Wednesday, January 9, 2019

Vision and Vulnerability

Where there is no vision, the people perish:  but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.  Proverbs 29:18

Declare your vision.  Set goals.  Go out and achieve them.  Easy to say, but so hard to do.  Why?  Because there is such a vulnerability in setting a goal and declaring it to the world.  What if you fail?  What will people say?  What will people think?  It's so much easier to say, I'm happy this way.  I'm ok with my current situation.  As far as my weight is concerned, I'm content to describe myself as a plus-sized model, projecting a self-confidence that is necessary for me to make my way happily through each day. I already lost a significant amount of weight once, and then allowed "life" to happen, and gained it all back.  Only to have an acquaintance come up to me and say "What happened to you?!".  

The fact is that when a vision is declared and goals are stated publicly immediately you are opened up to the risk of being attacked with negativity from people who don't think you can.  More importantly you open yourself up to criticism from yourself.   If you allow this to deter you from shouting your goal from the rooftops, you rob yourself of the opportunity to struggle and strive and paint a clear picture of what it takes to be successful.  You rob yourself of the chance to show someone else the way.  

Everyone knows that progress in any area (fitness, faith, career) takes work, a million good decisions to get to where you need to be.  Losing weight and being healthy is not rocket science.  A million different programs and apps all teach us to do the same things: 

  1. Eat well and keep track of what you eat
  2. Exercise
  3. Drink Water
  4. Find motivation/inspiration daily
  5. Have an accountability partner
  6. Be honest about where you currently are and appreciate yourself for it.
  7. Measure your progress
  8. Expect setbacks, don't beat yourself up about them, but don't let them derail your progress.
Do not let fear stop you from doing what you know in your spirit you need to do to grow and be better and do better.   Declare your vision and keep on declaring it boldly.  A vision cannot live safely in the recesses of your mind protected from the harsh criticism of the world.  It needs to be declared so that it can become reality.  It needs to be shared so that you can hold yourself accountable to your vision and take action to manifest it.  You need to risk the failure so that you can achieve the success.  

Thursday, January 3, 2019

Spiritual Health

Its that time of year again when we make promises to be better and do better and live better lives.  Those pesky New Year's resolutions, which we inevitably leave by the wayside, remind me of the constant struggle to attack some of the bad habits that I have and take an inventory of where I currently stand.  In and of itself, setting a New Year's resolution isn't a bad thing.  Its always great to take some time out for reflection, and what better time than when a fresh new year is sitting ahead of us.  What I don't like about New Year's resolutions is the feeling that I am inevitably setting myself up for failure.  I know that dieting will only work for as long as I stay on the diet. And I know that I’m not going to pass up chocolate cake forever. I know I need to work out, but I also know there will be some mornings where sleeping in will be my priority.

This year I am resisting the urge to set a number based weight loss goal (20 pounds by April). Or even some ridiculous number based work out goal (get up at 5 am 6 days a week). Instead my goal is to feel good each day about the skin that I’m in, about my relationship with God, about my own mental health and about progress on this life journey. I pledge to bring the principles of my spiritual journey into my fitness journey: love, forgiveness, patience, kindness, presence and hope. This year I am striving to intentionally integrate the cultivation of spirituality into health, nurturing and strengthening the physical body in ways that will inevitably support and bolster my spirit. Is it possible that physical fitness will get me closer to God? Only one way to find out...

Vision and Vulnerability

Where there is no vision, the people perish:  but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.   Proverbs 29:18 Declare your vision.   Set goals....