Celebrate the small victories... Re-Inspiring Yourself

Me at 287 lbs 2 yrs ago

Me at 287 lbs 2 years ago

My weight loss has slowed down considerably.  I've set a goal and it doesn't look like I'll make it.  (If I were honest with myself, I'm not as far away from my goal as I used to be.)  But that very same goal feels like it's further away than it's ever been before.  Giving up seems like a viable option.  I begin asking myself why I even tried to do this in the first place... It's too hard. What's the point?

Are you thinking some of these thoughts?  Good...  You're still human.

These same feelings and thoughts have crossed my mind too.  Many times, this journey of weight loss and healthier living seemed like a good idea.  But, it has also seemed like a crazy idea that same number of times.  Maybe more...  There were times when frustration set in and the progress I thought I should see, just wasn't showing up on the scale or even in the mirror.

I've even felt light at times and said to myself "Yeah, I've lost a significant amount of weight."  Only to realize that I'm where I was last week.  It's funny how the mind and body can play tricks on us.

But, instead of allowing these negative thoughts to cloud our mind and fog up our vision of how we should see ourselves and want to become, we should look back on where we've come from and see the progress we've made.  Not just once, but as many times as it is needed.

See, if this weight loss thing were easy, so many more people would be doing it.  This is win number one!!  We're already doing a lot more than those people who aren't doing anything at all.

Number 2: You are already successful... As long as you continue to work towards your goal!! Once you've quit, you are no longer successful.  So don't quit!!  Earl Nightingale, the accomplished author and great philosopher defined success in "The Strangest Secret". (If you haven't heard of this audiobook, stop reading this now and go get the mp3 here!!)  He said that success is defined as the steady progression to a worthy goal.  Keep plugging away and don't stop!  It's just like running a race!!  You continue to put one foot in front of the other, in order to get to the finish line.

In this weight loss journey there are times when we have to encourage ourselves.  Everyone is not going to acknowledge our journey to self improvement, all the time.  It's just the reality of the situation. In my opinion, that's a good thing.  It keeps us grounded and allows us to learn to inspire ourselves or light our own fire.  People can say what they want, good or bad, but until we find out our own "WHY?", we'll become unfocused and distracted.

So, take a moment to look back on some old pictures or videos.  Take some time to think about what you used to do and compare it to what you do now.  Celebrate the small victories and re-inspire yourself.  Enjoy the fact that some changes have been made and if none have been made, you still have an opportunity to make those changes.  Obviously, if you're reading this now, you have a desire to become better.  So... become better. One step at a time. :-)

Me at 244 lbs now