Resolve Not To Resolve

A buddy of mine asked me what my New Year’s Resolutions were. I told him that I don’t do resolutions anymore. Philosophically, I have a problem with them. Mostly, it’s that they have a fundamental flaw — namely, procrastinating doing something for your own benefit.

It’s like, “My resolution is to lose 10 pounds.” But if losing 10 pounds was that important to you, why wait? To me, it just makes no sense to say on Dec. 26, “I’m going to get in better shape in 2009!” while cutting your third piece of pound cake that day.

Here’s a resolution: Make no resolutions. If there are changes you want to see in your life, start working on them immediately. And avoid making big promises to yourself you know you can’t keep. In fact, the older I get, the more I understand that lasting change comes in the little things you do.

Not long ago, I read an excellent book called “Eat To Live,” which basically advocates eating mostly green unprocessed vegetables to improve the quality of food you eat. The author, Dr. Joel Fuhrman, makes the most compelling case for adopting a vegan diet that I’ve ever seen — for purely health reasons. In short, the human body is like any other machine — keep stuffing garbage into it, and eventually you’ll be full of garbage. Stuff nutrient-rich foods in, and your body can heal itself, ward off disease and of course, shed pounds.

I’m not quite ready to give up meat yet . . . mostly because of bacon. Still, I made myself this commitment: When I go to the all-you-can-eat buffet at my cafeteria at work, I now go and make what I affectionately call “a big, gi-normous salad.” — mostly Romaine lettuce, fresh spinach, raw broccoli, a little salad dressing. This isn’t the “Eat-To-Live” prescription, but stay with me.

Anyway, I make the salad, and before I even go get the other stuff — stir fry, burger, whatever — I go to a table and sit down and EAT THE WHOLE SALAD FIRST. I drink a glass of water also. Then, I’ll go and get the other foods I like. But what happens is, that the salad — aside from being . . . you know . . . good for me, it starts filling me up, all while I’m getting fiber, nutrients, all that good stuff. And whereas I used to eat multiple plates of the not-so-good stuff, I’m now pretty much full after the first full plate. Oh, and I’ve managed to drop about 15 pounds and keep it off.

The philosophy is simple: Eat what’s good FOR you before you eat what’s good TO you. No, I don’t always feel like eating a big, gi-normous salad before the rest of the meal, but it’s a minor inconvenience if I get to be healthier, feel lighter and look better. But the principle here is still true: Small changes add up.

What does any of this have to do with “A Message From God?” You’ll have to listen to The Truth written on your heart to discern that. But I firmly believe that it’s time to rethink how we segment our lives into so many sub-categories and act like they have nothing to do with each other. I mean, common logic says there’s no relationship between what you eat and how you interact with your loved ones. But if you eat poorly, it can affect your sleep, which affects your mood, which affects how you relate to your loved ones. You might be surprised how a small change in one area of your life can pay off in another.

What do you think? And I’m always open for feedback. Are there topics or concepts you’d like me to address here? Let me know by emailing me at messenger (at) amessagefromgod.net.