Fired Up: to fill (someone) with energy or enthusiasm
When you first take on something new, a health goal, fitness regime, house project, etc, do you notice the fire that lights up? The energy and excitement, drive and determination? This is a normal occurrence for me. I start a new project and I am so motivated.
In fact, just the other day, I decided to carve out some time each day to thin out my kid's playroom (MUCH needed). I went up there with boxes, labels and some good music, ready to clear the clutter. Which I did very successfully on day 1. Lots of progress.
But then, Day 2, I found myself getting easily distracted, wandering aimlessly. By Day 3, I had a million excuses as to why I wasn't going to go up there and keep at it.
"I have other things piling up on my to do list"
"I can get to it later"
"Ehhh, I just don't feel like it"
What happened? Well, the fire burned out. It went from a raging flame, to embers, to smoke, and I let that derail me. I allowed my excuses to take control.
This has happened time and time again in my life, and I always told myself, it's just the way things are. Once the fire's gone, better find something else, because clearly, that wasn't the thing for me. ESPECIALLY when it came to dieting and weight loss. I would be so passionate for whatever I was trying in the beginning, and then as the days and weeks went on, that fire slowly burned out... and I did too.
So here's the question - how do you keep going once the fire burns out? Let's start with my definition of commitment.
Commitment is honoring to your word - NO MATTER WHAT. No matter if you slip up, eat the thing, make a mistake, fail. No matter if you lose that initial fire that motivated you.
Think of the lasting relationships you have in your life, maybe a partner, a family member, a friend. You don't throw in the towel because the relationship isn't he same as it was the day you first connected. It grows, evolves and changes. Sometimes it is filled with fire, other times it simply glows or smokes. But you stay in it, you find new and different reasons to keep at it.
You can do the same thing with losing weight. There will be times of fire and enthusiasm, but there will also be times it's boring, times it sucks.
So how do you keep going? As with most things, it all comes down to your thinking. You create your feelings by your thoughts. In order to feel ANY feeling, you first have a thought that generates it. So sometimes in those moments of suck, those moments of boredom, the ol' "fake it til you make it" might be your best tool. Ask yourself, what do I need to keep going? What can I think to feel motivated? What would it look like if I kept going without the raging fire?
Maybe day three of cleaning out the playroom isn't as fun. It's not as big and open-ended. But I committed to doing it. I can imagine how amazing it will feel when it's done (before the kids come in and mess it all up in 24 hours... but that's a whole other analogy).
Sometimes, to power through without the fire, you need to picture the future. What will it feel like to achieve your goal? To lose the weight, to ditch the food drama? That feeling will outweigh any fire, because that is lasting and permanent. Then, think of thoughts you can think now, that help you feel that feeling.
For me, maybe it's telling myself "you've got this, little by little, day by day." It may not unfold in the exact way I originally planned, but if I keep going, no matter what, it will get done.
As always, if you want to dive in deeper to this, reach out for a free consultation for my Weightless Weight Loss program!
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