No-Diet Diet Series: Building Habits, Part Two

The No-Diet Diet Series

value #1: Building Habits (Part Two)

Be positive about your changes

no guilt, No discouragement

 

Probably the worst part of failing on a diet is the guilt and discouragement that comes along with it:

  • “Why can’t I just lose weight?  I must have no will power.”

  • “I always join a gym, but end up going only a few times, and then giving up.  I am hopeless.”

  • “I guess my parents were right- I am just big-boned and my body will never be where I want it to be.”

 

I read a quote from Dean Maxwell the other day that I believe is misguided:

“Discouragement is not the absence of adequacy but the absence of courage.”

 

I do not agree with this statement.  Because we try and fail does not mean we lack courage.  “Failure to try” stems from the absence of courage, not failing or discouragement.  Many times, discouragement stems from a lack of knowledge and a lack of belief in yourself.

 

Discouragement is an emotion brought on internally from our inevitable failures as human beings.  However, you can change your life…and your health! You simply need to quit expecting perfection from yourself and live your life in a simpler fashion- one day at a time.  Success doesn’t lie in the result- in its rawest form, success comes from within the process.  If we continually beat ourselves up over failing, we are missing the point.  It is in TRYING that we are succeeding!  My Dad used to say “The most enjoyment comes from the Journey, not the arrival.”  I never understood what he meant until I got older. 

 

No matter what you are discouraged about today, understand this- you CAN turn it around!  You CAN change whatever destructive habits you have.  You CAN change the trajectory of your health!!!  However, chances are you can't do it all by yourself.  God put us on this planet with other people so we can be TOGETHER!

People are rooting for you- they just need to know what to root for!

Discouragement and disappointment become a self-defeating prophecy if we allow it to do so.  If you think you can’t- you’re right.  The first and most important step in any journey is believing in yourself.

 

Let’s just simplify the process. 

No more crazy diets that are unachievable in the long run.  Every day, look in the mirror, and ask yourself these two questions:

1.    What did I do RIGHT today?

2.    How can get better tomorrow?

 

The answer to those questions will lead you in the direction of your goals.

 

Have a great week- make the most of it.

Bobby Bland