Here we are again, the end of one year as we look towards the beginning of the next. I don’t know about you, but in many ways, 2019 was a great year for me.
In other ways, it included some of my greatest personal and professional struggles. I took on a lot, I accomplished a lot and I stumbled a lot. Such is life, as they say…
We are also at that inevitable time of year where, partially due to the way the American holiday seasons end, we have likely overindulged: in food, in drink, in expenses…we, the country which is rarely defined by the term “moderation”, found a way to go overboard in some way, shape and form.
Which explains why this whole “resolution” thing makes so much sense come this time of year.
We’re in that hangover period, that “Oh shit” period where we re-shift our focus, pull up our big kid pants and determine to change in the coming year.
However, if we’re not careful, we’ll finish 2020 much like we finished 2019: with a whole lot accomplished but little of what we set out at the beginning of the year to do.
Since weight loss is the conversation I get involved in most, due to the work we do at RevFit, I’d like you to take a moment and look back on 2019. Hell, you might even want to look back on 2018 and 2017 while you’re at it.
Ask yourself these questions:
-What went right for my weight loss goals in this year?
-What could have gone better for my weight loss goals?
-How did I contribute to my own success by removing obstacles that stood in my way?
-What were my barriers keeping me from better results?
I’d encourage you to write those answers down.
Someone I’m very fond of referencing, Coach Dan John, is credited with the statement: “Success leaves clues.”
No doubt, you likely saw some success with your weight loss endeavors. Everyone sees “some” success.
Ask yourself why that thing or collection of things worked. Dig deeper and find out if, since it worked, why did it stop working?
When we consider the root of a New Year’s Resolution, it’s a resolve to change something. We really do have the best of intentions. We also have stress, emotions, relationships, work, family, challenges with sleep, extreme diets, extreme training, and options galore of how to marry all those things together and try to come up with a plan for success.
After you’ve taken the time to answer those questions for yourself, dig even deeper and ask yourself why any of it matters. Do you need to lose weight or just “want” to lose weight? Why?
Because, at the heart of all this, is change. What I see people come to me for is what appears to be highly motivated change.
I ask you to start that fire and let it burn.
In two, three, or four weeks that fire is going to fade. You’ll be back to your life, pre-resolution, and wondering why the change you want is so hard to come by.
I want you to keep some “gasoline” in reserve so you can push that fire higher. This would be those candid answers you came up with for why it matters. It would also be the map you designed for yourself to ensure you get to your destination. You’ll need both: a purpose and a plan.
You’ll need to use that gasoline..again…and again…and again.
Make no mistake, 2020 will be no different than 2019, 2018, or 2017 unless you make it so. Only YOU can make it so.
You will have stress, you will have traumatic life events, you will gain weight and then you will lose weight. Keep that “gasoline” on hand and toss it on the fire. You’ll need it.
For those who have succeeded at weight loss, they already know this. It’s steady work, methodical work, hard work and you just keep putting the time in.
As I write this, a mere days before the beginning of 2020, I don’t ask for your resolutions. Make them, don’t make them. Determine what you resolve to change. Fill your toolbox with the tools you need to succeed and keep your gas tank close by.
Let that fire burn and make it burn higher when life gets in the way.
Below is a shot of some our resident studs (L to R: Pete, Brandon and Shon).
Change is happening.
“We Make Great People Greater”