Persistence is a perfect word for me as I set out to refocus on goals that I have had in the past but let slide over the years.  Since January 1st, I have been using my research on growth mindset to focus and reflect mainly on my personal self as I quest for being healthy once again.  For the past 30 years I have moved in and out of being in shape and healthy.  Within in the past three years, I left all that I knew to be healthy behind in order to eat whatever and whenever I wanted while doing minimal exercise.  During that time frame I was working on my self esteem, to love myself no matter what I looked like.  Well, I succeeded in my quest for acceptance.  This was the positive that came out of letting myself go.  The negative that followed included high blood pressure, prediabetes, and a BMI that put me in level 1 - morbidly obese.  There are only 2 levels and I was close to slipping into the second level.  Basically, I was a ticking time bomb waiting to go off.  I knew I had to do something about my health and I needed to do it soon.  I needed to learn from my mistakes and refocus on my goals of the past.  Essentially I needed to reset my mind.  Thus, I called in the experts.  I joined the YMCA and met with a personal trainer to help me set up an exercise plan.  I committed to getting up early in the morning to go to the gym before work.  I started tracking my diet and gave up all sweet food.  I came to terms with my weight and all my other unhealthy habits.  I began to transform my thinking with positive self talk, "I want to be healthy, I want to be able to move when I'm older, I have the rest of my life to work on being healthy.  I have to work hard today to have success."  I have shared my process with my students so they see I have to work hard at something too, just like they have to work hard at learning to read.  The word on the image that stuck out to me was "stubborn".  Luckily, I have that characteristic that keeps me getting up time and time again as I challenge myself.  I have gotten up before and I will get up again.  I have already lost 20 lbs and have felt my need for persistence already when my fixed mindset wants to take over.  I am excited to be moving ahead and will need much courage in the face of what can feel like insurmountable goals.