For the last seven years, I have had the same problems and the same goals. This is precisely why I started this blog – to help myself and in doing so, to help others to meet their goals. I set out to make changes in an effort to maximize my life, work and habits so that I could be more effective. It’s February 1 and little has changed.

Tonight, a very good friend of mine made the same painful observation. He said that I was the kind of person with a lot of excuses. That I wasn’t happy with my relationships, my career, or myself. But what was I doing about it? I was content to play the victim to my circumstances and to be a martyr in my relationships. The words stung. They landed in my lap and burned.

He was right.

What kind of self-improvement writer is credible when her own life is in shambles? I never said that I was a self-improvement writer, I argued. Another excuse. I said that I was going to help myself and blog about it so that I could help others. But how could I help others–advise them, counsel them, encourage them–if I wouldn’t help myself? It simply wasn’t possible.

He was right.

Look, I’m no Steve Pavlina or Leo Babauta. I’m just a person who wants to improve and impart whatever help I can to other people. But all of my struggle to get people to subscribe to this blog or to follow me on Twitter is absolutely meaningless unless I can stop being chickenshit and get some things done.

That’s the reality in life–until you are willing or able to be an example–to set a standard for the things that are important to you, you can’t help other people. You’re horrible with money. How will you give to charity? You overeat and never exercise. How will you teach your children to eat a balanced diet? You’re constantly late to work. How can you hold your employees accountable?

Whether we like it or not, we are always on stage. Our behaviors and our habits tell people who we are, who we believe ourselves to be, and who we are not. Helping others, in any way, first requires us to help ourselves.

This is what Steve Pavlina says about personal development, and believe me, it’s a bitch, but it’s true:

Personal development is hard work. It takes time, consistency, and patience. If you’re…looking for shallow quick fixes and you aren’t interested in real, lasting change, [his blog] isn’t the right place for you.

Damn! Now that’s tough love, but he’s right. He figured out a long time ago that he couldn’t help others without doing the work. Which brings me to another point. I see no reason for me to re-create the wheel. There is a plethora of great information out there in the world. I’ll go in search of it and bring the best of it back here to test it. In the process, my greatest desire is that I will improve my work, life and habits and say that the life I lived was a spectacular one.

I’ve decided to start with The Seven Pillars of Health, by Dr. Don Colbert. This is a 50 Day guide to better health based on the seven pillars of wellness: water (intake), sleep and rest, living food, exercise, detoxification, nutritional supplements and coping with stress.

I’ll start with a 30 day program. At the end, I’ll evaluate it and then determine whether to continue or to move on to a new action item.

Interested in completing the first 30 days of The Seven Pillars of Health? Subscribe to this blog by email and leave a comment about this post. I’ll randomly select one winner to receive a free copy of the book!