D11 – It’s a JOURNEY, Stupid!

I’m the kind of person that loves a clean slate, a fresh start, a new Monday, a new month, and, especially, a new YEAR. Starting over is such a rush for me… and now I think I understand why:

Starting over let’s me begin FRESH and NEW and erases the past. I get to be someone NEW, someone I’m inventing with fresh possibility and a brand new chance for success.

I’ve started over trying to lose weight a million times in my life… new fad diets, New Year’s resolutions to finally lose 100 pounds, a fresh start with a new plan to exercise more to lose the weight… the only problem is there is always one thing there that I bring with me that is NOT NEW: me.

And, as a result, I do great for a while, then begin to struggle, then give up. “I’ll start again on Monday,” I reassure myself. Then, I eat like a pig until Monday and decide to wait to start until the following Monday instead. My life becomes a big series of attempts at weight loss and a wish and a prayer that SOMEDAY I’ll get there.

But today, I realized that that reality above is actually a LIE. I have NOT participated in a million different fresh starts. I’ve been on one LONG JOURNEY to the same destination that has spanned decades. There has never been a point where I have failed and quit… I just keep trying to lose that weight. That’s a JOURNEY.

We often think of journeys as a straight line drawn from one point in our lives to another, however, this is just not real. Most of our journeys take dips and upswings and twist around as we learn the lessons each one presents to us. Some lessons take MUCH LONGER to learn than others… LOL.

But, in any case, reframing your commitments as journeys makes a huge difference in your perspective, and therefore, your ability to accomplish the long term goal. It’s much more powerful for me to realize that I am currently in the MIDDLE of a journey toward great health, that my 1 millionth attempt to achieve something that I’ve failed at many times before. Does that make sense to you? Knowing that you have a steadfast commitment that may take you some time to accomplish, relieves you of the stress of constantly thinking you are failing. You only FAIL if you QUIT trying; everything else is a lesson to get you to your goal.