Think Small

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Psst.  Hey you.  Let’s remember something from way back in January.  We did something back then.  We planned.  We imagined how this year would look.  We agreed to do things differently.  We made resolutions.  We imagined ourselves slaying our health and fitness goals.  Are you?  Are you seeing success?  Did you make a resolution and then never do anything differently?  Are you stuck and feeling defeated?

We are at the time of year where our burst of enthusiasm for New Year’s resolutions has faded.  You could be making progress like you would’ve thought, or (like me) you could be stuck in a rut.  A rut where your progress has been slower than you would’ve liked to see.  Don’t give up.  Don’t feel overwhelmed because the finish line is still miles away.  Focus on what is right in front of you.

It may seem at times as if we will never accomplish our big huge goal.  It feels as if someone has asked us to climb the Empire State building and we are supposed to conquer this in yoga pants and flip-flops.  It seems like an impossible feat.  If this is you, think small.  Think one bite at a time.  When derailment seems imminent, choose to focus on the moment you are in now.  Focus on your next meal, the next snack, or the next workout.  Do not think about your end game if it seems unattainable.  We can eat a healthy breakfast.  We can work out today.  We can eat healthy right now.  Yesterday is over and nothing can be done to change what has already happened.  Tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet and it is not guaranteed.  We have today and we can choose to dominate it.

I love the story Max Lucado includes in his book, “Facing Your Giants” because it paints the perfect picture of what it is like when we are in the midst of trying to accomplish our goals and yet feel as if we won’t make it.

“Don’t make the mistake of Florence Chadwick.  In 1952 she attempted to swim the chilly ocean waters between Catalina Island and the California shore.  She swam through foggy weather and choppy seas for fifteen hours.  Her muscles began to cramp, and her resolve weakened.  She begged to be taken out of the water, but her mother riding in a boat alongside, urged her not to give up.  She kept trying but grew exhausted and stopped swimming.  Aids lifted her out of the water and into the boat.  They paddled a few more minutes, the mist broke, and she discovered that the shore was less than half a mile away, “All I could see was the fog,” she explained at a news conference, “I think if I could have seen the shore, I would have made it.”

Are you in the middle of the fog?  Keep on swimming.  Keep on doing the little things to accomplish your resolutions even if you can’t see a difference.  Look at getting one healthy meal, one workout, one good night’s rest, one healthy snack, and one good day completed.  Put your white flag of defeat down, because you aren’t done yet.  Any minute now, the fog could break and suddenly you realize the sandy shore awaits you.

It’s go time.

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