Why in the world do we often fall prey to the same demons time and time again?! I mean, once we gain a little ground on them, wouldn’t you think we’d never go back? Don’t reasonable people learn from their mistakes and never make the same one ever again.
Absolutely. In Fairy Tales.
The problem is, we’re all predisposed to certain pitfalls of life. Some people are wired to have outrageous mood swings. They can be laughing and joking one minute and angrily searching out a confrontation the next. Others (*Who, Me?*) are careless and footloose with money, then stare in wide-eyed wonder at the cobwebs in their piggy bank.
Some people procrastinate, seemingly for a living. They’re so good at putting things off that it’s a wonder they manage to get anything done. Their opposites are just as amusing, they are so hyper-busy, I’m convinced that they don’t actually fall asleep at night. I think their family gets annoyed with them and knocks them out.
The bottom line: All of the bad traits in the world have multiple owners and we have the title to at least two of them.
I can accept that. I’ve come to expect my bad traits and habits to make themselves known on a daily basis. It’s a game we’ve played for many years. Keeps life interesting, I guess. But what I absolutely can’t stand is when these traits get the better of me and I trip over them – falling into a pit… A pit that’s all too familiar to me. I know I’ve been there before, I see pink fuzz on the ground from my houseshoes and, what’s that I smell? Coffee? Oh, yeah, I’ve been here before.
We (Notice how I pulled you into the pit with me? – Oh, come on, I’ll share my coffee…) keep doing the same things we’ve been doing, expecting the outcome to be different this time. Someone once said that was “crazy” and this would be me not exactly disagreeing.
Back in January, I started walking more and eating smarter. I wanted to lose some weight that I’m not entirely happy with. January through April went smoothly and the pounds were really dropping. When I went to the doctor in April for my annual poking and prodding, my doctor even noticed the difference. I saw my goal weight in sight, so close I could touch it.
I was flying high!
Today, not so much. I noticed this morning that the pounds I had lost (every single one) had come back over May, June and July. Granted, I’ve had an unreal amount of work to do online and I haven’t been keeping as close an eye on my eating as I had been, but still – my jaw hit the floor… more accurately the hateful scale. Hateful, cursed, cold demon. Who’d have thought long days sitting at a computer without daily walks - combined with endless glasses of sweet tea, homemade cookies, and ice cream cones would cause this? Go figure.
So, it’s back to step #1. Time to start all over again.
Hopefully, this total and complete disappointment will have taught me a lesson. We can’t just expect things to happen in life just because we want them to. If we aren’t proactively pursuing our goals, we aren’t going to gain on them. And if we let our guard down for just one second…. we’re done.
I don’t particularly like shining a spotlight on my weaknesses. After all, it kind of goes against the stereotypical, average blogger, right? Most people online lead you to believe they’re so close to perfection that you should pay them just to speak to them. Actually, some are looking for ways to charge you just for saying their name. They photoshop their lives along with their pictures.
I’m not interested in coming across as perfect (ha, that just made me laugh – me, perfect – ha, there I laughed again). I’m interested in one thing. Helping people, with my humble efforts, to find the best in themselves and, thereby, getting the most from life. Which is why I’m writing this post. I’m giving you what I wish I’d given myself a few months ago.
If you have goals you are working toward, stop for a minute and ask yourself if you’re still fighting for what you want or if you’re on the verge of a “break” – take it from me, these breaks will break you. Never stop - heck, don’t even slow down. If you think you’re doing “all you can” to reach your goal, dig down and give it more.
If, like me, you’re closer to broke than breaking – keep your chin up. Very often in life, it takes that one final discouragement to get our attention and spur us on to success. How many people do we read about who find their financial success after bankruptcy?
Wherever you are on the road that leads to your goal, don’t stop chugging along. In fact, pick up the pace! If you’ve fallen, get up. If you’re walking, run. If you’re running… look out, I’m coming!
