I. Can. Do. It

"I. Can. Do. It." was my Mantra for the day. For the first time today I ran on the treadmill at 7 miles per hour. I always thought running at a pace such as this was for runners, athletes and folks that were super fit. Not for me. I never saw myself as one of "them". After thinking that 6 mph was my max for the past month, I was pleasantly surprised that, albeit in brief intervals, but I could reach 7 mph. I could do it.

This past year I have been having many transformations around my body and health. It began with regular detoxes since last April, vegetarianism (attempting veganism) and adding exercise to my routine. When I started working out with a personal trainer regularly earlier this year I could jog at 3 and run at 3.3 mph. Slowly but surely, those numbers kept going up and before I knew it I was walking at that pace and my new jog was at 3.5, run at 4 or 4.5 and it kept creeping up to where I am today.

The famous Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu said, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step". How true that is for me. Allowing myself to commit to my journey one step at a time is making this possible for me. I am taking care of myself one day at a time.  I try to make conscious choices based in self-love whenever possible. Every now and again, I stumble, I have a breakdown, but I know I can get up and get back on track. If anything, I now have a strong support system to help me back to where I need to be.

It never used to be like this. It has taken me close to 11 years to get back on track. I have started and stopped so many times that I have lost count. But this time, it feels different. This time, I wasn't going for a quick fix or a fad diet. This time I took the time to fully understand why I had developed the habits I had. What was my relationship with food and my body all about? When did I adopt these beliefs? What stories was I telling myself to keep these beliefs alive?

It has truly been a transformational year for me. It has been no accident that this is the year that I wrote my first book. Writing it was nothing short of the "journey of a thousand miles". But I have just been taking it in bite sizes, one step at a time.

I have learnt that in order to manifest our truest, fullest and best selves ever in this life, we must first get present to who we are. And for that we must pause. Pausing and using meditation has been an integral part of my practice on my journey of transformation. It has helped me be a witness and ask the questions that needed to be asked of myself. Some answers came quickly, but most answers surfaced when it was time for me to be met by them.

How about you? What is your relationship with your body? What is your inner dialog when it comes to food? Why do you have the lifestyle you have? When and why did it come in to existence? Are you happy with it? Do you wish it to be different? If so, in what way?

The journey of transformation in this life can be a windy road. But when I remind myself of what Lao Tzu said, I know I. Can. Do. It.

My sacred affirmations for this moment are:

I. Can. Do. It.

I manifest the vision I have for my life

I embody my vision and express it in my actions

I am present to my journey of transformation one step at a time

Take a few moments to reflect on this and comment on the blog. Your insights could help another reader, so don't hold back, share the love. Tell us what you think? What were you present to when you read this article? I can't tell you how honored I am that you spent the time reading and sharing in this sacred space with me. You make a difference in this world, always remember that! Now don't hold back, speak your truth! The Universe is listening.....!

Namaste,

Richa.