dj, look at you with all of your fantastic goals! you are already on the right track. one year i wrote down !26! goals on a piece of loose leaf paper and posted it right by my bed and i would read it all the time, morning, night, daytime, whenever i was in my bed. i didn't even have to think about reading it cause it was right there in front of me. i accomplished almost all of those goals that year! and they were ones that had been on my list for probably a good five to ten years.
here's what i see from your goal list:
1. get rid of anxiety and depression.
well, you seem to be getting started with that. these tapes are putting you on that path!!!
2. get out and exercise.
depending on what you do for work and throughout your day, work this in. don't make it a really really difficult step, ease into it. go for a 10 minute walk when you pick up the mail at night. or take the stairs instead of the elevator at work. walk to get lunch if there is a place nearby. enjoy longer walks on the weekend if possible. make it a walk around a pretty lake. starting an exercise regime can be DAUNTING. exercise is moving more. start by moving more and see that you do have time for a ten minute walk when you get the mail.... you just might discover that some nights you have time for a twenty minute walk.. heck you might even find out you LOVE the way the cold winter air feels when you are bundled up. it's refreshing, not so much cold
also, if you always make time for a tv show and you want to start going to the gym, head to the gym 15 minutes before the show starts and watch it while you walk on the treadmill. what a way to get two things done at once!3. quit smoking.
figure out how many packs you buy a week and set aside the money for this. then take out the cost of one pack and put it in a jar labelled, NEW _____. (coat or dinner out or whatever you want it to be.. heck it could even be something small like a new book). then use the money you have set aside for cigarettes to buy cigarettes, minus one pack. go off cigs the way you would go off an antidepressant... in very small increments. keep the original amount of packs you would buy the same and every two weeks, take another 'cost of a pack' out of your original number and add it to your jar. by the end of the year, you are going to be making large purchases with your money saved! (or you can just save the money, it's up to you!) you'd be surprised by how far you have cut back by 2010!
4. lose weight.
one very effective method for this is to eat before you go to the grocery store. and FILL UP! then make a list of healthier foods that you enjoy, some fruits and vegetables, some soups that are healthier, whatever 'good for you foods' you enjoy. some of those frozen 'weight watchers' or 'lean cuisine' foods out there are pretty tasty! then shop based on your list. that way when you are home and hungry, you have healthy foods around to choose from and chances are, when you are hungry, you will just eat what is around rather than running out to the store to buy something less healthy just because you are craving it. also, snack more often on healthier choices so that your hunger cravings don't over power you.
you have to remember that all of these things that you want to accomplish take time and you have a whole year to do these things! that's a great amount of time!!! and heck, by 2010, you will have started some great habits that put you on the path to really getting where you want to be.
think of it as a journey.
enjoy the journey, it can be really amazing!!!