Since the first part of January, I have not had a single Diet Coke. Or a Diet Mountain Dew, or Diet Pepsi, or Diet Dr. Pepper, etc. For some, the question would be: Who cares?!? I can explain. Diet Soda is one of those things in life that is an acquired taste. Like coffee, or okra, or sushi or anything else that takes some getting used to, Diet Soda is a drink that once you acquire the taste for it, it’s easy to become hooked.  And hooked I have been. For me, Diet Coke has been like crack in a can. I pop one open when I first get up and continue drinking them regularly throughout the day. If I go a few hours without one, I find myself wondering where I could find a diet soda. I’ll search the refrigerator in my office, run down the street to the nearest convenience store, or if I’m too busy I will ask the receptionist to run and pick up one for me! (Can you say “kidney stones?!?”) It has crossed my mind dozens of times over that this is a bit ridiculous. It isn’t the caffeine that worries me - it is all of the harmful chemicals and syrup that do the body so much damage.

There is some sort of saying that implies that too much of a good thing is just that - too much. When we stop to reflect on our life and be introspective for a moment, most of us realize that any habit or activity (exercise, reading, and other “good” activities included!) that we engage in too often can begin to take an unhealthy toll on our otherwise well-balanced life. My colleague and good friend Jessica Bell and I occasionally discuss how moderation is harder for us to do than it should be. We have had the discussion many times that its no fun to have just one chocolate chip cookie when we can eat fifteen of them.

I bring these points up for a reason: in order to live a balanced life, a person must be able to be introspective. They must be able to step outside themselves, look in, and ask some hard questions. What aspects of my life are contributing to my overall well-being? What aspects of my life are hurting me in one form or another? What changes do I need to make in order to become more mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually healthy?

When we ask ourselves these questions and then actually act on them, we are able to live a more balanced and fulfilled life. And the person who does not reflect on occasion? Typically you will find a person plagued with bad relationships, poor education and career choices, an unhappy family and spiritual life, and often poor health. And they are in this position usually for one reason: an unwillingness to face reality about their own life.

I do not want to be that type of person. I want to be in control and live a well-balanced life. Every person alive has something about him or her that they can change in order to live healthier. God gave us a brain so that we may use it and use it for our own betterment. That is the challenge for February 2007: begin with one aspect of your life that can be changed for your own betterment. I’m starting by ending my fifteen year relationship with diet soda. Where will you start?Š