You are a process

It's Day 7 on this resolution band wagon. Are you still riding the "I CAN DO ALL THE THINGS" high that comes with the societal hype to make changes? 

I buy into this hype every year. Every single year I make goals, and I break goals, and then I make new ones. It's normal, and for the first time in my life I don't feel guilty about that. These changes in commitments come from re-evaluating your priorities. This last year was indeed an epic year for me. There were awesome changes and painful ones too. Don't tell anyone, but I think I grew up a little.

The growing pains were harder than I have endured in years. In times like that, when unexpected things happen, you adjust your goals. Maybe it isn't to the degree of a New Year's Resolution but it is equally powerful. It can go from cutting out all processed foods, to allowing the convenience to carry you through a frantic or depressing time where you may not have eaten if you hadn't shifted. It's not lazy, it's re-prioritizing, it's survival.

It sounds like I'm making dramatic excuses for my actions. I'm not. I'm trying to explain why I'm not angry at myself.  I'm trying to show you that you don't need to face your New Year's Resolutions with guilt. You are exactly where you need to be right now. You have it within your power to change things you want to change in your own time.  The societal pressures associated with resolutions allow us to meditate on where we want our priorities to be in the new year. Be honest with yourself. Throw down your superhero cape and find out what your focuses need to be to make you become a healthier you. Be realistic.
If I read one more "I'm gonna lose 50 pounds by June" post I might puke. Set realistic, smaller steps that will help you be better in all areas of your life for the long term.

You are a process, not a finished product.

Enjoy yourself. Appreciate all the things you have done for yourself. Get excited about the things you can do to improve yourself.  But never, ever, ever make goals that beat yourself up over the path that led you to this moment.

In the still lingering holiday spirit I want to wish you all a wonderful year of accepting who you are, accepting the path that led you here, and wisdom to know where to set your priorities throughout the year.
Thank you for all your support. May 2013 be exactly what we need it to be.

-The One They Call Hypo