A New Start with a New Blog

For many years, I have struggled with obesity.  Typically, I get to be about a hundred pounds overweight before I realize that I don't feel well and am not happy with my appearance.  About this time, I focus a great deal of energy on  losing fat.  I slenderize over a period of about a year. Then, after another year of being thin, I lose focus and gradually my weight creeps up again.  I can lose weight and keep it off only by focusing a great deal of attention on my condition.  The fact that I keep gaining the weight back leads me to believe that I have still not addressed the underlying cause.  There is a reason why I am overeating and lacking exercise.  And, I think the root cause is not really all about lifestyle so much as it is a mental and spiritual issue.  To get healthy and stay healthy, I need to address my body, mind, and spirit all together.  If any one of these three is not well then the others will suffer also.

I am still not sure how I am going to shape my body, mind, and spirit.  This blog will serve as my online journal.  I'll spend a month or so contemplating what has brought me to where I am and what to do about it.  During this time, I'll develop an action plan and work on focusing my will power in preparation for making myself a better person all round.  Then, I will begin blogging about my progress following this ever evolving plan.

I have always been a firm believer in the power of divine will.  I believe that our expectations and intentions influence the world around us.  When young, I formulated my own view of how existence is structured and later I came across several authors who shared a similar perspective.  My two favorites are James Allen (author of As a Man Thinketh, 1902) and Claude Bristol (author of the Magic of Believing, 1958) .  Their general philosophy is quite similar to the modern and more commercialized writings of Rhonda Byrne (author of The Secret, 2006).  I tend to like the older authors best as they seem to be more philosophical and genuine.  James Allen died over 70 years ago, so his books are now considered public domain.  As such you can easily find free copies online and in e-book format (click here for the James Allen Free Library).  And, because it is public domain, I will likely be posting many excerpts and quotes from his books.  

Many people who follow "The Secret" or "The Magic of Believing" don't think that you should share your intentions as other people's expectations and doubts might actually influence your outcome.  And this begs the question of why blog?  What good is there in being so open?  First, the internet is a great platform for finding similar people who can provide mutual support.  Second, when I develop a following, I will feel an obligation to succeed and will be much less likely to fall off of the wagon.  And third, when I do succeed in improving my body, mind, and spirit, this blog will remain to serve as inspiration to others.