Okay it's July 1st, here in the Philippines, and I'm doing a gratitude experiment. Being grateful in my life has really helped me find new coping mechanisms to life's challenges and deal with a lot of grief and old bottled feelings from the past. I'm in the Philippines taking a break from Los Angeles and stresses of being an artist and attempting to adapt to working in corporate life. I've started my own business and have been focusing on my spiritual program for the last three months. I now am feeling ready to try and tackle, with the help of a power greater than myself, an attitude of gratitude in the arena of self-care as it appears in my physical body. This journal is going to document that progress. I'm experimenting with posting photos to see if I can take some before and after pics. I've been inspired by a guy named Adam Waters who's program is very inspiring and INTENSE. I am not so intense for a number of reasons. But if you really want to see somebody go all out and really GO FOR IT, (because my way will be significantly more me and hence a hell of a lot let disciplined) you REALLY HAVE TO CHECK HIM OUT. Plus his page has got tons of photos and stuff. He's super cute, too. I'll outline my plan, which involves keeping track of my meditation attempts, spiritual reading (haha a fitness plan with a reading list) incredibly light weight training, stretching, cardio in the form of how many songs can I dance around in my room too (yeah that's right), and my diet plan. (My goal is to eat six servings of fruits and vegetables a day and 8 glasses of water.)

Here is the rule. I get to be down, I get to be happy, but I get to be grateful for any ounce of progress (and here's the kicker) refrain from beating myself up at all costs. I've been learning to appreciate and be grateful for all of my little quirks and peculiarities and even my flaws, and so, I'm going to keep pushing on regardless of outside numbers or momentary setbacks and really taking to heart a phrase that has allowed me to turn my life around, "progress not perfection." If you're reading this. I thank you. Let's see how much it works.