Am I the only who thinks that 2019 is moving at a ridiculously expeditious rate of speed? Like I blinked and the first three months of the year were over before I could even break the seal on my new pre-workout. Here we are having recently closed out the first quarter of the year and my mojo has already left me, and the 10 pounds that I was supposed to have lost by now, are following me into the next season. The energy and excitement that began in November/December of 2018 tapered off somewhere around February. That “New Year, New Me” vibe has slowly dwindled right down the drain. The goals I placed on my vision board that’s strategically hanging on a wall in my bedroom, have been observing me far more than I have been observing it. Fortunately, one thing about life and goals is that no matter how many times you get off track, you still have the opportunity to regroup and get back to it.
As I scroll through my social media timelines, the gym selfies and progress pics have become less frequent, which makes me think that I may not be alone. Or maybe that’s just wishful thinking on my part in hopes that I am not the only one who experiences this dead-end motivation. I have been fortunate to watch some of you continue to push towards your 2019 goals, whether it’s fitness-related, career growth, or launching new projects…I see many of you out here putting in work, which inspires me and for that I want to say, ‘thank you’. For every person who has made consistent strides since the new year began, there are two of us (probably even more) who have already given up. Social media tends to get annoyed with people who share the daily details of their journeys. Social media also tends to condemn those who start the new year off strongly promoting their goals but have slowly fallen off course. I, however, am not one of those people. Life and circumstances occur all the time and while ideally, we shouldn’t have frequent excuses or distractions, we must understand that it happens. I briefly mentioned last week that social media timelines are highlight reels more often than not and that holds true in this regard as well. No one likes to post about the cheat meal binge that they found themselves on or the 3 days they missed in the gym. No one likes to post about the rejection after rejection they received when trying to obtain a business loan; or their various failed attempts at launching a new product or idea. No one likes to talk about the adversity they’ve faced until they have a success story to follow it up with. However, for me personally, I appreciate transparency in the process. I appreciate being able to witness the journey, the good and the bad; the ups and the downs, for that is what makes us human. We are not perfect. We trip. We stumble. We fall. We get back up and repeat it all over again, but for some reason, many of us are afraid to share that aspect of our lives whether that’s due to fear of judgment or feelings of shame. I have neither so I will gladly go first.
In regard to my fitness “journey”, I have a tendency to want to lose weight at the top of the year or when an event is upcoming. For example, each year when my birthday or my alma mater’s homecoming rolls around, I binge diet and exercise in order to look my best. After these events come and go, so does my progress. I found myself falling into a repetitive, unhealthy cycle. I wasn’t working out and eating healthy in order to boost my energy or to improve my health and lifestyle, but simply to look good in a dress or a bathing suit for the weekend. Changing your mental approach to losing weight or achieving any fitness goal is imperative in being successful. Finding a ‘why’ more important and valuable than simply looking good. Another major key to success is knowing that one misstep isn't the end-all, be-all in your journey. Oftentimes, when trying to be "healthy, we punish ourselves in a sense. We restrict ourselves from eating some of the foods we've always enjoyed or guilt trip ourselves for reaching for the chips rather than the carrots. Oftentimes once we miss one workout, we tell ourselves that the entire week is chalked so we'll just start over again next week. We indulge in one poor meal choice for breakfast and then convince ourselves that we might as well eat poorly for the rest of the day. One bad decision shouldn't negate your entire effort. One bad decision is not the end of the world I repeat...ONE BAD DECISION IS NOT THE END OF THE WORLD.
I will be the first to admit that it is much easier to fall off the wagon than it is to get back on, but no matter how many times you fall off, it is never impossible to get back on. It may be difficult but it's not impossible. As the queen of "do-overs" and "I'll start tomorrow”, know that you are not alone. Whether you want to lose weight, gain weight, or just simply improve your health, don't give up because your cheat meal turned into a binge week of nothing but Chipotle. Don't beat yourself up for skipping that workout that you promised yourself you were going to complete. Adjusting your diet, your lifestyle, and your physical habits is a process, one that is rarely completed without a few stumbles along the way. Don't kick yourself for falling just as long as you put forth the effort to get back up. Remain encouraged and know that it is okay to start over, but it is not okay to give up.
This same mindset can be applied to other goals as well. Another one of my 2019 goals were to read a book each month and so far, I only have one under my belt and am about halfway through another. I have an entire reading list complied and audio-books have been reserved, yet my progress has been beyond stagnant. While I have gone through the process of guilt tripping myself into believing that all is loss, I shortly realized that it is not. Being intentional in practicing daily self-care routines; growth in spirituality; and financial improvement are some of the other goals that are tacked onto my vision board as well, most of which not much progress has been made. But as I reflect on the lack of progress that was made within the first quarter, I channel that disappointment to pick things up in the second. For far too long, I have been allowing laziness, exhaustion, excuses, and pure lack of motivation to steer me completely away from working toward what I wish to accomplish.
To anyone reading this who has found themselves in the same boat and have seemed to hit a wall when it comes to motivation, this is your second quarter reminder to get to work. Write your goals down. Make a plan to execute. Find a form of accountability whether that’s a person or a check-in sheet and get busy.
I look forward to hearing about how everyone's second quarter went, but even more so looking forward to sharing how mine went as well. I promise you that I will not be in the same spot and my hope is that you won't be either.