“Commitment is staying true to what you said you were going to do long after the mood that you said it in has left you.”
A new year is a time for a new start. A re-do on whatever happened in the past. That’s why New Year’s resolutions and vision boards are so popular. I don’t knock them at all. In fact, I think it’s important to figure out specific goals you want to accomplish every year (and every month). The problem is that a lot of us rarely stick to them.
For me, it’s been my fitness. I don’t have a problem at all with working out. It’s what I put on my plate that’s always been the problem. And, in case you didn’t know, you really can’t outwork a bad diet. I’ve tried…and FAILED. So I decided that, when it came to my health journey, I was going to focus more on eating cleaner and cutting out the bad stuff. I still struggle, but I’m seeing some results already just from that.
Being committed to this weight loss journey has always been hard because I love food and I’m an emotional/stress eater. So I try to take things a day at a time. I realize, though, that times will get hard and temptations will come. They already have and we’re only in January. But I have goals (and two cruises coming up this year) and I’m trying to get healthy and look good. That means sticking to what I said I was going to do…for real this time.
Some of us start off so strong at the beginning of the year. Then February and March come around and we’re already slacking. By August, we’ve completely fallen off and then December comes, and we’re still in the same place we were in January. Maybe even a little worse off.
What we have to realize is that commitment isn’t just saying yes on the days when you feel like it or the days it feels good. True commitment is saying yes to your goals when you want to and when you don’t. It’s making the necessary changes to your habits and mindset to achieve the goals you want. You may slip up but then get right back up. That’s commitment.
What I’m finding that is helpful in staying committed is having a mission or inspiration outside of just yourself and your wants. It could be your kids and family. It could be others that you know and want to help. Having a why, like Dr. Eric Thomas has shared, helps give you the motivation to keep going even when you want to slack off or quit.
A part of being committed is being willing to make the necessary sacrifices in your journey. In order to get to higher heights, you have to look at what’s working for you and what’s not working. You may not be able to go out with your family and friends all the time. You might have to spend some weekends in or take on some late nights here and there. You might have to cut out TV and put your phone on Do Not Disturb for a while. I know I definitely need to stop ordering food for the sake of my health and my bank account. Think about the changes that you need for yourself to make in order to get ahead.
What we have to realize is that commitment isn’t just saying yes on the days when you feel like it or the days it feels good.
Another thing is that you have to trust the process of getting to where you want to be. A lot of us want quick results and, when we don’t get them, we give up and say “Oh, it wasn’t meant to be.” No, you just don’t want to really work and wait for it. That’s how I’ve been in my weight loss journey but now I’m falling in love with the process of eating cleaner and working out more. I’m a firm believer that things often don’t come easy, and, if and when they do, they don’t really last.
I believe that this year is going to be even better than the last for many of us. Let’s stay committed to whatever it is we said we were going to do, shall we?
