Yes you CAN improve things.

Are there some things in your life you're just not happy about? Of course there is, but what can you do about it? Well, the answer is simple and you may have heard it before, no matter how you word it: "Take action" "Do something" Etc, etc. So why don't we make an effort to change? Well, to be fair, so of us do and I'm going to tell you about some people from my past (names changed) who have done just that and if what they have done may work for you, I urge you to try it, because what have you got to lose? If you are still reading this, you want to change some things and I am telling you again that YOU CAN. It may be about having more money, or managing what you have and get better, being in shape, improving your health, it could be improving your social skills, meeting new people, making new friends and speaking up for yourself. No matter what it is, rest assured that someone else has gotten the results you want and even if how they did it does not appeal to you, it shows that you can do it too.

MIKE R: Mike was young man who had always dreamed of being a black belt instructor, yet rarely worked out and spent most of his time drinking and smoking pot with his friends. He used to go over and hang out in the basement of one friend with a regular group of guys, all smokers, stoners, drinkers and maybe one out of ten had a girlfriend, or even a job. He knew he was going nowhere, but what else could he do? He didn't know anyone else, however, he decided one day that enough was enough and started cutting down on cigarettes, eventually quitting, while slowly starting to work out again for the first time in a long time. He also quit drinking and found, after a few months, that he could no longer sit in a basement filled with a thick blue-grey cloud of cigarette smoke. He soon joined a local karate class and started off training two days a week, which soon became three classes plus the extra time he put into it at home. He found he could no longer relate to his old friends whe seemed to care nothing about health, their own, or anyone elses and made some new friends in his karate club. At first the adjustment was difficult because of the difference in the lifestyles of these people and the way he used to live. He was actually embarrassed to talk about himself and what he did, however, he stuck with it, stayed free of cigarettes and alcohol, then quit smoking pot and in six months he had his orange belt and was competing in sport karate tournaments. He would sometimes feel that others his age, especially the black belts, we're miles ahead of him, but he knew he'd already moved forward and had to take it from where he was.

Mike kept training and stayed away from his old habits and in less than five years had become a black belt instructor at his club. He was also engaged to be married.

VERONICA: Veronica was a tall, large, blonde woman in her mid 20's with striking blue eyes who worked at a Starbucks in Vancouver. She was quite outgoing, very friendly and always nice to talk to when I went in to get a coffee. I noticed at some point, several months after meeting her that she had lost a noticeable amount of weight and asked her about it. I said have you been working out? Going to the gym? No, she said, I've just been walking to work in the morning for the last four months! I was quite surprised, until, that is, I found out that walking is greatly undervalued and that you can gain tangible benefits from only 20 minutes of walking a day.

So there you have two examples of people who made changes to their lives, greatly improving them.

And you CAN too.