How Are You Upgrading Your Life in 2021?

In this episode I share five ways my life is changing for the better in 2021. I realized that nothing would change in my life until I changed my habits.

0:07

Good evening and welcome to my humble podcast abode. I am Coco Griot just a 50 something who dabbles in conversation about life, love and a host of other topics. You know one of the funniest songs to me by Beyonce is upgrade you. I say that because I think upgrading is a personal experience, unless you're talking about a hotel or maybe your airline reservation. When I think of upgrade, not talking about material things for me. Upgrading involves making positive changes in my life. I don't know about you, but I have some areas in 2021 that needed upgrading in a serious way. My 2020 was raggedy. I fell into patterns of foolishness, trickeration and mayhem that were unprecedented. As the year dwindled down, I told myself, I was not going to live the next year, as I had in the last. I had to upgrade my life, quick fast and in a hurry. So I'm going to talk to you tonight about a few ways that I am upgrading my life. I'm curious to know about how are you, upgrading your life in 2021 ? First of all, I had to tackle stress. Constant interaction with stress vectors in all facets of my life, coupled with the news was overwhelming. Now I start with my days with Reiki meditation.

1:34

Before I respond to any text, or check out the news, I allow myself quiet time for meditation. This helps me to meet the challenges of my day, and I feel prepared to handle necessary stresses. I say necessary, because there is such a thing as elective stress. Oh yeah, all that's gone. I don't have the capacity for that anymore. Now after my regular meditation, I journal. Now with all honesty, I have been journaling for the last 10 years so that's nothing new. What's different now is that I focus on the day at hand. No dwelling in the past by teleporting to the future. I'm in the present moment, and that is making a huge difference for me. Writing down my goals for just that day, and my gratitude list for just that day, provide a beautiful relief from stress. So, the next thing I do as part of my upgrade is I'm fasting. I don't eat immediately after I finished my morning routine. I'm on a 16-8 fasting schedule. So my breakfast is about 11am. I don't know if you've ever tried fasting, but it's a great energy boost for me.

2:50

So this last upgrade leads me to talk about another that I'm practicing. And that is, I went back to my plant based diet, fully. The best I've ever looked and felt is on a whole foods plant based diet. Processed foods are just toxic for me. One of my favorite breakfasts I've enjoyed lately is sauteed baby bella mushrooms with spinach, throw in some red onions, and its on. I'm learning to set myself up for success by having certain foods, always on hand in the fridge. I listened to a show from Dr. AJ, and she said a statement that really struck me. She said if it's in your house, it's in your mouth. So the junk had to go. This has helped me to get through 30 straight days without eating out. Not eating fast food is contributing to the emotional uplift, I'm experiencing. You can look at this in terms of scale victories or non scale victories. My brother embraces this lifestyle and this month, he's lost 10 pounds.

3:59

I am celebrating the way I feel and the fact that I've abstained from sugar and processed foods. So the last aspect of my upgrade I want to talk about is moving more. Now I'm not talking about p90x or something like that. I'm walking. And you know what? I love walking, finding reasons to walk, places to work,and time to walk. The boost of my endocannabinoid system from activity is very helpful to keep my mood stabilized. So, when you do something that you enjoy, you incorporate that, and you are activating your endocannabinoid system. This is something that helps your immune system, it helps your mood, so many areas of your body. So these are five components of my upgrade, and they have me excited to face each day. I hope that you are living your best life in 2021. If not, think about what might make a difference, and seek out those upgrades.

5:05

Thanks for listening, and as always, I wish you could health, good fortune, and a good night, Cocoa Griot out.