Now that I've reached goal, what next?

(Originally published 3 June 2012) 

"BLESSEDBEING is now officially at my original goal weight of 150 = 65 pounds lost! I've got my Amazon shopping cart standing by!"

That was my status from this morning. I don't move my weight tracker the first time I touch on a new weight level. Once I've reached a new low weight (rounded to the pound) and maintained it for 3 days, then I consider it official. I probably didn't set a goal weight when I first joined Spark People in the summer of 2009; I probably did it in the fall of 2010 when I started my serious solo-Sparking (before I discovered the power of Spark teams).

150 seemed really far away from 215, where I began. 65 pounds, a 30% weight loss is significant. I went from a size 18 or 2X in Women's sizes to a size 12 or Large in Misses. (I've even bought one size 10 pair of pants!) I look better and feel better. My joints rarely hurt and I don't get as tired.

Why am I not more excited about this? I mean yes, it's definitely cool, and when some Spark Friends suggested rewarding myself, I went on Amazon and added some DVDs—just for fun—to a book I was already planning to buy. But for a while now I've been thinking about the next goal of reaching and then maintaining a healthy BMI.

I started in the obese range, and I think 9 more pounds will put me at the healthy level. So I'll aim to lose 10 more, for a total loss of 75 pounds, or 35% of my starting weight. But even then, the numbers have ceased to matter the most to me.

When I think back to where I started, my main thought is not "OMG, I was so fat!" Rather I look back with compassion and remember how stuck I felt, how little hope I had that my life could change, how ashamed I was of my clutter and my weight, and that as intelligent as I am, my life wasn't working as well as I wanted it to.

And that, for me, has been the biggest change and greatest blessing of this journey: I know I have the power to make positive changes in my life. I got sober in 2010, I got fit in 2011, and I'm getting organized in 2012. 2013 might be about abundance or quantum healing; I'm not looking that far ahead. Somewhere along my weight-loss journey, I knew with certainty that I would reach that first goal of 150 pounds. It didn't matter when—I wasn't in a hurry; but I knew it would happen.

Letting go of clutter—the other stuff weighing me down—is a similar process, if less well defined. But again, I'm not in a hurry. My focus isn't on reducing quickly, but cultivating new habits & learning how to maintain the progress I make.

The mental and emotional work I've been doing right along with the physical—the reading, the affirmations, the meditation, the journaling—have opened whole new possibilities. I bless the Spark Friend who introduced me to quantum healing, and Deepak Chopra who has written such powerful books that impart the message that we have incredible powers to harness energies and heal ourselves and manifest our intentions.

I sense that my canvas is extending beyond my own life. As I continue to heal my own spirit & body & environment, I yearn to assist others in healing. In some ways, that's the coolest thing about reaching my goal: it lends credibility to my repeated messages of love yourself, take babysteps, do your inner work, and yes you *can* make positive changes in your life!

I look forward to more of my Spark Friends joining me at their major milestones, doing a happy dance as they cross that finish line, realizing they have so many more and bigger dreams to pursue, and cheering them on as we chase those rainbows and thereby help heal our planet. 

Blessed Be, Amanda

[Note that these blogs were created on Spark People, so often refer to the site, Spark teams and Spark Friends. I just regret that the fun emoticons we used that were sprinkled throughout that last paragraph don’t transfer to the new format.]