I’m reading this amazing book on manifestation right now. In it, he weaves the story of Victor Frankl – an Austrian psychologist & Holocaust survivor. He noted that those that were surviving in the concentration camps had hope, something to look forward to in the future. Those that were succumbing to illness were those that had lost all hope and had nothing to look forward to.
Mindset is crucial to our success in life too. We’ve all heard of how when people retire, or their spouse dies, they don’t survive long past that unless they have something to switch their attention to – a new purpose in life, so to speak.
Making a lifestyle change to improve our health is much the same way. We won’t be successful if we don’t change our focus. What is inspiring you to get healthy? Is it being able to play with your kids? Maybe attend your child’s wedding, or even playing with your grandkids! Maybe it’s as simple as wanting to show off to an ex, or former classmates how amazing you look next time you see them.
My why is complicated, as I’m sure yours is. I want to show off to my siblings that I’m not a failure like they’ve labeled me my entire life. I want something MORE from life than what I have. I believe I deserve more too. I want to feel good & comfortable in my own skin. I want to feel attractive. A lot of mine is vanity, but it’s rooted in some DEEP insecurities.
When I had weight loss surgery, I somehow thought all of this would magically appear as I lost the weight. BOY WAS I WRONG!
When I had lost 100lbs, I had all this loose skin and a belly overhang I didn’t remember having when I was heavier. I had bat wings (ok, I had those all along). I never got the attention from the opposite sex that told me I was attractive. In fact, if we’re honest, I think the guys liked me MORE when I was heavier, which was a total mind-fuck.
And I never got the acceptance from my family that I craved. One incident will be forever in my memory. A few of us were visiting my parents. My eldest brother-in-law commented that he was proud of me for losing weight. That I looked amazing. Two of my sisters got up and walked out of the room rather than acknowledge I had lost the weight! To this day, they still have not acknowledged I lost any weight whatsoever. They were SUPER vocal about how fat I was when I was 300lbs. Now they comment how skinny THEY are….this one hurt & still hurts… which is probably why I avoid my siblings 99% of the time.
My why now has changed. Yes, I still want acceptance, I want to be comfortable in my skin, I want to feel attractive. But more than anything, I just want to be HEALTHY! I’ve learned what is nutritious and what is not. I’ve learned just how much nutrition plays a crucial role in our health…. And that mostly what’s considered “genetic” really isn’t. It’s genetic laziness & following the masses, if anything is really genetic. Cancer runs in my family. I don’t want to go down the same path as my family & suffer the same consequences. So I choose to be different. I chose a different, healthier path. It’s less about a number on a scale, and more about what I’m putting in my body; prioritizing nutrients, and reducing chemical load and processed foods that didn’t exist 100 years ago.
Do I hope to lose the weight? Yeah, I do. I want to look better than my siblings, regardless if I’m “thinner” than them or not. My skin & hair is 100x better, without botox, plastic surgery, or a ton of makeup.
Making changes is HARD work. So giving ourselves something to focus on in the future, a hope, a reason or goal to work towards makes this easier.
What’s your why?
Essentially Health & Wellness 