculous to do it at your current age.  Scared of fitness classes but secretly want to go to one? Go. Go early and let the instructor know it’s been a while – fitness instructors are quite often the nicest people in the world who want to share their passion for fitness with you. Let them support you.

Make exercise something you LOVE to do, not something you punish yourself with. Click below to get instant access to my *free* ebook now.

Do you hate vegetables and/or cooking altogether?

Have the courage to try a new recipe. Maybe you’ll surprise yourself and love it!

Don’t let your past experiences dictate your future. Have the courage to wipe the slate clean and give yourself a fresh start.

As always, I love to hear from you ~ are you needing a little extra dose of courage for in 2014? Drop down into the comment box below if you’re willing to share.