Good morning,
As we’ve done on the third of the past couple of months, let’s once more take a closer examination of my daily reminders, the list of thoughts I review each morning before the start of my day.
Why are you eating?
I’ve always improved my eating habits with a crowd-out mentality – instead of cutting out the bad, I eat more of the good until there is no room left for the bad. Logically, this should reduce my bad eating because the stomach has a certain limit, after all, that I reach faster when I stuff it with good food. It’s not a perfect strategy, though, as I know I’m capable of stretching my stomach’s limits by eating when I’m not hungry or eating quickly to stuff as much crap as possible down my gullet before I feel full. I’ve found that stopping to ask myself this question – why are you eating? – has often been more than enough to force myself into a different food decision.
Eat slower, let food sit, and drink more water
This is a tactical thought to accompany the above comment about strategy – by making sure I eat slower and using water to cut down my stomach space, I’m better positioned to control some of the more impulsive aspects of my appetite.
2-2-1-1-1
I turned thirty last year but I think it took a few months before I fully acknowledged the milestone. A key moment in hindsight regarded a readjustment of my definition for excessive alcohol consumption and I entered the above thought into this list as a reminder. Basically, the numbers reference an ideal water consumption pattern while drinking – one water after the first two drinks, one water after the next two drinks, and one water after each additional drink.
What happens after drink seven? Reader, if I have more than seven drinks at my age, I’m past the point of giving a shit about some stupid ‘daily reminders’ list.
Be who you needed when you were younger
This answers a fundamental question – what do I want to be when I grow up? In short, someone who has learned from experience. My experiences tell me that there is no excuse for failing someone in the same way others have failed me.
Be who you’ll need when you’re older
I added this thought to accompany the above line when I understood that the inverse is equally important – when someone comes into my life and lends a helping hand, I should recognize that I’m in the presence of a perfect example to follow for the type of person I can become tomorrow.
