These three statements have become my words to live by.
We live in a world where we want everything yesterday.
People hide behind keyboards and are hateful and mean to others.
We see so many things on this World Wide Web that make us think this is how we need to be, think, and act to be worthy.
We don’t believe in anything anymore, not even in ourselves.
I had to learn to be patient, with myself, as much as I wanted results in my sleep, I had to own the fact that this was not going to happen, and it was ok.
Changing our lifestyles is not easy, I knew that putting a deadline, or time on how much weight by a certain date was not going to work for me. I had forever spent my time and energy trying to lose a certain weight by a certain date. That kind of pressure is what made it impossible to get anywhere, regardless of the fact that I was doing a fad diet to get there.
Be Patient:
I had to accept that there wasn’t going to be a deadline this time, this was going to be how I live, for the rest of my life, so what difference did it make if it happened in 2 weeks or 2 months or even 2 years, the point was that I was going to take my time, do it right, and change my ways. Grasping this was, I believe, the start of my road to success. I learned to take it one day at a time, break it down to one meal at a time, and even some days one choice at a time. I was patient, something I had never been before when it came to weight loss.
Be Kind:
This was a hard one for me.
I have always had negative self-talk going on in my head, always looking in the mirror and seeing what was “ugly”. Always telling myself how I was never going to do it, I had no willpower, who do I think I am, there is no way I could get to a “decent” size. I hated how I looked, I hated that I had to squeeze into a size 14, that I couldn’t hid my rolls, or my chins. I hated how big my face was, how my legs would rub against each other and hurt when I attempted to wear a skirt without pantyhose, I hated that I didn’t feel comfortable wearing a top that didn’t hide my fat arms, I even had my wedding dress sleeves changed so that my upper arms were not visible. I hated that I had to do that.
I had to change all those hateful feelings into kindness, the same type of kindness I gave to my friends and family. I had to tap into my soul and find a way to be kind to myself, so that when I did have an off day and “cheated” I wouldn’t be hateful to myself. I started by reading some self-help books. I made sure to look in the mirror in the morning and think something kind about myself. What would I say to a friend who was feeling this much hurt and hate for herself. I turned that dialogue to myself , it was a slow progress and I still have days where I’m not so kind to myself, but, I know, that being kind to myself is refreshing and easy to shift into.
Believe:
Once the kindness got easier, I was able to believe, believe that I could do this, I could take control of my choices, believe that I could take steps forward, and believe that if I took a step back it wasn’t the end of the world or my journey but just a “cha-cha”.
I believed with my whole being that this was going to be my choice, my time, my journey, my lifestyle, that it would change me and I shouldn’t be scared, because this would change me for the better.
I believe in the process, I believe in my abilities to make choices, I believe in my heart that this is who I’m supposed to be, I’m supposed to be happy and healthy, both physically and emotionally.
I believe that we are all here for a purpose and being happy is always the best way to live this life.
So if you are starting your journey, or thinking about starting, or already in it, remember to always
Be patient, Be kind, Believe.
Sandi.