I made all these plans for 2024 and came to the jarring realization that if it is not in God’s will for me, they will not be as planned. In the past, I always thought if I worked harder, it would go my way. There is no doubt that hard work pays dividend; however, at what point do you wake up and smell the cappuccino after decades of beating your head against the wall to the realization that the wall will not move.

WHAT I LEARNED IN 2024

I learned that you cannot have sustainable external change if you do not re-turn from your journey transformed. Furthermore, you cannot go back to the unhealthy M.A.P and dysfunctional G.P.S and expect to have healthy and sustainable change. The journey for many of you who follow me is either a weight reduction or living abundantly journey. If we want to keep it simple, it ultimately boils down to a BEING YOUR BEST SELF journey. All that we do or strive to be in life, ultimately leads to one destination, to be our best selves, which means, to be more Christ-like. A healthy physical self is a positive benefit of being more Christ-like as we are living more in the spirit than in our flesh, living abundantly. Walking in the spirit allows us to access the fruit of the spirit, which allows us to use discipline, self-control, and patience to achieve our health goals.

EXAMINE YOUR STORY WITH TRUTH

It can be discouraging if you have been trying to reduce your weight for a while and nothing has seemed to work. I now take it from a different perspective. Have you been 100% honest with yourself. I was working out 3 hours a day and professing to eat healthy, but I was lying to myself. While I ate healthy foods, I was not eating healthy. Please pay attention to this statement: “I was not eating healthy.” Healthy eating is not just the quality of your food, it is also the quantity and the frequency. Finally, realize that when you are honest, you will not have doubts, and you will have the faith of your conviction that you can reduce your weight and maintain that healthy weight.

EVERY JOURNEY WE TAKE CHANGES US

This weight loss journey that you are on will create change and that change will be sustainable if there was also a transformation. A physical change on and of the outside and a transformation internally (mind, heart, and soul) when we are ready to fully surrender our will. Thus, when you return from your journey, you will re-turn a different person who will turn away from the old unhealthy habits or take a different and healthier path going forward. Here is the kicker, an internal transformation MUST happen for you to sustain the physical and external change. Again, I was going about it the wrong way. No external change can be sustained without an internal transformation, which is not possible without a renewing of your mind, a cleansing of your heart, and a purification of your soul (the work of the Holy Spirit). The health of the inner man determines the health of the outer man presented to the world.

2025 IS YOUR YEAR FOR TRANSFORMATION

Make transformation your focus, transforming into the BEST VERSION of you. When you are at your best, being your best, you can show up 100% for others with genuine C.A.R.E. The BEST VERSION of you is also living abundantly, which means you are in a state of daily abundance and gratitude. It is a matter of commitment, acceptance, realization, and embracing the truth.