Fat Talk Free Week - Day 1

As a sister of Tri Delta, I like to keep myself abreast of what's going on in the sorority nationally.  One of my favorite parts of Tri Delta is its dedication to its sisters as people, not just as sisters.  Three years ago, Tri Delta launched its Reflections program, a program that teaches young women about positive self-talk and body image, and what it takes to lead a healthy life.  I'm so unbelievably proud to be a Tri Delta because of many things, but this is definitely top 2 on the list.  (The #1 reason is its involvement with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, but that's another story for another day.

The reason I'm writing this entry today is because today is Day 1 of our annual Fat Talk Free Week.  Fat Talk Free Week is just how it sounds--making a conscious decision to eliminate talking about "feeling fat," and all other things that sound vaguely like it or have the same sentiment.  It's a brilliant program because it really forces you to think about how you look at yourself and the way you treat yourself.  It obviously has special meaning for me based on my personal history with eating patterns and my involvement with fitness.

This year, Tri Delta's sending out daily e-mails for Fat Talk Free Week with tasks to accomplish.  Today's task is as follows:

Daily Challenge - October 18, 2010
Start a gratitude journal today. Every day this week, identify something that you like about your body (don't forget to be grateful for what your body can do!). Write about your personality, your character and why you are grateful. See if you can keep it going all week. How about even longer than that?

It feels good to identify pieces of you that you like. When you like them, others will too. If you are up for the next level of this challenge, practice saying or writing these things while looking at yourself in the mirror. 

I don't know about you but to me that sounds like a manageable task.  Something I'm grateful for.  I just came from a leadership conference where there were all sorts of people there--this is going to be a piece of cake for me.  Not only am I grateful for the opportunity to attend the conference and for all the great information I was exposed to and can absorb and use for building my business, I'm grateful for just what the e-mail said:  for what my body can do.  There are coaches that are wheelchair-bound, that have degenerative diseases, that have children who are mentally limited...I'm just so grateful for my health and to be able to go about my life with ease.  Sure, obstacles may come up from time to time, but I don't have to worry about my body failing me.  I'm strong and lean and healthy, and I can't express how grateful I am for that.

As far as aspects of my personality and character that I'm grateful for, I'm always grateful for the way I was brought up.  I was taught to be respectful of myself and others, and to always treat people (including me!) the way I would like to be treated.  This gets lost far too often nowadays, and I hope that I can inspire people to act the same way.  

How about you--what are you most grateful for?  Leave the answer in a comment!