COMMITMENT
"One small step for a man ~
One giant leap for mankind."
Neil Armstrong
When I came into program, I was very overwhelmed by the idea of commitment. The thought of committing to a food plan or exercise regime was more than I could comprehend; in fact, I would feel panic rising in me at the thought of it. I would have dreams of being a mouse caught in a corner with nowhere to run. I would throw in the proverbial monkey wrench after a short time, and soon be on my own turf ... the desperation and depression which were my "old friends" would reappear, and I would be back into my "safe" and always-waiting disease.
This recovery program taught me "one day at a time;" it taught me to put one foot in front of the other; that for one day I could do what I couldn't do, or even fathom doing, for a lifetime. This is how I found abstinence. Breaking up my days, weeks, months and years into 24-hour periods allows me to live in the now, and not feel swallowed up in thinking that I have to do this for the rest of my life.
One Day at a Time . . .
The steps may seem small, it may even look as though I'm not moving at all, but with God's help I make giant leaps toward wellness and peace of mind.
~ Shana
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The two words I've removed from my vocabulary are "Never" and "Forever". If I tell myself I must be abstinent 'forever', my mind rebels & the first thing I want to do is EAT. If I tell myself I'll 'never' have another slice of cake, I get the same result.
For today.........for the next 24 hours, I can do ANYTHING! Breaking my time into 24 hour increments frees me up to live in the moment, and forces me to change my way of thinking.
Do you think that losing weight & changing your lifestyle permanently has anything to do with Willpower?
Willpower suggests choice.....it hints at white-knuckling it through tempting situations that threaten to make you 'give in'.
This journey has nothing at all to do with willpower, but everything to do with Commitment.
When you commit yourself to making permanent changes in your life, you follow your program, whether you feel like it or not. You eliminate off plan foods from your mind because they are NOT an option. You agree to move your body every day, regardless of the weather, the heat, the 'motivation' or the situation at hand. No matter how 'busy' you are, you find time to eat at your scheduled 'feeding times', because nobody is 'too busy' to tear open a packet & eat it. Even if it means going into the ladies' room to do so.
Commitment suggests empowerment. It means you make a promise to yourself that you WILL do this, no matter what. You WILL see goal, you WILL stick to your guns, even when you're tempted not to.
Use different words to train your mind to the task at hand. You don't need one whit's worth of 'willpower' along your journey, what you need is Commitment.
For today, stick to your food plan & eliminate all the meaningless mind chatter that tells you how you 'can't' do this. Why not? Why 'can't' you do whatever you set your mind TO do?
Approach your program as you've approached many other commitments in your life. Did you go to school every day, whether you felt like it or not? Do you go to work everyday, whether you feel like it or not? Do you clean your house when it gets dirty, whether you feel like it or not? Do you bathe yourself every morning, even when it's cold outside & you'd rather stay under the covers? Do you take care of your kids, even when they're whining & crying? Do you stop caring for them when the going gets tough & retire your parenting for another time, when things get better?
If you approach your weight loss journey the same way you approach all the other commitments in your life, with seriousness, you WILL get 'er done, watch & see!
For today, I will stick to my Food Plan; I won't worry about tomorrow; it isn't here yet. Yesterday is a memory and all I need to focus on is the NOW.
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