So aside from the fireworks, and the hot dogs, and the fried dough, and the beer…

What else are you celebrating your independence from today?

I mean, let’s look at this closely: Because the United States is a “free country”, citizens of this country are allowed many things that other countries do not give their people. Think about history with this, of course, but what about food rations during non-war times? What about the lack of financial and medical support in parts of India, Africa, and other countries?

It’s not so easy for us Americans to declare our freedom from things, simply because we have so much freedom to make choices. We can choose to smoke cigarettes, we can choose to eat fat- and calorie-laden foods. We can choose the car we drive, and the clothes we wear. What is there though, that our own personal freedoms need liberation from?

I’d love to be independent from cigarettes.

I’d love to be independent from fast food, ice cream sundaes, and candy bars.

I’d love to be independent from my own thoughts about overweight people vs. normal weight people, and how strange people are when forming their own opinions.

These are personal freedoms, where I make the choices, and I make the decisions. And I want the mental freedom to make the right ones. My brain is the communist here… LOL

I have to set my goals as to how important they are to me right now…

I don’t think it’s viable to expect myself to quit smoking, lose weight, and organize my home and office with 100% effort all at the same time. However, what’s wrong with giving one goal priority over another, or trying to direct a smaller percentage of my energy to one over the other?

My goals, listed in order, most important to least (which doesn’t take away the fact that it’s important at all):

• Drop the weight. Reason: It’s the very bane of my existence, and I deserve the freedom from a fat, uncomfortable body.
• Organize and De-Clutter my home, office, and my life. Reason: It’s the bane of my sanity, and I deserve the structure, which will help streamline my life and essentially, will de-fog my brain.
• Focus on gathering leads for my company. Reason: The financial comfort of being able to pay all my bills, as well as save up some money, and not have to worry about dipping into those savings when bills arrive - I deserve this.
• Quit smoking. Reason: I’ve already had my cancer scare - I don’t need another one. While I may still have another one, I deserve to give my body the strength to fight it, the clean blood and oxygen to prevent it, and the open lungs to exercise and breathe without the use of an O2 tank.
• Buy my own house. This one’s going to take a lot of work, most specifically, the money issues. Reason: Well, I’m almost 30, and I miss living on my own. Plain and simple.

What sort of goals have you set for yourself? Are you thinking of them in terms of your freedom, your independence, your right to choose your life, your paths? Try thinking of them that way - does their focus become clearer?

I think mine just has…

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