Every day we are bombarded with diets and exercise plans promising amazing results within a certain amount of time, usually pretty quick. It seems that is exasperated in January as everyone is encouraged (or pressured) to make resolutions. I’m definitely an advocate for changing your life, but know that it certainly is not something that happens overnight. Exercising and eating healthy are great to make you feel good physically and provide the perfect starting point, but these are only some of the tools needed to really change your life. A journey is a process meant to not just change the way you look, but how you feel. I encourage you to not shy away from the notion of taking your time. Though fast weight loss results can provide motivation, it is important to play the long game. It is also important to recognize that if this is your 100thattempt you have not failed; every time you have learnt more about yourself, what works for you, and you become stronger because of it. It takes immense strength and determination to pick yourself up and start again, practice makes perfect!
Some of you may have already started working towards your goals for 2019. Some of you may feel like you have already failed; if this is you I suspect a few things have happened:
- You decided to change 50 things all at once – instead start slow and simple, master one change at a time then move onto the next
- You set out with an all or nothing attitude and the idea that you have to be perfect – instead try your best to be patient with yourself and Screw Perfection!
- Your goals or motivation is not completely yours – it’s okay to choose a big goal but it is important that your main focus every day is to convince yourself that you are worthy and capable of achieving your goals, and that you are working towards them with all of your being
- You started and then experienced this weird unfamiliar rush of emotion – it’s never about the weight! The more weight I lose the more emotional stuff comes up to be addressed and until I face whatever it is and work through it, the scale will not budge. Be prepared for this, and don’t be discouraged. Allow yourself to feel what you need to feel then make peace with it and let it pass.
- You simply are not ready – it is totally okay if you are not ready, that just means you need a little more time to continue to convince yourself of your worth and what you are capable of.
How can you put a timeline on changing your life, healing your past, and rediscovering who you are? It’s okay to not have all of your shit figured out in thirty days, six months, a year, or more… improving yourself is a lifelong journey and it is more than okay for it to take some time!
“The goal of life is not to win. It is to play the game with love. The rules of the game are: have a strong desire to win, believe that you are worthy of winning, have faith that you will win, and, as long as you are alive, never believe that the game is over.” Iyanla Vanzant